U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time

[Keyser_Soze]

53 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Have you considered joining a Unitarian congregation?

 

I don't think he drinks coffee and Unitarians always have coffee and cookies (or apple juice) after service.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

19 minutes ago, CayceG said:

 

The other option could be Episcopalian if you can decipher the many stripes of that denomination. Anglicans also have some communions that can be less deferential to LGBT people than Episcopalians. 

 

The church I was looking to join recently was Anglican before I realized that they became Anglican because the priest started the church because the original congregation he was a part of was Episcopalian and they approved of ordaining a gay priest. So the other priest split and joined an Anglican communion. Which, I think is kinda weird because there are divisions of Anglicanism that are more or less accepting of LGBT people. 

 

 

It's all so complicated lol.

 

7 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

See I thought Episcopalian was just another word for Anglican or that they were some sort of sub-group. Complicated indeed. Haha.

 

Anglicans and Episcopalians are effectively the same denomination.

 

The Episcopal Church is a sub-branch of the overall Anglican (Church of England) communion.  The Episcopal Church came into existence as a result of the American Revolution, but liturgically/theologically it's identical to the "mother" Anglican Church.

[GeneticBlueprint]

1 minute ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

I don't think he drinks coffee and Unitarians always have coffee and cookies (or apple juice) after service.

 

Not true. I actually just finished this:

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 minute ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

Not true. I actually just finished this:

 

 

I ADORE that particular brand!

[GeneticBlueprint]

Just now, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

I ADORE that brand!

 

It's soooo good. Also @Keyser_Soze your assertion would have been true a few years ago.

[stepee]

5 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

Not true. I actually just finished this:

 

Thanks I saved the picture to look for it next time I’m at the store. 

[Guest]

@CayceG finding a church is hard, but my one bit of encouragement as you move through this process is to think about the Church in it’s earliest form, and what it was doing.

 

Quote

Acts 2:42

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

I still can understand wanting to be in a place that is more vocal about particular values you hold.

[Keyser_Soze]

4 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

It's soooo good. Also @Keyser_Soze your assertion would have been true a few years ago.

 

Wow! You're a true sinner now!

[GeneticBlueprint]

Just now, stepee said:

Thanks I saved the picture to look for it next time I’m at the store. 

 

I got it at Costco. I'm sure they sell it in other places.

[stepee]

Just now, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

I got it at Costco. I'm sure they sell it in other places.

 

Ohhh if Costco has it, even better! Since it still hurts too much to walk to Starbucks on the weekends I’d like to have something nice beyond my basic coffee I could have at home like that.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

You can pick up that particular brand practically everywhere - Costco, convenience store, etc.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

13 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

@CayceG finding a church is hard, but my one bit of encouragement as you move through this process is to think about the Church in it’s earliest form, and what it was doing.

 

I still can understand wanting to be in a place that is more vocal about particular values you hold.

 

Probably the best part of being Roman Catholic is that there is absolutely no thought required when it comes to "choosing" a church

 

It's either a Catholic church or you're committing a sin.

Edit: if @CayceG  thought about the church in its "earliest form", then there really are only two choices for him: Catholic or Orthodox.

[GeneticBlueprint]

19 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

@CayceG finding a church is hard, but my one bit of encouragement as you move through this process is to think about the Church in it’s earliest form, and what it was doing.

 

I still can understand wanting to be in a place that is more vocal about particular values you hold.

 

Maybe this fits him too, but there are so many churches out there where they start championing things you vehemently oppose. Then it becomes more complicated than just hoping they do the basics.

[mclumber1]

I just started reading "the nones" for my religion in America class.  Has a lot of data on the downward trend in religion in the us.

https://www.amazon.com/Nones-Where-They-Came-Going/dp/1506465854?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_dls

[Ghost_MH]

37 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

@CayceG finding a church is hard, but my one bit of encouragement as you move through this process is to think about the Church in it’s earliest form, and what it was doing.

 

I still can understand wanting to be in a place that is more vocal about particular values you hold.

