Posted on 08/28/2016 2:41:41 PM PDT by Salvation
The Surprising Reason Why More Americans Are Not Going To Church
The standard narrative of American religious decline goes something like this: A few hundred years ago, European and American intellectuals began doubting the validity of God as an explanatory mechanism for natural life. As science became a more widely accepted method for investigating and understanding the physical world, religion became a less viable way of thinking—not just about medicine and mechanics, but also culture and politics and economics and every other sphere of public life. As the United States became more secular, people slowly began drifting away from faith.
Of course, this tale is not just reductive—it’s arguably inaccurate, in that it seems to capture neither the reasons nor the reality behind contemporary American belief. For one thing, the U.S. is still overwhelmingly religious, despite years of predictions about religion’s demise. A significant number of people who don’t identify with any particular faith group still say they believe in God, and roughly 40 percent pray daily or weekly. While there have been changes in this kind of private belief and practice, the most significant shift has been in the way people publicly practice their faith: Americans, and particularly young Americans, are less likely to attend services or identify with a religious group than they have at any time in recent memory.
If most people haven’t just logicked their way out of believing in God, what’s behind this shift in public religious practice, and what does the shift look like in detail? That’s a big question, one less in search of a straightforward answer than a series of data points and arguments constellated over time. Here’s one: Pew has a new survey out about the way people choose their congregations and attend services. While Americans on the whole are still going to church and other worship services less than they used to, many people are actually going more—and those who are skipping out aren’t necessarily doing it for reasons of belief.
There were at least three fascinating tidbits tucked into the results of the survey. First, people who report going to worship services less frequently now than they used to overwhelmingly say the logistics of getting there are the biggest obstacle.Second, a significant number of people who said they’re not part of any particular religion expressed mistrust of religious institutions, suggesting these organizations’ reputations have something to do with why people are dropping out of public religious participation.
Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, the country seems to be split in half in terms of how often people get to services. Roughly 51 percent of Americans say they go to church or another worship service somewhere between once a month and multiple times per week, while 49 percent said they go rarely or never. But within that 51 percent, more than half of people said they go more often than they used to—in other words, about quarter of Americans have gotten more active in their religious communities in recent years, not less.
On the other hand, fewer than half of the people who rarely or never go to church said this has been a new decline in the last few years; a greater portion of that group said they’ve always stayed home on Sundays. All of this is a way of saying that, comparatively speaking, there’s more activity happening on the devout side of the spectrum than the drop-out side; this study suggests that even in a time of religion’s public decline, some people are experiencing religious revival.
According to the survey, about one-fifth of Americans now go to religious services a few times a year, but say they used to go a lot more. Roughly half of this group stopped going as often because of what the researchers called “practical issues”: They are too busy, have a crazy work schedule, or describe themselves as “too lazy” to go. Others said they just don’t care about attending services as much as doing other things.
While it’s easy to empathize with the hassle of trying to wake up and rally kids to go sit still for several hours every Sunday morning, this explanation is interesting for a slightly different reason: It suggests that many people view religious services as optional in a way they might not have in the past. Fifty or 60 years ago, churches, in particular, were a center of social and cultural life in America. For many people, that’s still the case, but the survey suggests that many people may be creating their social lives outside of a religious context—or perhaps forgoing that kind of social connection altogether.
The experience of those who are losing their religion shouldn’t obscure those who are finding it.
The sidelining of services may connect to another factor indicated in the survey: Among people who were raised religiously and who fell away from religion in adult life, roughly one-fifth said their dislike of organized religion was the reason. Another 50 percent said they stopped believing in the particular tenets of the faith they were raised in. Insofar as the decline in U.S. religious affiliation is an intellectual or philosophical story, it seems to be this: Fewer people are willing to sign on with the rules and reputations of institutions that promote faith. That doesn’t mean people don’t care about religious ideas or questions—many of those who are unaffiliated with a particular group still consider themselves “religious” or “seeking”—but they might not be as sold on the religious institutions themselves.
The experience of those who are losing their religion shouldn’t obscure the experience of those who are finding it, though. Twenty-seven percent of people in the survey say they’re attending services more often than they did in the past, cutting against the country’s overall decline in religious practice. This was most common among evangelical Protestants, three-quarters of whom say they go to church at least once or twice a month. Half of the people who said they’re going to services more often explained the change in terms of their beliefs: They’ve become more religious; they found that they need God in their life; they’ve gotten more mature as they’ve aged. By contrast, relatively few said they started going to church more often for practical reasons. Belief brings people to worship, it seems, while logistics keep people way.
The survey offers evidence that at least some Americans find worship services less relevant than other things they could be doing with their time, or perhaps they’re too hard to make time for. But the biggest takeaway is the variety of religious experience in America. Just as some people are drifting away from religion, others are moving toward it—and no matter what they might do on Sunday mornings, many people seem to find religious thinking still relevant to their lives.
We read; right here on the pages of FR; that Catholicism is the SAME as the church Jesus started!
What's this CHANGE you mention?
No; questioning you.
I happen to KNOW between which two parties the covenant covered.
It can be both, in a therapeutic and redemptive way.
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Torah is for all of Yisreal (the assembly of Yeshua, all who will be with him on the sea of glass mingled with fire)
Acts 15 is quite clear, All of the elect keep Torah, and meet “every Sabbath day” to hear Moses taught.
