A New Exodus? Americans are Exiting Liberal Churches

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These "liberal" churches tend to be more established churches in communities that have a large elderly population.  They also represent the only churches in many rural communities, especially in the midwest.

The conservative churches in general are newer and cater to younger families with less dedication needed (confirmation, etc.).

I don't think people are necessarily leaving the liberal churches to go to conservative churches, but rather, people are dying in the liberal churches and young people that previously weren't church goers choose the churches that have more young people.

In my town, there are like 5 ELCA Lutheran churches and 1 Missouri Synod, a large Catholic church, along with the liberal Presbyterian, and Episcipol.  There are a few, newer, small "evangelical free" churches.  No big Challs though (churches that look and are like malls).

Children of Catholics and Lutherans in this day and age generally don't go to church, whereas children of more conservative church goers are more likely to keep going to church.

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I will never, ever go to an evangelical Christian church and would much sooner become a Catholic/Lutheran.

You don't see Catholic priests out living the high life with their nice cars and lavish houses and private jets with "challs" (church malls) where there are offices and coffee shops and various other things inside and the sanctuary, the very house of God, is simply thrown in as an afterthought where everybody sits, by the thousands, nameless, and watches a pastor preach his hate and goo with his kitschy southern accent and his books and pens and pins and videos and self help programs for sale... YUCK.

I see Evangelical "bible based" Christianity as a bigoted form of Christianity that preaches materialism in the name of God and simply picks and chooses Bible passages to "follow" or "not follow".  Of course there are evangelicals that are very dedicated but I believe they are a dying breed.

The future of Christianity lies in strip malls where pastors tell their congregations to go out and try to strike it rich and to hate everyone different than themselves and to abuse the environment because hell... the end is coming at any moment and who gives a damn about our children anyways.. and that you should follow follow follow.... and of course, vote Republican.

Sounds really hateful.  Please, someone convince me otherwise.. that maybe Christians can live good lives by example and not pass judgment or bring their personal beliefs to the voting booth and use the Bible as an excuse to hate others because they are different.  It just saddens me.  What a bastardization of Christianity:  Yee-haw cowboy you dun gon' burn in hell Christianity....

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I haven't pulled out the label "hater" for everyone who disagrees with me.  I just can't stand the politicization and materialization of the Christian faith by these so-called "Christians" that spend more of their time worrying about what everyone else is doing and don't really give a damn about their own life and the example that they are setting for others.

No, I don't think anyone was preaching hatred when they said the only way into heaven was through Jesus.  That is a clear tenant of the Christian faith.

What I think breeds hatred are all these people who claim that gays should be allowed to be discriminated against because the personal prejudices of a few historical people/cultures wrote it down in the Bible.

I really don't like the "us vs. them" culture surrounding evangelical churches.. and their willingness to just up and leave a church the minute the pastor says something they don't like and their reactionary way of looking at everything and their contempt for the poor is probably the most unchristian thing you can have. 

Or how they always seem to think that God is providing everything for them and that he will save them and that he chooses where hurricanes go based on "sinnage" of different regions.  No, this is just a bunch of rich slobs trying to capitalize on the weak-mindedness of others.

God provided you with life, an earth to live on, all the free prayer you can handle, and a path to salvation through his son.  He didn't provide that meal on the table.  Whoever worked to earn the money to buy it did.  He didn't steer the hurricane away from Florida, prevailing winds and the jetstream did.

He didn't tell you to just rely on him for all your needs.  That is why Jesus was so adament about helping the poor and fostering a sense of community... so you could help each other out... because God can't just conjur up a windstorm of mana every time you're down on your luck.

So, yes.. I understand the tenants of the Evangelical Christian faith, because I was a member of such a church for a few years.  I didn't get sick of the pastor or the faith, I got sick of all the uber-judgmental people that come into the church with their pre-conceived prejudices in search of a Bible verse that will back it up that were constantly judging you and talking about you behind your back and automatically placing a step below t hem because you didn't read the King James Version of the Bible and went to a public school (gasp!!!)...

And it's the people that make a church.  So I think I'll settle for the nice old ladies that go to the Lutheran church and work every Thursday night to provide food to the poor in the community.. it's more than slimy Pat Robertson ever did.