Christianity in America has been losing adherents, and the loss has become too pronounced to ignore. Reaction to that loss has been one of the more obvious motivators of White Christian Nationalists’ prolonged tantrum.
It wasn’t all that long ago that the media was filled with reports that–while “mainstream” Christian churches were losing ground–that loss was offset by the growth of Evangelical “mega churches.” Today, the reports are that those Evangelical churches are also in decline.
The question, of course, is why.
A Guardian article a while back addressed the phenomenon, and the purported reasons for it
Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.
As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.
The report noted that a large number of churches are being “repurposed” into cafes, museums and shops, reminding me of my last trip to visit my son in Amsterdam, where repurposed Churches seemed to be on every corner.
Here in the U.S. the pandemic has come in for a good deal of blame: researchers note that when people break the habit of Sunday church attendance, it requires some significant effort to get them back.
But a more likely diagnosis is the decreasing religiosity of the American population.
But while Covid-19 may have accelerated the decline, there is a broader, long-running trend of people moving away from religion. In 2017 Lifeway surveyed young adults aged between 18 and 22 who had attended church regularly, for at least a year during high school. The firm found that seven out of 10 had stopped attending church regularly.
As the article noted, some of the reasons were logistical–prompted by people moving away for college or starting jobs which made it difficult to attend church. But–as the research also found–other reasons were more philosophical. When researchers asked why they had broken with their churches, one of the top answers was that the respondent saw church members as judgmental and hypocritical.
About a quarter of the young adults who dropped out of church said they disagreed with their church’s stance on political and social issues.
A study by Pew Research found that the number of Americans who identified as Christian was 64% in 2020, with 30% of the US population being classed as “religiously unaffiliated”. About 6% of Americans identified with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.
“Since the 1990s, large numbers of Americans have left Christianity to join the growing ranks of US adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’,” Pew wrote.
“This accelerating trend is reshaping the US religious landscape.”
In 1972 92% of Americans said they were Christian, Pew reported, but by 2070 that number will drop to below 50% – and the number of “religiously unaffiliated” Americans – or ‘nones’ will probably outnumber those adhering to Christianity.
Scholars of religion quoted in the article noted that the move away from religion occurred much earlier in other countries.
“Canada, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the nones rise much earlier, the wake of the 1960s the baby boom generation, this kind of big, growing separation of kind of traditional Christian moral morality,” Bullivant said.
“What happens in America that I think dampens down the rise of the nones is the cold war. Because in America, unlike in Britain, there’s a very explicit kind of ‘Christian America’ versus godless communism framing, and to be non-religious is to be un-American.
That belief–that one must be religious–or actually, White and Christian–in order to be a “true” American permeates the current White Christian Nationalist movement. Rage at the decline of that (ahistorical) insistence is fueling what I’ve characterized as a “tantrum,” leading to periodic eruptions of violence like that of the January 6th insurrection, which was striking for its numerous displays of Christian imagery.
A few days ago, a commenter to this blog noted that animals are most vicious when cornered, and that much of the rage we are seeing is triggered by similar perceptions of growing irrelevance. I think it’s a valid analogy.
The question is, how long does it take to tame that rabid animal?
Prof asks the question
” how long does it take to tame that rabid animal?”
Perhaps we can just keep a safe distance from that rabid animal and let it die off.
The recent split in the United Methodist Church is an illustration of the problem with organized religion in the US. Roughly 2/3 of the church agreed to accept LGBTQ parishoners and the other 1/3 split with the UMC to remain narrow minded and bigoted. Both sides will lose and eventually only the mega Methodist Churches will remain. Religious organizations that are focused on hanging on to a culture based in the past, still have enough money and influence to get old, ignorant white men like Pence to spew their hate and keep the flock together. They won’t go away quietly, but they will go away.
Hopefully sooner than later.
I think it used to be that the church was the community center in small-town America. In the bigger cities, the church – especially the Catholic church – played a significant political role too. This is 19th century stuff… that still exists in many places, both large and small.
