I've probably said this here before, but it's more true than ever:
The US is in a race between christian extremism and secularism.
The numbers show that churches are increasingly desperate because they are shrinking, in every way. People started empying the pews in earnest during Trump's first run. It's accelerating again.
The US evangelical complex is currently upside-down -- it cannot cover its assets internally. It is now being propped up by international sources.
May all things "religion" die the whimpering death they deserve. I'm a deeply spiritual person, I think most truly compassionate people are but anyone thinking they can speak for some "god" is insanity or hubris at best...at worse...something monstrous.
@AndersonArtwork This new mutation is particularly hideous -- the label is now almost entirely used as a way to manufacture solidarity by antagonising out-groups.
Also, it's important to realise how entrenched people are in the system(s) of church when seeing statistics about people fleeing it at the rate of 100,000s per year in the US.
It sometimes feels like this is an unchangeable monolith, but statistics are painting a different picture.
@sumpnlikefaith go on about the international sources?
@StevenSavage I don't have the stats at my fingertips for this, but a primary way that the US' struggling post-secondary education sector is being supported is through foreign students.
This is especially true in evangelicalism. The scandals and immorality of the evangelical church in recent years, including its allegiance to Trump, has had a massive deleterious effect (of course underplayed in conservative media).
A colossal machine to run, it is now being kept afloat by foreign students.
@sumpnlikefaith One would think that I, a Christian, would be worried about this, but I am actually relieved.
Because people to whom the journey matters will always get together and support each other on it. They don't need The Church(TM) - they (we) have one another.
What we're losing are the folks who were here for money, or power, or anything else that ought to be chased out of the temple with a whip.
@danialexis This has certainly been clarifying.
What's truly disturbing is just how much of it is being exposed as a hollow, overt money-and-power-grab, built on the backs and the reputations of sincere believers.
I can no longer see the lines clearly...if I ever could.
@danialexis @sumpnlikefaith Christianity started with an informal gathering. It can get back to that.
@StevenSavage @danialexis I fully agree.
There are many (too many!) pivotal points in history when the church got caught up in the project of building the empire of its time.
This is one of them.
“ The numbers show that churches are increasingly desperate because they are shrinking, in every way. People started empying the pews in earnest during Trump's first run. It's accelerating again.
The US evangelical complex is currently upside-down -- it cannot cover its assets internally. It is now being propped up by international sources.”
I am interested in this claim. What is your evidence for it, please?
@LSWellesley There are several access points.
Do a quick search on the SBC's reducing numbers over the past few years. That's the biggest non-Catholic church in the US, and one of the most significant in politics. It's still large, but it's losing people.
Qualitatively, a common cited reason for leaving is that church group's support for TFG.
I also have access to an extensive research project that fleshes out the other pieces further -- I'll provide more details later.
(I'm taking a cue from A. R. Moxon in uncapitalising "christian" in cases where I feel the descriptor bears no meaningful resemblance to the Christ consciousness, yet remains an important way to idenify a socio-religious phenomenon.)