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new report by Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey published Tuesday found a surge of adults leaving Christianity to become atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular." It predicted that if the number of Christians under 30 abandoning their faith accelerates beyond the current pace, adherents of the historically dominant religion of the U.S. could become a minority by 2045.
Noting how approximately 90% of Americans identified as Christians in the early 1990s, the study observed that number, which includes children, had fallen to only 64% by 2020. The number of people in the U.S. who identify as religiously unaffiliated, meanwhile, skyrocketed from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2020, the research showed. Other religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, accounted for approximately 6% in 2020.
Nonprofit Communio released a study suggesting the collapse of marriage and resident fathers has led to skyrocketing loneliness and "the unraveling of Christianity" in the U.S.
www.foxnews.com
This is not a new problem. But it is a problem that North American Christians have not wanted to address, because it is not wonderful and emotionally pleasing and inspiring....
The Christian moral/ethical system strongly promotes, and protects, godly marriage. It is a foundational institution, in the Church.
Many subcultures in America, have increasingly abandoned lifelong marriage relationships. This has damaged the stable home unit, and the environment in which children are raised. As long as a "family" is called a mother, her biological children, and the currently live-in boyfriend, there is no Christian family structure.
Some have already noted that the Millenial Christian women, have had a hard time finding mature Christian men their own age. The Millenials are the first "electronic-screen generation, and their stunted emotional development, and damaged critical thinking skills, are becoming more and more well documented. The correlation of the electronic screen generations, with the collapse of Christian marriage, will become more and more well documented.
I don't think that we should be simplistic as to the causes. I assert that catechism has failed terribly, in the last 4 generations, in Christian congregations. Then, American culture has moved from favoring Christianity, to actively disfavoring Christianity. The social justice movement has increasingly abandoned any Christian foundation for their efforts, and now focus on racism, sexism, and the "persecution" of minorities engaged in behavior forbidden by orthodox Christianity. American culture has changed. but also, Christian congregations have NOT been willing to actively teach the orthodox moral/ethical system of the Bible. This includes throwing out vcongregational members who continue to flaunt Christian behavioral requirements. (This includes Jesus' prohibition against divorce-and-remarriage, and Paul's strong statements about heterosexual sex, under any circumstances, creating a lifelong bond that he identifies as the marriage bond).
American Christian congregations have increasingly withdrawn from addressing doctrinal issues that the secular American society easily identifies as racially or sexually discriminating. This includes biblical roles for men and women. And the prohibition of raising children outside of a man-woman marriage unit. Or engaging in recreational sex. Or tolerating single parent families, when that is the choice of the adults involved.
It is not that the collapse of Christian marriage has recently of suddenly happened. Both pagan American culture, and the slovenly approach of Christian congregations toward marriage, have joined together in an alliance of convenience and laziness.