 

For me, the issue isn't so much finding a place that vocally supports my values. It's finding someone that isn't vocally supporting values that run completely counter to my own. I don't think it's too much to just be, like, nice to everyone. I come from a Pentecostal background. Half the churches I've ever visited in my life would probably chase my wife out over her Gengar tattoo. I was a youth leader during at the height of the satanic panic over Pokemon. Somehow churches have gotten crazier since then. I'm not even touching on the number of churches I've seen where I question how much control the pastor has when the congregation seems to be getting their marching orders from anonymous Internet trolls.

[CayceG]

9 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

 

For me, the issue isn't so much finding a place that vocally supports my values. It's finding someone that isn't vocally supporting values that run completely counter to my own. I don't think it's too much to just be, like, nice to everyone. 

 

 

This is how it is for me. And it's also less about being vocally supportive and more actionable in the values of supporting the poor, the oppressed, etc. That means being welcoming and inclusive of groups like LGBT and having diverse leadership. 

 

The other thing I long for and have only managed to find once (and that priest tragically died in a car accident) is leadership that is well aware of what's going on in the world and how it impacts everyone. So many churches I've been a part of are either taken in by propaganda from the right wing or are so incurious about the world they're surprised to the point of disbelief about some things that go on. 

 

 

As for my preferred denomination, I also think something under the Anglican umbrella is likely where I'll wind up. Mainly because Unitarians are too far afield of actual Christian beliefs. Though the UU's often times put Christian beliefs into practice very well. I need the whole package though.

[GeneticBlueprint]

10 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

 

For me, the issue isn't so much finding a place that vocally supports my values. It's finding someone that isn't vocally supporting values that run completely counter to my own. I don't think it's too much to just be, like, nice to everyone. I come from a Pentecostal background. Half the churches I've ever visited in my life would probably chase my wife out over her Gengar tattoo. I was a youth leader during at the height of the satanic panic over Pokemon. Somehow churches have gotten crazier since then. I'm not even touching on the number of churches I've seen where I question how much control the pastor has when the congregation seems to be getting their marching orders from anonymous Internet trolls.

 

This is what I was getting at above. Very much agreed here.

 

My former faith did the basics as outlined in that scripture.

 

They also championed legislation opposing gay marriage in several states before Obergefell. And horde ungodly amounts of wealth while demanding large percentages of income from even their most destitute members before they are allowed full participation. And a million other things I could go on and on about.

[mclumber1]

This is all a great discussion, as we too are trying to find a church that fits us well.  At the Baptist church we attended in Oregon, the pastor outed a member of the church for adultery in front of the entire congregation.  Sorry, I'm not going to choose a place like that.  Not a fan of baptist and evangelical interpretations of the bible and morality in general.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

11 minutes ago, mclumber1 said:

This is all a great discussion, as we too are trying to find a church that fits us well.  At the Baptist church we attended in Oregon, the pastor outed a member of the church for adultery in front of the entire congregation.  Sorry, I'm not going to choose a place like that.  Not a fan of baptist and evangelical interpretations of the bible and morality in general.

Just go with the Episcopalians.

 

Practically all of the Catholic ritual, practically none of the Catholic baggage.

[Nokra]

As an alternative to stuffy Episcopalians, might I suggest Lutherans, particularly the ELCA? They're pretty progressive (female pastors, support LGBTQ, etc.) and have been known to indulge in beer drinking. 

[Ghost_MH]

16 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

This is what I was getting at above. Very much agreed here.

 

My former faith did the basics as outlined in that scripture.

 

They also championed legislation opposing gay marriage in several states before Obergefell. And horde ungodly amounts of wealth while demanding large percentages of income from even their most destitute members before they are allowed full participation. And a million other things I could go on and on about.

 

Years ago, before my father passed, I attended the church he ran because he ran it under a very simple principal. Everyone that comes in the doors should leave feeling loved. That's nearly impossible to find these days, less so in this crazy COVID world.

 

7 minutes ago, mclumber1 said:

This is all a great discussion, as we too are trying to find a church that fits us well.  At the Baptist church we attended in Oregon, the pastor outed a member of the church for adultery in front of the entire congregation.  Sorry, I'm not going to choose a place like that.  Not a fan of baptist and evangelical interpretations of the bible and morality in general.

