by Haruo » Fri May 31, 2019 2:29 pm
The other end of the issue has cost members, too. My brother Alan and his wife were converted by one of their sons, while he was in college, from UCC to non-church-attending atheism some time in the last decade. I think a major factor in this sort of membership loss, affecting mainly the more "liberal" denominations, congregations, and members, has been the loss of social value in church affiliation and membership. It used to be that one had to defend your nonattendance or disbelief as or more strenuously than one's attendance or belief, and social standing, credibility with clients, etc., were enhanced by visible religious activity. Now, in some parts of the country anyway (and increasingly in most if not all urban areas, I think) the situations are reversed. Many people see religious faith and churches as presumptively unhelpful in the creation and maintenance of a just and equitable society.
Haruo = Leland Bryant Ross
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