Sunday, 2 March 2014
Is US Christianity on a suicide mission?
This is why it is surprising that so many Christian churches in the US have flocked to denounce gay people in general and gay marriage in particular.
A Gallup Poll in November 2012 showed 53% of all Americans support gay marriage. That's up from 27% in 1996. As attitudinal change goes, that is a seismic increase in 16 years. And there's more. A whopping 73% of those in the 18-29 year-old age group support gay marriage.
If your very future depends upon bringing young people into your church, you might think churches would seek campaigns that find enthusiastic support among the young. After all, the survival of the church is, presumably, more important than any one issue of dogma.
It's not hard to see how the anti-gay-marriage bandwagon got started. Twenty years ago, it found wide support and the hard line pushed by church leaders seems like a winner. But who did the segmentation study? Who checked to see where the support was coming from? There's little strategic value in pandering to your hard-core supporters—you need to attract those who will replace them.
But, apparently, no-one did the segmentation study.
No-one noticed the younger people drifting away from religion. In 2012, the Pew Research Center reported 32% of Americans in the 18-29 age group have no religious affiliation. That's up from around 13% in just 20 years.
I'm not arguing that religious opposition to gay marriage has caused this dramatic fall in religious affiliation. Of course not. Correlation is not necessarily causation. But I do know what people say to me. The religious see gay marriage as an issue of doctrine—young people see it as an issue of equal rights.
Many young people see religious opposition to gay marriage as a doctrine of hate and discrimination and they want no part of it.
Meanwhile, in a pulpit somewhere near you, an elderly pastor, who will soon be drawing his pension, rants about Adam and Steve and the destruction of marriage. Perhaps he doesn't notice a subtle change in the age profile of those listening to him.
Perhaps he doesn't care.
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About Me
- Nildogma
- As a 20-year-old I was insatiably curious about the world and passionate about rejecting superstitions and all kinds of false beliefs. I still am today. Sometimes when people believe things that are not true, it make little or no difference but sometimes the consequences can be disastrous and deadly. Now, I do what I can to help people improve their thinking skills, especially in how they impinge on core beliefs, such as cultural values and religious beliefs. I have an active Facebook page for which I create memes and write articles almost daily. I also engage people in on-line debates. You can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/bill.flavell.1 I lecture at universities around the world and present or debate at public meetings. I also, draw on my management consultancy background to help freethought groups, almost anywhere in the world, to get organised, develop strategy and improve their media and presentation skills. If you would like me to present at your university or for your church group or freethought group, please contact me.
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ReplyDeleteIts already started. Look at Pope Francis, and what he is doing. Watching this trend makes me think religions as a whole will be dead within the next 2 generations. That will be the greatest achievement of humans in our history; to finally be rid of this thousands of years old disease.
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