Why Are Christian Churches Losing Men?

[Sunstone]

It almost sounds like you're saying that increased gender equality is bad for religion.

Edit: there was a study that came out ago that predicted the "extinction" of religion is a number of countries: Study Finds Religion May Be Going

One of the assumptions they used for their model is that social benefit has a significant effect on religious observance: the more a person gets from the fact they go to church, the more likely they are to go. In their model, there ended up being a tipping point: when a society got to the point where religious observance stopped giving people benefit in terms of things like social status or material advantage, religious adherence dropped dramatically. This had a feedback effect, since the fewer people in a religion, the less benefit the members get from belonging to it, which causes more people to leave, and so on.

Although I wouldn't mind seeing the extinction of religion, I don't think the study was all that great. It made some assumptions about how quickly people would convert to atheism that probably can not hold water. On the other hand, the basic premiss that people are religious for social reasons seems fairly accurate of a lot of people.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Although I wouldn't mind seeing the extinction of religion, I don't think the study was all that great. It made some assumptions about how quickly people would convert to atheism that probably can not hold water. On the other hand, the basic premiss that people are religious for social reasons seems fairly accurate of a lot of people.

IIRC, the study didn't look at belief in God so much as religious adherence. If a person still believed in God but didn't go to any worship service and didn't self-identify as a member of any particular religion, then they would've counted this as "not religious" for the purposes of their study. Their concern was group affiliation, not belief per se.

 

[Sunstone]

IIRC, the study didn't look at belief in God so much as religious adherence. If a person still believed in God but didn't go to any worship service and didn't self-identify as a member of any particular religion, then they would've counted this as "not religious" for the purposes of their study. Their concern was group affiliation, not belief per se.

I'll take your word for it that the study didn't look at belief in god but at religious adherence. I read of it sometime ago, so I may have forgotten some of the details. Nevertheless, if I recall, the study assumed that if someone encountered two people in a row who were non-religious -- or non-religiously affiliated -- then that person would become non-religious, non-religiously affiliated, or whatever you want to call it.

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

I believe that if they are driven away that easily, they never cared in the first place.

 

[JacobEzra.]

I believe that if they are driven away that easily, they never cared in the first place.

I would have to agree

 

[Pegg]

something has to be said for the times we are living in too. the world is geared up to cater to the fleshly desire, it promotes matieralism, greed, lust and selfishness. It is not easy to be a christian in that environment because our world pushes us in the opposite direction.

The bible describes the days we are living in. Pauls prophecy of 2Timothy explains it perfectly:

2Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.


Amazing how accurate those words are in describing our times. Its no wonder people are less inclined to be religious in such an environment.

 

[Awoon]

something has to be said for the times we are living in too. the world is geared up to cater to the fleshly desire, it promotes matieralism, greed, lust and selfishness. It is not easy to be a christian in that environment because our world pushes us in the opposite direction.

The bible describes the days we are living in. Pauls prophecy of 2Timothy explains it perfectly:

2Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.


Amazing how accurate those words are in describing our times. Its no wonder people are less inclined to be religious in such an environment.

Isn't it great that God's Kingdom is a covert opperation and not visible by human outward activity?:yes:

Yet that's exactly what some religions are pointing out..the outward.

AHHHH HA HA HA LOL LOL

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The bible describes the days we are living in. Pauls prophecy of 2Timothy explains it perfectly:

Ever heard of the Forer Effect?

 

[Pegg]

Ever heard of the Forer Effect?

i hadnt heard of it, just did a quick google


i dont think this applies in the context of 'why churchs are losing men'

the prophecy very accurately describes what people are like today and why it would be difficult for them to remain in a christian organization... people really have lost the love of God. It was not so long ago when everyone went to church or was involved...that is not the norm in today ... people who actually practice christianity is on the decline.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

the prophecy very accurately describes what people are like today and why it would be difficult for them to remain in a christian organization... people really have lost the love of God. It was not so long ago when everyone went to church or was involved...that is not the norm in today ... people who actually practice christianity is on the decline.

