(August 2, 2013 at 6:51 am)Full Circle Wrote: I found this article interesting in that construction spending for religious building has been in the decline for years. There is hope
Construction spending missed expectations falling 0.6% in June.
One of the notable drags on construction was the decline in spending on religious constructions, which was down 6.8% on the month, and 12.2% on the year.
A further breakdown, shows that private religious construction spending was down 7.3% on the month and 12.7% on the year.
But construction spending on religious institutions has been on a long-term, secular decline for some time now.
Read »
http://www.businessinsider.com/religious...0The%20Day
The article is not very informative. It just indicates that there has been a decline in spending without delving into its possible causes. This decline doesn't necessarily indicate an actual decline in religiosity.
One cause might be that religious buildings are often used for people to get together as a community - something that is served equally by the internet. So that's one possible reason for the decline.
Another might be de-emphasis on rituals and ceremonies, which are typically what these buildings are primarily needed for.
However, the primary reason for this decline would most likely be the economic climate. The funds for these buildings come in form of charitable donations and with the economy being what it is, people are not in a particularly charitable mood. However, that does not mean that they are any less religious.
