America has traditionally been a very religious country. In recent time however, the religiosity of Americans has been declining. The last twenty years has seen a drop in Church attendance and only 50% of Americans now belong to a Mosque, Temple or Church according to a 2018 Gallup poll. Despite this decrease in regular attendance, 77% of American still identify with some religion but are not affiliated with or attending specific houses of worship.
On the other end, Clergymen are graying as the calling to serve religious orders has not been heeded by the younger generations in American society when compared to those who came before. Being a Priest or Pastor is simply becoming less and less attractive as a career option. This is especially true of Catholics. This article will initially deal with an issue facing The Catholic Church before turning towards an issue which affect all religions across the board.
These two issues, declining attendance and a graying of religious figures pose a threat to Religious institutions within America. As American’s attend religious services more sparingly, the risk becomes that Shepherds will not have a flock to tend or there will be a flock but not enough shepherds to cater to their spiritual needs.
Americans are increasingly having no religious preference and this is reflected in the declining rate of Americans who regularly attend religious services. This points to the declining importance and influence of religious institutions in America.
In short, Americans are becoming less religious, attending religious services less regularly, increasingly less affiliated with Houses of Worship and all this translates into an decreasing relevance in modern society. In order to stay pertinent in society, there is a need for a reformation of religious institutions to make them more relevant to today’s society. The two are not completely incompatible but they can be at odds.
Before I delve into some of the issues confronting Churches today, I think it’s necessary to look at issues through a historical lens. Christianity is one of the defining features upon which Western Civilization was built. However, as Western Society advanced and the importance of science increased, there was a corresponding decline in the relevance of the Church.
The Catholic Church forbids its priests and other clergy from marrying. This is a Church tradition, not actual Dogma, which precludes priests from having a spouse. The First Pope, Peter, was married while it remains disputed what the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus was.
Historically, there was no issue with Priests marrying. The Eastern Orthodox Church allows its clergy members to marry while the Roman Catholic Church denies its clergy this opportunity. The split between the two occurred in 1054. It is time for this to change in order for the Catholic Church to stay relevant in society.
One of the historical reasons for the forced abstinence of Priests was the poverty of The Church. Europe was a very poor area, it’s priests were not supported by the Pope in Rome but rather by the tithings of local villagers. The poverty meant that there was a push against Priests having wives and the accompanying kids as this would simply increase the burden placed on locals. It was also feared that a Priest might be inclined to leave property to his children.
This ban on marriage only arose around the 1000’s so it’s quite evident that this was not a teaching of Jesus but something which arose much later. Recently, the Catholic Church allowed for Priests to marry in remote areas of the Amazon because of the dearth of priests in the area.
The celibacy of Priests meet it often attracted gay men. Gay men, confused about their sexuality, were drawn to the Church as many believed that they would find guidance from God. One survey amongst priests found “While there’s a glut of homoerotic writings from priests going back to the Middle Ages, obtaining an accurate count is tough. But most surveys (which, due to the sensitivity of the subject, admiittedly suffer from limited samples and other design issues) find between 15 percent and 50 percent of U.S. priests are gay, which is much greater than the 3.8 percent of people who identify as LGBTQ in the general population.”
Likewise, the Catholic Church also attracted its fair share of pedophiles as the Priests were in a position of authority and had a great opportunity to groom altar boys for their own devious desires. It goes without saying that this is not a blanket assessment of all priests but to dismiss it out of hand is an attempt to squelch a needed conversation.
With the legalization of Gay Marriage, the stigma which has long plagued them is coming to an end. Society is moving towards the acceptance of gays and The Church needs to move along with the mainstream of society. If Gay men want to serve as priests with their husbands or men in traditional unions want to serve, The Catholic Church should welcome them or enjoy it’s continual slide into irrelevance.
By allowing for Priests to marry, it will open the doors to a number of people who might otherwise consider joining the priesthood but decline because of their sexual desires. Afterall, celibacy does not come naturally to the human species nor is it reflected in the original teachings of Jesus nor in the sexual conduct of celibate priests. The Roman Catholic Church is slowly dying; either it will continue to do so or change and evolve. This need to evolve to stay in touch with the times is applicable to all religious institutions
In today’s society, the younger generation is increasingly focused on social justice issues and the development of more equitable societies. This harkens back to the earliest teachings of Jesus which churches of all denominations need to adapt to this new focus. This is especially important because older Americans are the ones who are more likely to regularly attend Church. As they die off, younger Americans are not replacing them in the Pews because they find that the Church is not relevant to their lives.
Churches should not measure their success by the contributions collected, how packed services are or other traditional parameters but instead return to their root work, helping the disadvantaged, poor, sick and those at the margins of society. This should be the yardstick by which Churches are judged.
As the world changes, Churches need to change with it in order to stay relevant. The Catholic Church has survived since the Fall of the Roman Empire by constantly evolving. As society evolves at an ever quickening pace, it becomes paramount for The Church to adapt itself to new realities.
Although young people are increasingly secular and atheist in outlook, their values are coming to promote social justice and equality which are the underlying teachings of Jesus. Churches should work in tandem with like minded young people, even if they aren’t religiously inclined because of the good which can arise from servicing marginalized communities. Doing good might just be enough to put fresh butts in the pews.
Soured:
Current events through a historical lens 