But as Sheila points out, mobility of the population causes the community centers to shrink for the sake of people just leaving town. For city folk, relocating to a new town and finding a new church to attend can also be a bother.
That all said, visit Colorado Springs, Colorado some day. The last I heard, there were more than a thousand different Christian sects headquartered there. The snarky description there is that COS is the Vatican of the Christian Right… as in RIGHT-WING. While Denver county, just 70 miles north is 80% blue, El Paso County/COS votes opposite as does Colorado district 3 which gave the world Lauren Boebert and her GUNS and GOD bullshit lines.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but many educated people have come to realize that the Christian churches – whatever the denomination – is selling them a bill of goods that has no outcome that is preached. No second coming. Convoluted logic. Judgementalism. Hypocrisy. Fairy tales. Faith becomes an excuse to “belong” to something, but when those in the group start judging and interpreting sin on their own, it all falls apart.
My connection to Christianity began as a young child when my mother sent me to the nearest Methodist Church, with a nickle knotted in the corner of my hankerchief, for Sunday School classes. We heard bible stories and colored pictures of them then returned home; so money was always a connection to religion. As Sunday School escalated to church and sermons from the Bible with declarations of blind faith in questionable facts and the money increased. We were indoctrinated to accept, on blind faith alone, that what we were told was truth and our only road to salvation. The White Christian Nationalists expect that blind faith in their takeover of the government, political takeover at church altars, belief in their lies, violence as the solution and those nickles have grown to millions of dollars and beyond. John Sorg would have us believe the answer to all of the chaos, thievery and killings can be found in Scripture; how does he know, the Bible tells him so. What he quotes is references to long past chaos, thievery and killings as religion. The GOP spews the Scripture of Trump and has destroyed the faith of millions of Americans in our government and spends billions of dollars to get his lies accepted as evangelical Scripture for our salvation. It has been coming and we are living Trump’s promise of salvation from Armageddon by using an AR-15s to support the Constitution.
A picture recently posted on a Fort Wayne Catholic Church Facebook page, was a picture of the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Kevin Rhoades, posing with several young men. Three of these young men were wearing MAGA red hats and one had a Trump shirt on. To say I am upset, would be an understatement and the fact it was a displayed on my church’s website infuriates me.
After listening to priests preaching from the pulpit that Catholics need to vote for the divorced, misogynistic, racist, homophobic, antisemitism, liar, that is tRump, in 2015, it has pushed me further away from the church. I know it has certainly closed my wallet.
“As the article noted, some of the reasons were logistical–prompted by people moving away for college or starting jobs which made it difficult to attend church.”
Are people now moving away for college more than they have in recent past? I am not aware of that. As far as moving away for jobs, the fact is more and more white collar workers, the type of people who are increasingly eschewing organized religion, can work remotely. They don’t have to pick up and move. They work from home and have no commute…thus more time, not less, for church. I have five or six family members how who do their jobs remotely.
I hate it when surveys suggest that the presence of X is causing an increase in something, when X is actually decreasing.
When I think of Mega Churches I always think of those New York City trendy nightclubs of the 70s and 80s. You know, those “we must go” places one had to visit to be seen and to check out the latest in fashion and gossip while being entertained by symbols, flags, music and some performance. For a couple of hours on Sunday and twenty bucks in the plate you can believe that you belong to something, are a part of something, maybe that you are chosen for something even if you know not what.
On another topic that Shiela frequently raises. Is anyone interested in becoming a “Documenter” for the new, non-profit Indiana Local News Initiative? Sounds interesting and fun and really important.
I thought the “what’s happening in other countries” is interesting. I can see how “godless communism” would drive patriotic Americans to churches, even as the decline was happening in other countries, but here Americans are again, tying religion to politics!
