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Back in the day, it was the norm to attend church or Synagogue. Societal pressure dictated it so. Reasons to attend worship not only included a desire to worship God, but for some, to make social and business connections. Decent people attended church or Synagogue.
As a result you had a number of people who attended, not because the wanted to, but because they were expected to. By 2000, society changed and social pressures shifted. No longer was it expected that all decent people attend worship. So many left the church, because, while they still believed, they saw no want for organized religion. Besides, it felt better to sleep in on a Sunday morning.
So the people who really didn’t care to attend left, leaving those who did care to attend still there. In my opinion, the dead wood left, leaving the congregation smaller, but healthier.
The church where I go had 75 % attendance before the pandemic, where through this pandemic people have to seat 6 feet apart front and back, but hope this will be over down the road and back to 70% attendance ..... Other church down the road may get 10 people, and it is believed that leader fail to invite Jesus Holy Spirit into the church and the gifts are non-existent...... God has reported to have said through the prophets that there will be no power of His spirit unless people are obedient to His commands to preach the gospel , and evidence of Holy Spirit will be there
Nothing of this nature happened among Amish and Mennonites. Those, who have the true faith, stood by it.
I've worked with some Amish and very conservative Mennonites. Many of them were good, God-fearing men and women. But many of them were absolutely clueless about who God is. Don't make the mistake to think that just because they're Amish or Mennonite they are in the true faith.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The OP is right, many of us never bought into religion and only went to church because our parents dragged us there on Sundays. There were 9 of us kids raised Catholic, of those currently one still goes to church, and even my mother (now 92) hasn't gone in probably 30 years. For me Sunday mass was torture, with the sickening smells of the perfume the women wore, and having to wear a tie.
The OP is right, many of us never bought into religion and only went to church because our parents dragged us there on Sundays. There were 9 of us kids raised Catholic, of those currently one still goes to church, and even my mother (now 92) hasn't gone in probably 30 years. For me Sunday mass was torture, with the sickening smells of the perfume the women wore, and having to wear a tie.
I was also raised Catholic. You know there are many good churches besides the Catholic church, right? If it wasn't for you, perhaps see what else there is, rather than assume all are like that?
I was also raised Catholic. You know there are many good churches besides the Catholic church, right? If it wasn't for you, perhaps see what else there is, rather than assume all are like that?
There may be differences in very specific churches (I'm talking about churches as in a specific building), but there's that much difference in the general message of most christian churches. What differences there are, are magnified by members to separate themselves from the rest of christianity as just one more means of saying, "We're special".
I was raised in the Methodist Church, and since that time have attended a few other Protestant churches' including a First Congregational Church. They all base their liturgy on the bible, and those stories are all pretty much the same. Certain rituals may be different. Hymns may be different. And worst of all -- in today's America -- some churches are mixing in heavy doses of politics, because they don't believe in separating church and state. But basic beliefs...not so different. Even in the Catholic church, the primary differences are in the rituals, not the basic beliefs.
Here's the Nicene Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man: Who for us, too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried: the third day He rose according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of the Father: He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son: Who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified: Who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy, Christian, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and life of
the age to come. Amen."
Among the christian churches, which ones deviate much from that?
It's down because the focus of churches shifted from where it should be, to where it shouldn't be.
The affect on attendance is directly from churches (within), not externally / society.
I think you should explain that vague statement.
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