This article looks at the trend that has been happening in American politics.
The Christian Right Is Helping Drive Liberals Away From Religion
Mostly due to the Christian Right involvement in politics.
Which does lead to a larger issue, that houses of worship as no longer places where both sides in American politics can come together. There are fewer and fewer such places where liberals and conservatives can meet, and without them I can't see the current trend reversing.
Edit: fixed quotes
Hmmm...
Here's a key part of that: the judgmental quality of too many.
One thing went right (in time), when I encountered that judgmentalism: from a young age I always seemed to know that men
not necessarily following Christ, not even if they are prominent in a church.
Somehow I seemed to get that, from a young age. Maybe by absorbing that concept from an aunt? I'm not sure why.
Those men/women in a church, but
not following Him.
So, for instance, when many seemed to be judgemental when I was a teenager and in my 20s, that was
very off putting -- I did not want to be in their church!
...
but I did not think it was "Christian" what that judging person was doing.
I did for a while feel like the "Christians" (with quotes here) that I knew seemed judgemental.
That was very bad. Very.
But...on some level, or eventually, I didn't decide that was what it meant to be Christian.
Or not so much that I could not later realize it was not Christian (judgmentalism is not at all being a follower of Christ, but is an egregious direct disobedience of His Words to us).
That's so crucial -- that I didn't ultimately decide that being Christian is to be people that are judgemental (and that usually often will include being hypocritical then by extension, since all sin and fall short).
------
Now, today, we joined a church where it so happens the church is very much a cross section of the local neighborhood, so that it has about 1/2 that will be the kind that vote republican (maybe a little more, like 60%), but is also about 1/2 (or more than 1/3rd) people who will vote democratic.
But we do not separate ourselves because of politics.
Some of the most clearly liberal in the church really love -- love -- some of the most conservative.
I know this first hand, as I've seen the good friendships, how they gravitate together, and reliably stay together in close love, over the years, right in front of my eyes.
Praise the Lord.