this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2024
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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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[–] hydrashok 277 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago

Fantastic news, less grifting. Now shutdown mega churches.

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[–] [email protected] 170 points 1 week ago (12 children)

Great news! Maybe we can finally tax these cults as well.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 week ago

Taxing them would force more closures. Do it.

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[–] [email protected] 134 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (37 children)

As churches decline we're losing what is, essentially, a free communal space. Church was a place where people built community.

We need to replace it with something, not just cheer because a shitty religion is dying.

[–] xmunk 119 points 1 week ago (27 children)

So you're saying we should have more boardgaming conventions?

I'm all in on that proposal.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Missed you at the latest city council meeting. See you at the next one!

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[–] [email protected] 86 points 1 week ago (6 children)

That "community" is a judgmental indoctrinating shithole that destroys people.

Good riddance.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

Okay, but that community also kept me from being homeless as a child. I got to eat food when otherwise I wouldn't.

We need to replace it, we can't just let community die with nothing in its place.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago (17 children)

Yes. Schools and libraries.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 week ago (18 children)

We'll replace it with more commercial real estate squatting.

See you in the Library.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 week ago (73 children)

Unfortunately the internet is now the new 3rd space.

Religion advocated for bad policies in government which dug their own grave.

I don't feel bad they're closing down.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Like , say, a community center? I took karate when I was 12 at my local community center.

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[–] [email protected] 121 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (8 children)

Boardroom meme:

Boss: Church attendance is down. What can we do to turn this around?

Person 1: discreetly move pedophile pastors around to hide their proclivities?

Person 2: assure the congregation that we still hate gay people

Person 3: follow the teachings of Christ and show love and charity to our neighbors regardless of who they are

Person 3 is thrown out the stained glass window.

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[–] [email protected] 94 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pit of vipers closes due to insufficient snakebite volunteers.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Some churches repurpose their land to survive, like Atlanta’s First United Methodist Church, which is building affordable housing.

That's something more churches should do. They always preach about "helping the poor" but most don't give a fuck.

[–] Corkyskog 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If every church took in two homeless people, there would be no homeless in America...

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 week ago (7 children)

churches are closing

Good

Leaders warn of the risks

The risks of what? The risk of not returning to the dark ages where we damn near all believed the imaginary writings of goat herders and killed for that?

Thanks, no thanks, I love that risk.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I think the risk more is the bad theology and idol worship that American Christianity is becoming. It’s sorta like how almost all mega churches are “non denominational.” There’s not a commitment to an actual ideology or set of religious beliefs, it’s become a strange cult fixated on Trump. It’s more dangerous in some ways because it’s less predictable. Being a “Christian” has nothing to do with believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, it’s more a conservative White identity status.

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Government grifters and charlatan faith leaders have completely debased the idea of 'Christianity' over the past few decades to the point where most people associate Christianity as some joke religion that no one really takes seriously.

Personally, I see anyone who proclaims themselves as Christian as a liar, bigot, narcissist and someone lacking in empathy for others. Sure you can tell me about Jesus Christ but I associate anyone who claims him are just paying lip service to the religion and that they are just psychotic sociopaths who are only interested in power and money.

I don't mind Churches dying out because they've basically destroyed their own religion themselves.

Unfortunately, humans are a dumb species that rely heavily on wanting to believe in something so once this religion dies out another one will take its place and repeat the process. It's been happening for thousands of years so I don't think we'll stop that tradition any time soon.

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The small churches that are more likely to actually be charitable and are more likely to be inclusive will shut down. The bigot-run megachurches will be just fine.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Crazy that it takes the church shitting down for them to actually follow gods message of giving to the poor.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And yet, somehow, they still make all the policy in this country.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Interesting that they can't stay afloat financially, because they don't pay taxes.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 week ago (5 children)

The internet is killing God but giving birth to a new age of conspiracy theorists.

So, not much has changed.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I pray to God everyday that i can live long enough to witness the day humanity completely abandons religion. Inshallah🙏

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago
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[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 week ago

Oh no! So, anyway...

[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

From what it seems to me, the megachurches are doing okay. It's the more traditional denominations that are suffering. Overall religion might be on a decline, but certain sects are flourishing. One silver lining about some of the megachurches is that they're led by a strong personality and once they're gone, the whole organization putters out. They're more organized around an individual than a theology.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 week ago

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....

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

45% is considerably higher than I expected. I thought it would be closer to 10-15%.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Membership is not the same as attendance, and it's WAY less than the number of people giving financially.

I was a preacher at a 1200-member church that had weekly attendance around 150-200.

And based on the demographics of the area, we received less than 1% of the annual income for those who did attend regularly.

The thing about churches is that they don't require payment of any kind, and kind people will dedicate time and effort in a very loving way that is inefficient, when what we really need is cash.

My go-to example is the quilting ladies who spend 40 hours each on handmade quilts using expensive materials to give to the poor. It's extremely kind and their work is exquisite, but with the money spent making those quilts for 20 people, we could buy blankets, a couple weeks of food, and new clothing for 50 full families.

The thing about giving money, though, is that it feels impersonal to the person giving the gift. This is also why the poor should be taken care of through taxation. Taking care of people's basic needs shouldn't need to feel intimate and spiritual - it should be routine and boring.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Churches should be tax exempt only so far as they are demonstrably charitable. All other income should be taxed. The taxes should go to fund abortion and gender affirmation surgeries.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 week ago (2 children)

No, don't close your damn doors, open them up to the homeless. Make these useless buildings good for something!

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago

Good! Fuck 'em!

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago

Hallelujah!

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago

Best news I've heard all day

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago

“Nobody wants to church anymore!”

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago

I have a better idea. Seize the land and assets of the churches. They haven't contributed their fair share of taxes, so the land belongs to us.

Next seize the homes and bank accounts of the pastors and clergy and the holy rapists (or whatever they call themselves). Indict them in international courts for crimes against humanity. Offer them plea deals for them to work in their seized homes that are now converted to public housing.

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