The prophecy "very accurately" describes every people and age since it was written.

 

[Pegg]

The prophecy "very accurately" describes every people and age since it was written.

the prophecy is about christians .paul was speaking to christians about christians

It describes the way people of the world are and have always been, true, but it applies to christians who have lost their love of God and have moved away from the christian way of life.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

the prophecy is about christians .paul was speaking to christians about christians

It describes the way people of the world are and have always been, true, but it applies to christians who have lost their love of God and have moved away from the christian way of life.

What Christian way of life? For most of the history of Christian Europe, you were more likely to die at the hand of another Christian than by most other causes.

 

[9Westy9]

This has been a popular concern for the last few years, and usually the answer I hear is because of the feminization of the church. After reading some articles on what people deem as feminization, I reject this reason. I think it's possibly due to the rise of evangelical atheism or verbal attacks on Christianity - saying things like it's a fairy tale belief for the easily deluded. I suggest this offends men's sense of worth more than women's and may drive them away.

But I really have no idea. Thoughts?

It's possible I guess, but it wasn't in any of my reasons for de-converting. The sense of worth bit. My main reason was looking at things with an open mind.

 

[Pegg]

What Christian way of life? For most of the history of Christian Europe, you were more likely to die at the hand of another Christian than by most other causes.

the dark ages were a terrible time i know

but christianity was not really christianity during that time...it was hijacked by politically minded individuals who were power hungry and used christianity as a means of controlling the population

why else do you think they kept the bible away from people? It was so that no one could question them. They even continued to keep church services in a language no one could understand, Latin, in order to keep the people under control. They taught christianity the way that would benefit their political agenda. When they conspired in the crusades, they offered everyone, including criminals in prisons, full redemeption from their sins by going and committing the grossest of sins, murder of innocent people... the people who went on such crusades were completely in the dark because they were only taught what the church wanted to teach them. And according to the church, it was God who wanted them to go on the crusades.

 

[Alceste]

The prophecy "very accurately" describes every people and age since it was written.

I was thinking the same thing - what a great description of what people are like. No doubt it was conceived by observing what people were like when it was written.

 

[Kathryn]

the dark ages were a terrible time i know

but christianity was not really christianity during that time...it was hijacked by politically minded individuals who were power hungry and used christianity as a means of controlling the population

why else do you think they kept the bible away from people? It was so that no one could question them.

What is this foolishness? Oh, you must be talking about the bibles chained to altars inside churches.

First of all, before the printing press made books and reading more available to the public, the literacy rate worldwide was very low. Books were extremely rare and therefore very valuable. A bible - handwritten and hand illustrated - took YEARS to painstakingly produce, and years of tithing budget for a parish church to buy.

This is why bibles were safeguarded by the local priest or monks.

As for the Crusades - there were many reasons for these actions, some noble and some otherwise.

Please keep in mind that the Crusades were a direct response to the overwhelming and very aggressive spread of radical Islam.

 

[doppelganger]

From Why Men Hate Church -- CBN.com Spiritual Life

The thesis of that article isn't well supported. "Masculinity" is not a religion. And if the demands of Christianity are such that they ask of men to be less masculine, it's not that men are following another "religion" so much as it is current forms of Christianity do not speak well to men who expect to make their own way in the world.

 

[doppelganger]

In the words of my friend Oscar (paraphrasing somewhat): I'm a grown-a** man with a family and real world responsibilities. I don't need to be told what to do or think by some guy who hides in the church and has never even gotten laid.

 

[Songbird]

The thesis of that article isn't well supported. "Masculinity" is not a religion. And if the demands of Christianity are such that they ask of men to be less masculine, it's not that men are following another "religion" so much as it is current forms of Christianity do not speak well to men who expect to make their own way in the world.

I haven't found an article proving churches are feminized, anyway. But it sure is popular hype right now in evangelical settings.

 

[idav]

I haven't found an article proving churches are feminized, anyway. But it sure is popular hype right now in evangelical settings.

'Where are the womenz?' is always an important religious question!