Member-only story
5 Reasons People are Leaving Christianity Behind
(#5: Using Fear as a Means of Control)
According to a recent Gallop poll, church membership has dropped below the 50% mark for the first time in American history. This is no surprise to me, as I am one who stopped going to church a long time ago. Following are six reasons I believe are behind this mass exodus.
#1: Fear of and Refusal to Change
While standing up for what you believe in has its merits, being completely closed-minded to reevaluation of beliefs and practices just because it’s “always been that way” does not. If the purpose of a church is to support and shepherd people in order to help them become closer to God, most churches are missing the mark.
What worked for baby boomers no longer works for younger generations, and I’m not talking about beliefs as much as practices. I don’t suggest that loving Jesus is outdated or the idea of God being omnipotent is out of fashion or no longer relevant, but practices such as barring women from key positions in the church, demanding celibacy of its clergy, hiding scandalous behaviors, as well as preaching abstinence to our youth while also condemning birth control and sex education is not only unreasonable, but offensive, not to mention dangerous.
