Athiests, why is the Christian Church declining?

Question

I'm writing an essay, you could tell me just about anything as to why it is in your opinion. Thank you.

Answer 1

Partially because the church refuses to change. It is stagnant. It doesn't have all the answers anymore. Things are getting more complex, and issues are rising that the doctrine the chuch has cannot cope with.

Partially because society is changing and morality is different from when it was written. People see more prejudice and hate in religions these days. They aren't as willing to damn people for being different, when they can see that they're good people who just have different ideas.

Partially because there are fewer and fewer "gaps" to fit gods into. And for some people, the only reason they believed was that religion answered what was previously unknown.

Partially because religions are socialized, and people today know that. It makes it hard to accept, without egoism, that YOUR religion is right, while people raised differently are wrong.

Answer 2

As I see it, it's a combination of factors.

Many young people can not relate to the church as it seems out of touch with a modern technological world. As the older generation dies, there are no young ones coming through to fill their seats - it's just not interesting compared to popular culture.

In this information age, it is much easier to get information about many different world views. In the past, when religion was passed down through the generations and there was not such a diverse information pool in any one area, ideas spread much more slowly - basically you stuck with what your parents gave you because that's all you had access to (and probably all they were likely to let you see). These days, the Internet, television and the likes have opened up the gates so to speak to new ideas (take Y!A for example)

Also in many ways changes in society have put a stop to the 'heavy hand' of religious instruction and reinforcement. In the past, even though it may have been 'wrong' to negatively portray alternative views, you could get away with it. Now you will get in trouble if you try and force your agenda to the exclusion of all others - and people take advantage of this to say no to Christianity.

Also in the last 50 years, most religions (in the western world) have stayed flat or declined in popularity where as atheism has increased markedly - atheism is coming of age. These people would have been religious due to social pressure in the past and for no other reason. Now we stand proud :)

Answer 3

much of the reason is that we can see what the fundamentalist religions are doing, causing , and performing in the 'name of their gods', that is against all reason, against one's fellow man, and against common sense..... if THAT"S religion, it's a fer sure that I don't want to be lumped in with it and with those people!!!.... today, the church doesn't offer peace, comfort and love.... it waits for your money, has thousands of others just like you and you can stay home on Sunday morning and watch the service on tv..............so much for brotherhood and fellowship..... the church used to be about service.... about taking care of those who were ill or needed help or a friend.... nowadays, you can't get your pastor to visit you in the hospital.... gotta make an appointment with the priest to get Communion or Last Rites at home...... the 'church' has become a business... it's no longer the haven of the little man.....

I went to church before all this changed.... I won't go back now....

Answer 4

IT i.s not declining is your essay about propaganda and the vulnerability of youth to believe a lie?
There have been over 300,000 new churches built since the fall of the USSR. Get the truth and FREE your mind
PS they also have to have more then one service on Sundays BECAUSE there are too many people to fit in the sanctuary.
Also saturdays other language services are offered for example spanish services making that triple the number per church.

Answer 5

I think your premise is wrong to begin with, at least in the United States. 9/11 tended to send people to or back to their religion to get answers, and they have pretty much stayed put.

However, here is a source that indicates the reasons for any negative growth seen.

http://www.questioningchristian.org/2004/06/just_why_is_it_.html

Answer 6

I don't think it's declining, or at least the ones that I know of. It's very difficult to bring people to Christ these days, as you see on Y/A. But if it's a command from God, no matter what the difficulty is, we are able to handle it, so we need to step it up a notch and spread the word.

Answer 7

The religious hierarchy has lost out to a new, economic power structure. We all worship consumption and the preacher is your television. Corporations are the archbishops and Donald Trump is like the Pope. Nothing has really changed though.

Answer 8

why are you asking the ignorant and lost a question they know nothing about?? The Christian Church is growing each and every day because people are realizing we are living in the end times and they need to know God...

Answer 9

if it is declining, not sure if it is but if it is:
-interest in other religions growing as world gets smaller
_science seen as replacing religion (neitzche even said god is dead in this age of science) ever since the industrial revolution
-churches not succeeding in attracting younger generation (altho many are)
_church today not lining up with morals of some people (eg different stances on abortion sex contraception..or on biblical events like the immaculate conception and transubstantiation)

hope this helps dead tired so the english is a mess

Answer 10

I think it's a combination of things. First, people are gaining access to information, both past and present, about religion and religious institutions and they're becoming more skeptical. Second, the way that Christians act toward other people. It's easy to see how this would make people even less likely to want to participate in religion.