Southern Baptists fret over decline as annual meeting begins

Is this another sign of the decline of organized religion? The baptists are well known for being one of the more conservative mainline religions, now their growth has stopped and actually declined even though the country adds a million people per year. As a former christian turned atheist I am glad to see this though I doubt their influence over our country's politics will decrease much.

Southern Baptists fret over decline as annual meeting begins

usatoday30.usatoday.com...

a reply to: CB328

I think more and more people are realizing that if there were/is a god that he wouldn't be as damning as the one they praise.

C'mon I understand that we really have no clue (other than some sensible theorys) how the universe started, or how life formed on earth, but believing that someone up in the clouds is going to damn you to hell for being gay or eating pork is not how to go about making sense of things.

I feel like if everyone quite bickering over religions the world would be a much better place.

a reply to: CB328

Franklin Graham (the son of evangelist Billy Graham) has said that while numbers are down, the general level of commitment and service of the people who remain is higher than the average of those who attended church in previous years.

According to Franklin, this would show that it is more likely that those who have left the churches were there for social reasons and that this amounts to a revitalization of purpose for Christian outreach.

a reply to: chr0naut

Or could it just be that the only ones left are the truly devout, and that franklin is just grasping for straws with that statement? Who knows really. I'm a Christian turned atheist so I may be biased. Lol.

a reply to: CB328

Funtastic news, does that mean ATS will not be so polluted with religion in future?

Lets hope this happens to all the other religions too.

a reply to: chr0naut

People lie.

Organized religion was a product that baby boomers eat up, but today's youth reject almost outright.

Look around your church, are there young people there by there own free will? Most likely not many if any at all.

Religion, and the republican party are not groups that young people are interested in. The Pope sees this as has been making changes to be more attractive to the youth, but in America and United Kingdom there are next to no young people in church.

Islam seems to be doing fine, but I have no way of knowing how the Muslim youth are behaving.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
a reply to: chr0naut

People lie.

Organized religion was a product that baby boomers eat up, but today's youth reject almost outright.

Look around your church, are there young people there by there own free will? Most likely not many if any at all.

Religion, and the republican party are not groups that young people are interested in. The Pope sees this as has been making changes to be more attractive to the youth, but in America and United Kingdom there are next to no young people in church.

Islam seems to be doing fine, but I have no way of knowing how the Muslim youth are behaving.

I would say that 30% of my current church are under 30 and I don't know of anyone being there under against their will.

My own son chooses not to attend church and I don't force him. It would be wrong and he'd just leave as soon as he could (although I do ask him if he would like to come and he has chosen occasionally to engage in some of the more social youth activities).

I'd much rather that his faith were genuine than that for him to be "going through the motions" under some sort of duress.

Well .. maybe if they actually practiced 'love God and love your neighbor' .. their numbers wouldn't be dropping. Hate turns people off. And I'll tell ya' ... when we lived in Alabama there was a whole lotta' hate pouring out of the Southern Baptists who came knocking on our door to try to convert us to their way of thinking ...

Baptists need to look at moderating all that fire and brimstone B.S.. People don't go to Church because they want to feel doomed. They go because the community says once a week keeps peer pressure away. lol.... (Only half joking in this part of the nation)

Alas...since better than 3/4 of the world's population still wakes each day to a religious Faith of one form or another, I think we're safe from any overall decline to worry about. Anything measurable beyond statistical blip anyway... Still, it is interesting to note the number variation in a major group like the Baptists.

Maybe they'll take it to heart...but then, likely not.

Just as in most things, many people today are very moderate, rather than the vocal minority. that's true whether it's religion, politics, or both. Churches in the United States have gotten VERY over involved in politics and it turns people off.

Most people don't want to be told who to vote for by their preacher, or have politics forced into their weekly sermons, but more and more, that is exactly what is happening. When you appeal to the vocal minority, you lose the majority.

a reply to: CB328

No doubt...I dont think theyve got it together. By my house I have:

Goodwill Baptist
Freewill Baptist
Mt. Hope Baptist
Temple Baptist
Mt. Zion Baptist
Gilead Baptist

...and all kinds of OTHER Baptist churches....I dont think they can agree anymore on any one thing.