Summary
Churches across the U.S. are grappling with dwindling attendance and financial instability, forcing many to close or sell properties.
The Diocese of Buffalo has shut down 100 parishes since the 2000s and plans to close 70 more. Nationwide, church membership has dropped from 80% in the 1940s to 45% today.
Some churches repurpose their land to survive, like Atlanta’s First United Methodist Church, which is building affordable housing.
Others, like Calcium Church in New York, make cutbacks to stay open. Leaders warn of the long-term risks of declining community and support for churches.
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In my hometown, we still have over 10.
Psh. Until trump’s project’25 handlers make church attendance mandatory for citizenship.
Too bad its not baptist.
I pray to God everyday that i can live long enough to witness the day humanity completely abandons religion. Inshallah🙏
quite region dependent, in the rural south they’re still pretty strong, in the rest of the country and in large cities, not so much
If a church can’t be supported through its active membership, it should close. Better no church at all than one sold out to the world, making money from investments and forgetting their true purpose.
45% is considerably higher than I expected. I thought it would be closer to 10-15%.
And some are forced to sell off the massive amount of prime real estate they were totally going to build churches on and not pay any taxes on the profits…
Great news! Maybe we can finally tax these cults as well.
Taxing them would force more closures. Do it.
Considering scientology has their tendrils in a fair bit of Hollywood, that might actually backfire on government coffers. If they demand their members strike, the film industry is going to be in for pain.
No way would SAG strike over Scientology getting taxed. Scientology are parasites and we’d all be better off without them.
Not SAG, just the cultists. There’s enough of them in prominent roles that it would cause financial damage (including to themselves), delays, and problems.
If it’s not a real strike, then they’re replaceable. A “bye Felicia” sort of situation.
That’s easier said than done when it’s a lead actor refusing to work during filming. They’ll be breaching a contract, sure, but replacing them is going to waste money and time in recasting, rescheduling, refilming, etc.
Would they actually do it, knowing they’re in for a multimillion dollar lawsuit? Probably. The Cult of Scientology practices excommunication, and it’s a strong motivator for indoctrinees.
No, we don’t want to tax them. Remember “no taxation without representation”. Taxing them means allowing their influence in government.
Not to say that they aren’t already influencing our government, but taxing them just opens up the floodgates for it to be done on an official level.
That’s the point. They are influencing the government by picking political sides, which officially disqualifies them from tax exempt status but that’s something that’s never been enforced.
Does it? What makes them different from explicitly political nonprofits? Or do those not get tax-exempt status?
We tax businesses. We shouldn’t be allowing businesses or churches to influence government. I believe “no taxation without representation” is meant only to be applied to people.
Remember “no taxation without representation”.
I do, it referred to people deprived of a vote.
Houses are taxed. There is no branch of government representing houses.
No representation without taxation
Best news I’ve heard all day
Goes hand in hand with a similar story I heard about a month ago regarding a shortage of pastors. Apparently it’s so bad, quite a few have to lead sermons at multiple churches and many simply skip some weeks. Also less trained people taking up the role, whatever that means anyway.
Honestly, get ratio’d, cultists.
IIUC, some are coming from developing countries.
thank god
Hip Hip
Hooray
There’ll be no Weezer in this thread…
Mega churches are still going strong though. There definitely needs to be a way (other than taxes because separation of church and state is impt) to get churches to spend that money back in the community, but instead it just ends up enriching the owners and investors. If there was anything which needed an anti-corruption intervention.
while former houses of worship are being converted into bars, clubs
i want to see the pastors faces when their church gets turned into a full nude titty bar
A kink club
Amusingly enough, one of the ministers at my childhood church brewed his own beer - and this quality featured heavily in my church’s decision to invite him to preach at our congregation.
In the middle ages, it was the monasteries that kept the arts of beer brewing and wine making alive.
Still do! Trappist monks still make stuff like beer and jam as part of their beliefs. It’s all really good stuff, and the proceeds go back to the monastery, the community, and the poor.
I loathe most religious institutions, but the monasteries are mostly chill.
It’s not that far, but a couple of years ago, a Spirit Halloween took over an abandoned church at a town near here. I’m still mad I never took a picture.
depending on the church that could be a very interesting idea.
literally just walk into a full on church with the pews and altar and stained glass and strippers and communion shots
maybe not a safe space for girls, daughters, and grandmothers.