Being raised Roman Catholic, and having done all of the sacraments etc… I have a strong religious background. Today I fall into the agnostic crowd. I respect those with strong faith, right up until they trade faith for critical thinking and reason, which unfortunately happens far too often.
From my former facebook friends, I would frequently get memes with crosses wrapped in American flags, with some bit of twisted right wing propaganda. For a lot of people it doesn’t take long to spot the hypocrisy in that kind of religion. For others it must be comfortable to be among like minded people.
“The question is, how long does it take to tame that rabid animal?” Sorry to report that there is NO effective cure for rabies. In non-humans we euphamistically “put them down.” In humans, we let Darwin take over, that is, only the strong survive. Meanwhile those of us given to sarcasm also “put them (humans) down.”
I don’t think people have to look further than the kick off of the “He gets us” campaign during the Super Bowl to see why people might be running from religion. The Christian Nationalists including those folks at Hobby Lobby put up $1 billion for a national campaign to get more people into their churches (read get more money donated).
They decided Super Bowl commercials and a massive, year-long ad budget were more “Christian” than, say, giving $1 billion to Turkey/Syria earthquake relief. Pretty well sums it up.
On the bright side, i’ve always wanted to own a church as a private residence. If they keep losing followers I might just be able to afford one. Here’s hoping!
Sheila has stated what I believe is the primary reason for so many people breaking away from their churches: mainly due to their members (and in most cases their pastoral leadership) being judgmental and hypocritical. Such reason for departure is more than just “philosophical”. It reflects a disavowal of attributes which are antithetical to Christ’s core message in the gospel of an all-embracing, selfless love and acceptance of each person as they are without reservation.
Churches aren’t connecting with families and inserting their worth into the culture. People in the church aren’t valuing the salvation of their neighbors over the lifestyle they find controversial. Christ was controversial to the ruling class of religious leaders, the church needs to show more love and grace and how to write Gods law on their hearts by actually using the Spirit and scripture to write that law on their own hearts first.
Mega churches are popular but too large to fail leads to a prescription of failure.
During the pandemic bars and gambling hot spots were vital as churches were shut down? Politicians wnt just answer at the polls.?!
I heard once, something along the lines of, the more knowledge you gain in the Sciences the more understanding you can have of religious teachings. I find this to be true. When we look at life on a molecular level and find the connection of all, it is an aha moment. When we look at how feelings can actually change the arrangement of water molecules, it makes one realize that changing attitude, “faith in the unseen”can change one’s life.
Religion has been grossly perverted for centuries. Claims that salvation is only found in temples made of brick and mortar is probably the biggest pervertion. Each and every one of us dwell every moment of every day in the most beautiful and perfect temple, our bodies.
Division, not love and acceptance is being taught in man made temples. This would explain why some people turn from the church and why the”religious right” wage war on public schools and higher education. When we learn the Sciences, one might truly understand the teachings of the prophets, no need for misguiding interpretors!
I realize that this topic today is about religion and politics. Let’s not forget two significant consequences of the growth of “non-religion” – the slow loss/ignoring of classic “Judeo-Christian values” in our society and the similar loss of social capital gained from formal religious attendance/participation.
There is a seemingly frightening parallel between politics and religion in another way. As voters shrink away from the parties into “uncommitted” and sometimes voters, we are left with the rabid on the Right and Left. So, it also seems with those still religious – only the more extreme remain.
I read, to many years ago to remember where, that people in Europe became much less religous because most of Europe maintained state religions. The point was, if you want to kill religion, put it within the state. Our religious diversity (if I can call it that, although it somehow seems wrong), comes from the free for all that religion has become in the US. Anyone can rent a store front and become a religion.
Sheila came and talked to my Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church in Danville a couple of years ago. I had asked her to talk about freedom. She didn’t go where I expected, instead talking about the tension between freedom and religion. Freedom means no one get to tell you what to believe or who you should be. Community typically wants to tell you who to be and what to believe (especially church communities), hence the conflict and tension. It was an interesting talk, but as we later discussed it in a couple of small groups, we realized that we didn’t feel that tension in our church. UUs don’t, won’t tell you what to believe, but if you haven’t yet figured it out for yourself, we have a workshop called Building Your Own Theology to help you with that.