Inclusion, or exclusion is a personal choice. The lost exclude themselves, they cannot blame Yehova for their plight.
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You wrest Paul’s words at your own peril.
“Works” have nothing to do with Torah.
Works are the pharisees’ false man made laws, Torah is love and obedience.
Those that have not Torah written on their heart are eternally lost.
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Okay.
getting that vague feeling again
Not to be argumentative but a lot of the laws and ordinances seem to be a lot of symbolic works that were to point to the coming Redeemer. The sacrificial system for example. That was works. Works that were supposed to point to the Sacrifice on Calvary. It was that sacrifice on Calvary which abolished the old ordinances and ceremonial laws.
In fact, the LORD has created a new covenant, with far greater strictness than the Mosaic law provides (and it is within that new covenant that our spiritual clothing will be tailored; Mt. 5:10). Under the New Covenant, the keys to the Kingdom of God, entrance to Heaven assured, that both Jews and Gentiles gain entrance.
The boundary conditions of man's relationship to The God have already been published here (click)
on Free Republic, and shows more detail of The God's progressive unveiling of His Will for mankind.
(Sorry for the tardiness in answering . . . )
>> that both Jews and Gentiles gain entrance (Romans 1:17, 3:30). <<
Which, as a whole, they were not:
"He came unto his own (neuter plural, things), and his own (masculine plural, people) received him not" (Jn. 1:11-12 AV; my supplemental explanations in blue).
But some souls truly were prepared to receive Him and did, a few more passionately than others (Zachariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, John Baptist, Beloved John, Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany; few = 8, 1 Peter 3:20):
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:11 AV).
They were not born of the Law, but of The Spirit, through faith alone in Jesus of Nazareth alone, apart from fickle obedience of fallible humans to the Mosaic Law.
I can sympathize. If it’s possible, go to another parish for Mass. There’s nothing wrong with that even if you’ve been going to the same one for decades.
If not possible to change for whatever reason: about the singing, you don’t have to sing the songs. If you’re not able you’re not able. If it’s putting the responses in song form, as is done in parishes typically under Franciscan direction (they seem to like to make all the responses into some kind of chant) then just say the responses quietly instead of trying to “sing” them.
As for the hand-holding: I can sympathize believe me. My wife and I typically sit in a relatively isolated area so that when its time for the Our Father, we aren’t in anyone’s grasping range. Just offer up the irritation at the silliness.
Otherwise, again if possible, you may prefer what’s known as the “Extraordinary form of the Mass” or the “Tridintine Rite”. It’s the Mass as it was before Vatican II. It’s very traditional no hand holding little singing and quite different. So be warned its not going to be what you’re used to but all the modern innovations won’t be there. You should be able to find one in your diocese unless you’re in an isolated area.
Remember most of all though, no matter what Mass you attend, you’re not going there to see the “correct style of worship”, you’re going there to be fed by Jesus Himself in the Holy Sacrifice. Unless the priest doesn’t say the words of Consecration correctly, or uses some matter that’s invalid, like leavened bread or grape juice instead of wine, then the Mass completes what is intended, to re-present the same one Sacrifice of Calvary. Offer up any suffering experienced due to modernist invention and be thankful for the infinite grace poured out at even the most “silly” of celebrations.
And you should go to Confession before receiving again if you have missed Mass because of “laziness”. It’s not an excuse to miss Mass simply because it’s too modern for our taste.
Yes, the Mosaic Covenant is no longer in effect but the Ten Commandments were separate from it. The Ten Commandments were in effect from Day 1 of the Universe. They were in effect in the Garden of Eden and will remain effect in Heaven throughout eternity. (Psalms 111:7,8) It defines sin and to be sin free we must know what is and is not sin.
That is how it was supposed to be practiced. It was essentially a purification process for the nation to prepare them for the coming Redeemer. IF they had fulfilled their part, they would have become a nation of priests and evangelized the world. The world would have been at Bethlehem and every nation would have been represented at His birth. The failure of the people was evident when Jesus walked among them and people asked "What must I do to be saved"? The symbolism of the ceremonies were to highlight their need for a Redeemer.
Because the law gives us an outline of God's character, we know what it means to be 'Holy'. And we know that only One Man ever reached the level of that Character, the man Christ Jesus. Thus only He can be our Savior as our advocate.
We are in agreement.
A Christians life, if the Christian is letting God's spirit work in them, should naturally fall into line with the law of God. God cannot sin...break his law...and when we let him work in us he changes our nature over time.
The expectation is that we'll let Christ transform us. This in fact is what the entire new covenant is based on:
Heb 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
A Christian’s life, if the Christian is letting God’s spirit work in them, should naturally fall into line with the law of God. God cannot sin...break his law...and when we let him work in us he changes our nature over time.
Paul says something similar in Galatians 5:16-24
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Good post! More proof of your assertion is found in the book of Revelation:
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant, and there occurred lightnings and voices, and thunders and an earthquake., and a great hail.
The ark contains:
Deu_10:2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were in the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.
Indeed the ten commandments are permanent, eternal expressions of God's will and law for man. They are literally set in stone and engraved in the hearts and minds of believers.
The sacrifice was “work” only for the High Priest.
Nothing about Torah was works for the believer; it was simply living one’s life healthy and righteous with Yehova’s help.
More than anything it was simply avoiding the acts that caused one to be weakened.
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