Will there be a church in the future?

[The Grand Nudger]

Ill probably go to church when im old and bored and have no one to talk to, all my grandads have worked for the church doing gardening work for them and in general its just been a good way for them to keep active and social, its like a local facebook for old people in church.

I'll go to church as soon as the worshipful have abandoned the place. I'd love to turn all their lots into gardens myself (I honestly cannot pass by a church without thinking about how much improved the landscape would be if the cross were removed an an arbor were added- if the church was gone and a greenhouse stood in it's place), and for that, neither they nor their god are required.

:

[Darkstar]

*Looks at a church*
*Looks at watch*
-5 seconds in the future-
*Looks back at church*
...nope! Still there!

p.s. I can't actually see a church from my window.

[KichigaiNeko]

I'll go to church as soon as the worshipful have abandoned the place. I'd love to turn all their lots into gardens myself (I honestly cannot pass by a church without thinking about how much improved the landscape would be if the cross were removed an an arbor were added- if the church was gone and a greenhouse stood in it's place), and for that, neither they nor their god are required.
:

And the grounds produce actual FOOD and shelter those who are unable to find shelter, and ....



yeah I know I dream!

[Cinjin]

This is more my speed. Europeans are so ahead of us in the fight against the stupids. Now this is how to make use of an old church.





Funny how their impotent god can't keep his own buildings from burning down, falling apart, or getting sold and used for heavy drinking.
It's a shame I won't be alive in 300 years to see the human race leave the stupidity of christianity in the dust.

[KichigaiNeko]

Better use for a church I have never seen!!

Love it!

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Church attendance in the UK is dropping decade upon decade.

The Methodist church for example, on current estimates, will be all but gone by 2030. The Anglican church now sees well under 10% of the population through its doors every Sunday, and even the Catholic church has suffered a major decline.

That said, Black christian churches have remained relatively stable, as have minority religions such as Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism.

I know some may "post evidence", but really, just take a look at the 2011 (2012) census results and compare to the ONS data from 2001 (2003). Or, failing that, just read the academic Steve Bruce who sums up all the various figures (posting all of it would take a lot of time, and I'm just taking a break from work )

[John V]

This sounds interesting. Unfortunately, science isn't cheap, and only the abstract is available for free.
http://socrel.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/1/69

Much of the current debate over secularization in Europe focuses only on the direction of religious change and pays exclusive attention to social causes. Scholars have been less attentive to shifts in the rate of religious decline and to the role of demography—notably fertility and immigration. This article addresses both phenomena. It uses data from the European Values Surveys and European Social Survey for the period 1981–2008 to establish basic trends in religious attendance and belief across the 10 countries that have been consistently surveyed. These show that religious decline is mainly occurring in Catholic European countries and has effectively ceased among post-1945 birth cohorts in six Northwestern European societies where secularization began early. It also provides a cohort-component projection of religious affiliation for two European countries using fertility, migration, switching, and age and sex-structure parameters derived from census and immigration data. These suggest that Western Europe may be more religious at the end of our century than at its beginning.

[CapnAwesome]

This sounds interesting. Unfortunately, science isn't cheap, and only the abstract is available for free.
http://socrel.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/1/69

Much of the current debate over secularization in Europe focuses only on the direction of religious change and pays exclusive attention to social causes. Scholars have been less attentive to shifts in the rate of religious decline and to the role of demography—notably fertility and immigration. This article addresses both phenomena. It uses data from the European Values Surveys and European Social Survey for the period 1981–2008 to establish basic trends in religious attendance and belief across the 10 countries that have been consistently surveyed. These show that religious decline is mainly occurring in Catholic European countries and has effectively ceased among post-1945 birth cohorts in six Northwestern European societies where secularization began early. It also provides a cohort-component projection of religious affiliation for two European countries using fertility, migration, switching, and age and sex-structure parameters derived from census and immigration data. These suggest that Western Europe may be more religious at the end of our century than at its beginning.

What I would wonder, and like I said earlier I admittedly know less about European trends in church attendance than I do American trends, how much Islamic immigration and birthrates have to do with that increase in religiosity. After all Islam is the most practiced religion in France. That article after all just states religiousness, not christian religiousness.

[PaleoHuntr]

Short answer? Yes, there will always be fools and sheep, as well as beguiling people to take advantage of them.

[The Grand Nudger]

And the grounds produce actual FOOD and shelter those who are unable to find shelter, and ....



yeah I know I dream!

Clearly not a product that they wish to offer - the profit margins would be much too slim comparatively. A far better business model would be selling crackers and grape juice to gullible marks while simultaneously evading your taxes.