Teresa Kendall, Yes, the Methodist Church is a mess, and, while a mechanism through with the church can split has been defined, for some unkown reason they are waiting for their next general conference in 2024 to actually this mechanism into affect. This leaves many Methodist churches in the lurch. In order to fully support the LGBTIQ+ community they have to go against offical church, well, I’m going to call it dogma. Some churches, like North Methodist, Broadway United Methodist, and St Lukes United Methodists have said heck with the dogma, we’re going to do what’s right. Others are trying to straddle the middle, which simply doesn’t work. I am familiar with a west side Methodist church that is trying straddle, that has lost six families with LGBT kids to a local Episcopal church because people in the church were not supporitive. Trying to straddle the issue of LGBTIQ+ support is to side with not being supportive, because without the work of educating your congregation, and making it clear that tolerating is the minimal accepatble stance by congregants.
Peggy Hannon, you might be interested in this podcast of Radiolab on a girl who survived rabies. It’s complicated so I won’t say more, except that it is a very interesting program.
https://radiolab.org/episodes/rodney-v-death-2209
Not all churches are judgmental and unaccepting. In October our Lutheran pastor (a Hoosier) married his now husband, a Jewish nurse from NJ, in our NYC church, under a beautiful chuppah, with a female Episcopal priest officiating and blessings sung by a Jewish cantor. It was a beautiful service, full of love and joy. Our congregation is growing, including young couples with small children. We have a homeless shelter during the winter months. I am in charge a hot lunch program for seniors and homeless each Saturday in our community room. That program is in it’s 43rd year. We have a group who make brown bag lunches twice a week and hand them out to homeless in our neighborhood. I also have a daughter and son-in-law who neither have, nor want, anything to do with religion. It saddens me, but I understand. So much evil is happening under the guise of Christianity today, things that Christ would rail against. For me, I will continue to support the good that our church does, and pray that the “Christian” national’s hate-filled messaging slowly disappears as more and more turn their backs on hatred.
OMG – https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/pcc-cancels-grammy-award-winning-165049597.html
Lester. And the boys were treated with “dignity and respect”! Just saying it does not make it so.
Attributed to several different historical figures, the statement; “when fascism comes to America it will be carrying across and wrapped in the flag!”
Sinclair Lewis? Robert H. Jackson? Maybe, Huey Long? This particular historical quote is quite blurry in origin!
The British Unitarian Church is almost gone, with those that adhere to its teachings number in the thousands or even less.
There are enough individuals who wish to worship their gods appropriately, and there is dismay, albeit on the quiet side. Extra biblical Canon dogma is taken as gospel by those who wish to manipulate their so-called flock!
It doesn’t take much to find the original teachings of Christianity, if one chooses to do so. And what we have today is nowhere close to the original teachings of Christ! Hence Christianity!
Really, true worship has gone the way of the dodo! Because, with all of the infighting and political chicanery concerning religious doctrine, has actually turned people off.
Love your neighbor as yourself? Love your enemy? Love God? These things are not taught or sermonized in any so-called historically established churches.
A certain percentage of church adherents have had enough and therefore it’s dropped the population of those churches.
The apostle Paul said at 1st Corinthians the 13 the chapter verse 4; “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave in decently, does not look for its own interests. Does not become provoked! It does not keep a count of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth it bears all things believes all things hopes all things endors all things. Love never fails……. Now however, these three remain: Faith, hope, love: but the greatest of these is love.”
We see fulfillment of what Timothy wrote, in 2nd Timothy starting in the first verse of chapter 3; which reads, ” but know this that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; of these turn away!”