 

We left our last church because of this. At the height of COVID fears and lock downs, my wife was out of work and struggling to find something new while also dealing with some severe depression. In a small attempt to hold some control over her own life, she got her septum pierced. She was alone at church because I was home with my middle child. Sitting still does not do autistic kids well. Sitting still with a mask on? Nice try. Either way, nothing like one of the pastors deciding to publicly condemn a $30 nose ring to make some sort of point. My wife packed up and left. We haven't stepped foot in there again.

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, Ghost_MH said:

For me, the issue isn't so much finding a place that vocally supports my values. It's finding someone that isn't vocally supporting values that run completely counter to my own. I don't think it's too much to just be, like, nice to everyone. I come from a Pentecostal background. Half the churches I've ever visited in my life would probably chase my wife out over her Gengar tattoo. I was a youth leader during at the height of the satanic panic over Pokemon. Somehow churches have gotten crazier since then. I'm not even touching on the number of churches I've seen where I question how much control the pastor has when the congregation seems to be getting their marching orders from anonymous Internet trolls.

 

It's self selecting.

 

At this point I've been a lapsed Catholic atheist for so long that it's difficult to imagine ending up anywhere other than here. But I for sure would have held out longer if some of the stupider shit that went on in the church was managed better or if some of the people who ran CCD or confirmation classes didn't seem actively hostile towards anything other than quiet acceptance of everything without any kind of questioning. You run people through a sieve fine enough and all you're going to be left with is a really specific grain of true believer.

[SaysWho?]

I've been an atheist for so long but I honestly think I lean agnostic now. I just feel like there's some comfort in knowing that I can't really, 100% know that there's nothing or something after this, and so if we make things better in the now, then that's better for either achieving the best afterlife or laying down a solid foundation for the generations after me.

[Chadatog]

4 hours ago, Nokra said:

As an alternative to stuffy Episcopalians, might I suggest Lutherans, particularly the ELCA? They're pretty progressive (female pastors, support LGBTQ, etc.) and have been known to indulge in beer drinking. 

I belonged to a ELCA church growing up and I had very fond memories of doing church activities.  Fast forward to my entire family moving to NC and none of us are affiliated with a church and every church I see down here that say they are a Lutheran church are either pentecostal or Missouri synod

[Ominous]

How do people have religion in 2022 FFS. My brain can't comprehend the concept of religion one bit.

[Nokra]

1 hour ago, Ominous said:

How do people have religion in 2022 FFS. My brain can't comprehend the concept of religion one bit.

 

Many people believe in God like you and I believe in Almighty GabeN.  

[Ominous]

2 hours ago, Nokra said:

 

Many people believe in God like you and I believe in Almighty GabeN.  

Talking bushes and burning snakes are pretty convincing.

[Keyser_Soze]

7 hours ago, SaysWho? said:

I've been an atheist for so long but I honestly think I lean agnostic now. I just feel like there's some comfort in knowing that I can't really, 100% know that there's nothing or something after this, and so if we make things better in the now, then that's better for either achieving the best afterlife or laying down a solid foundation for the generations after me.

 

Thank you for believing in me!

[Captain Pickle]

12 hours ago, Ominous said:

Talking bushes and burning snakes are pretty convincing.

There’s also burning bushes and talking snakes!

[Ominous]

7 hours ago, Captain Pickle said:

There’s also burning bushes and talking snakes!

Snakes can't talk.🧐

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, Ominous said:

Snakes can't talk.🧐

 

Republican politicians severely test that claim!

[thewhyteboar]

This is just fantastic. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

@GeneticBlueprint - look what I found today at the grocery!

 

 

[GeneticBlueprint]

11 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

@GeneticBlueprint - look what I found today at the grocery!

 

 

 

That sounds really goooood. I'll have to look for that one when I'm at the store!

[Keyser_Soze]

Didn't think @Commissar SFLUFAN was a Pamolive kind of guy.