I absolutely LOVE this part of the article:
Why it matters: The unprecedented contraction, expected to continue over the next decade, risks leaving gaps in communities nationwide — particularly rural ones, where churches often are crucial providers of food aid, child care and disaster relief.
Not a damned thing related to religion itself! FINALLY, people are realizing "the truth" is a fucking scam!
providers of food aid, child care and disaster relief.
There is no practical reason preventing those functions being done by secular organizations.
The government should be doing it.
The government should be a secular organization.
Definitely should.
I just read what you said as "NGOs" since that's the argument 99% of the time.
Or the government
Agreed. I don't know why it even needs to be said that the obvious solution to this is turning the empty churches into community centers.
Good.
Finally some good news. Less indoctrination cults. Less child diddling.
You don't need some diety in the clouds to tell you to be a good person or you'll burn for all eternity-- just be a good person!
Alternatively, if the only thing stopping a paedophile, rapist or murderer from grooming, sexually assaulting or killing is a special book, let them keep the book
The sad reality is it seems it does not
All that book does is give them something to hide behind while they pretend to be a "good Christian"
If I made the rules, I would require all churches to provide beds and food to those in need, or else start paying taxes. But converting theee unused churches into affordable housing would be good too.
Good riddance.
I wanna see fewer churches and more community recreation centers.
The best possible news I've heard lately. It may even be possibly true.
Oh no, Less child rapists being hidden? What are they going to do now?
I'm in South and have never seen so many churches. Hardly met anyone who goes, let alone who is outwardly religious, so how are these places supporting themselves? Guess the answer is that they're not. Yet they're still building new churches! Just can't get my head around it. Maybe they only need a small percentage of the population coming in to stay afloat?
Weird I'd always heard of the south as super religious. I grew up in a quite catholic area of the north and have known plenty of churchgoers there
Paywall.
What? Axios doesn't do a paywall
Old Christian churches can easily be converted into crossfit gyms
More, close them all, and back date taxes owed
whoever buy does spaces will have to pay property taxes
Seems they'll have to make whoever buys them a good deal anyway:
Burge said that as a result, many communities are left with empty church buildings that can be difficult to sell because they often are next to historic cemeteries.
This fits into Killing in the Name and I don't like it
Watch MAGA squirm.
They’ll be in their stadium seated churches, those aren’t the ones closing I think.
It'll just feed their persecution complex.