Why is it that in the US where people want more choices fundamentalist churches have been growing in number?

Question

In the world of US Christianity you see the strongest growth among fundamentalist sects. Of course the catholic church still dominates in both number and growth, but the next in line are the Southern Baptist convention and Pentacostal sects. The mainstream protestant churches that exploded during the first and second great awakenings are now either losing members or just barely holding their own. In fact, the Southern Baptist convention with 16 million members is larger than the membership of the large mainstream protistant churches combined. I'm not interested in which church people think is better, or the best version of christianity. What I'm interested in is why on one hand would people want more choices in their secular lives (they want a choice of job, places to live, educational opportunity, consumer products, etc), but want a religeon that has very strict rules to live by?

One thing I've been wondering is if this has more to do with social stress than anything else? You see this in the rise and fall of empires. When economies are stagnating and economies failing you have these religeous shifts to things like the inquisition, puritans, and the reformation. Basically a shift towards more fundamentalist forms of belief. Does anybody else think that might also be a factor for what we see today?

Answer 1

People want the choice of which church to attend, but people generally attend church because they think the message it preaches is true. Nobody wants to attend a church which doesn't claim to know the truth or can't make up it's collective mind about what the truth really is, or thinks everybody else's beliefs are just as valid as their own. People despise churches like that, and that is exactly why the mainline Protestant churches have been losing members rapidly for decades. Most of their clergy and upper officials have no convictions, and just drift wherever the culture leads them. There are exceptions, of course, and generally you will find that the conservative, orthodox parishes of every church are growing rapidly. Christianity and Relativism simply don't mix- put them together and one or the other has got to die eventually. Christian belief is relentlessly exclusive in that way- it's not compatible with anything else, it can't be mixed with other beliefs, and a bald claim to be the only path to salvation is not easily reconciled with the idea that other faiths are equally valid. It just can't be done. People have tried for centuries to find a way to water down Christianity, but it's never worked, and those who tried are forgotten by everyone except church historians. The same process is already happening to those churches who have decided to love the world more than they love God. They should heed the warning.

Answer 2

Different people make up rules, with denominations, but in all sense, Gods church lives in each and every one of us individuallly, when Jesus died on the cross, and the veil to the tabernacle split in two, it showed that our bodies are now the tabernacle that hold the Holy Spirit, that lives with in us, thats why we can talk to God through Jesus now, because Jesus took our sins.
Choices is an everyday part of life, they cannot be avoid, but what we should concentrate more on is the freedom to have that choice, in many countries some people will never know God, because political views prohibit teaching, making it hard for christianity to spread, and hard for people to be saved, egypt is one of the hardest people to reach as they are predominately muslim as well as other countries, we have a gift and we should share and encourage others to do the same no matter what rules certain churches may set up, we are all Gods children, and he loves us each and every one the same.

Answer 3

It's really quite simple. The more relaxed churches have allowed themselves to be taken over by marxists. Faithful christians know what heinous evil is involved with that and switch to a denomination that specifically identifies with conservative values and piety.

Myself for example. I recently left the Presbyterian church because I could no longer associate myself with people who support Hamas and specifically call for the destruction of Israel. That is heinous evil. Since that is what my old church now stands for, it is no longer appropriate for me to follow them.

Thousands and thousands of people are having the same experience. Their old church no longer follows God but now serves satan.

Answer 4

""cts, etc), but want a religeon that has very strict rules to live by?""

That just could be the key!

People need guidelines, call them rules, to live by.

The rest of our lives is kind of chop -suey -- so may be something that does not change by Political Correctness, etc. is what is desired, and, or, required.

Answer 5

Not really hon. Atheists has the strongest growth.

Answer 6

the weak and ignorant will always fall to the most vigilant persuaders.