Religion in the USA
 

Things are changing, a lot of people who may or may not be spiritual, have turned away from established religions.
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Drifting apart...

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Whippersnappers don't care...

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I had to walk out about 12 years ago. The Scranton diocese had always been pretty right wing but JCs message still managed to bleed through. I wouldn't argue with the time frame in the chart. They were completely off the rails for a few years before we had a family meeting and left. It was a tough call as my family actually swung the hammers for the local building.

I grew up Catholic (but never paid it much mind), was fairly indifferent to the subject for a long time (so much so I couldn't be bothered to identify as 'atheist' or 'agnostic'). I moved over to Deist (for reasons not worth mentioning here).

There's value in God; not so much in men tellin' folks 'about' God.

Religion causes more hate and sadness than anything else....

God is good..... ORGANISED RELIGION IS NOT!!!!!!!!

This may be true. I thought and sometimes think there is value in a community of people getting together occasionally to tend their social bonds. A belief in a higher power rarely entered into it for me. Once I left the building I left the rest behind as well.

I'm not social enough to join groups willy nilly to find that bond elsewhere.

Religion is only a relationship between you and your god. Even ministers and priests are only consultants. Once a religion imposes its beliefs on anyone else, well, that was the evil that caused Puritans and other groups to flee to America.

Nobody should care what your religious beliefs are. And you should not care what their beliefs are. Since your relationships with others are defined by laws, ethics, codes, and other constructs defined by a society that represents all people of all religions, creeds, sex, color, education, language, etc.

Nobody does anything for their god. If your god needs you to attack or kill anyone, he is not a god. He is a weak and ignorant being who has brainwashed his followers by declaring him a god. He is only a false idol and probably a dictator. That is a problem with some religions. It preys on adults who still think like children.

Years back I hung out with a group of unitarians. They ‘worshiped’ every Sunday in a geodesic dome in lacombe louisiana. There was very little god-talk among them: it mostly touchy-feely crap and, as you say, tending to social bonds. The pub/bar crawls were the best. Lots of bonding. The pastor, David Ord, was a big buddy. He was, may still be, a big scam artist (last I heard he was working for or with that Tolle fella), but I never got took by him so I didn’t care.

Seems to me everything got a touch too serious when some wise guy pushed for a new church building (it mighta been David). Everyone got uptight and formal and bonding turned into commitment.

It was Mammon done did the church in.

I wasn’t hanging out so much with any of them by the time the new building was done. It looked lovely in the pictures. I was gone from the area four months before Katrina hit. As I understand: the building and congregation didn’t fare well.

Scattered to the winds.