The apostasy of Christ’s teachings and even those further back, those of the Hebrew scriptures. Were manipulated and changed once the last of the apostles were dead. This was also predicted by Christ! When men realize the power they had over their fellow man by invoking religion and God, the allure was just too great. The added features and the added teaching of false dogma and doctrine, led to an unsustainable manufactured belief which people were not bound by any particular conduct, and therefore, they did as they pleased because of noticing the hypocrisy of the chain. So many of these individuals were given their permission slips to act up. It also gave many the permission slip they needed to not attend church anymore!
Humanity is never as smart as it thinks it is, and therefore, when the shenanigans and the lies and the deceit and the false doctrines and dogmas become the actual teachings of the church, you’re going to gain The insane and to lose the rational.
Paul echoed Jesus Christ in Acts, when he said, I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness and from among “you” yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away disciples after themselves.” Compare with Christ’s written words at Matthew the 13th chapter! Also, read 1st Timothy 4:1-3!
The governments of the world see the hypocrisy, and they definitely get tired of religion interfering in their realm. After a while, they’re going to finish the job that some of the people started, and eliminate religion altogether much to the chagrin of many of its lovers! And, they will be very sad! Revelation 18:4-24…….
The passion and agony of Jesus on the cross used to remind us that that means was a common one in those days of holding criminals accountable when often a stolen coin or two were the difference between victim survival and not. The Bible as history showed how bad humans are when there is no moral code and served to enforce allegiance to a specific moral code which also included paying tribute to the church in the form of coin too. That code included an explanation for what before then was the greatest mystery and terror in our minds, what happened after death. Fair enough.
Now is now though, not then. There are fewer universal mysteries. We see people every day around us and overseas giving voluntary service to those in need. In fact, the few famous exceptions, like Putin and Trump stand out, not the everyday heroes. When notable infamous villains show up, in mass killings for example, we tend to forgive them as being mentally disturbed, beyond the reach of moral code.
Culture adapts to the times. Nobody should be surprised that it keeps happening that way but old authoritarians have an uninhibited need for control so demand the control that they feel entitled to. That’s also perfectly predictable response to change.
Nothing to see here folks, just humans acting the only way they know how. But, you know what they say about the arc of the moral universe.
Judgementalism and hypocrisy are major failings of religion, in my view.
The insistence on ‘Just Believe” is insulting. There has been a new
presence of small religious signs on trees lining a highway here, in central
Florididia,one of which says “JESUS SAVES, BELIVE THIS.” Uh…no.
Critical thinking is of major, if not, literally, survival importance for our species,
and a threat to any and all religions.
Living in a fairy tale world may be comforting, but will not help deal with
existential threats.
The Abrahamic religions are based on stories that have no facts to back them. They are essentially fairy tales used to inculcate a certian set of behaviors in the population. I see little difference between religion and ‘The Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe’. Though, most fairy tales don’t promise you eternal damnation if you break the rules. It is hard to understand why anyone would pay good money to go to a place where you sing priases to a diety who doesn’t have the common decency to show its face now and then. Believing in eternal salvation is little different than putting on a red hat and believing the big lie.
Despite all the convictions of the churches and the right-wing judges, the USA is a secular society. When citizens have had enough, they’ll do more than leave the churches.
I’m surprised the survey takers weren’t given the option of “Spiritual, Not Religious” because I see that everywhere. When you look closer at that chosen label, especially by young people, we are searching for spirituality within one’s self. Religions don’t teach about a personal god. If they did, nobody would attend the churches. The pastor’s belief system interferes with the message.
Once the pastors introduce politics and the government, they should not get any adherents. The only ones attracted to that message are sheep.
Joanne Himebaugh. A deep dive into the sciences combined with extensive time spent in nature helped me understand that everything is connected to everything else and that I am a part of something vast that will continue long after I am gone. This produced in me a profound sense of peace and comfort. I suspect that is what many people seek and some find through religion. But it is not necessary to believe in the supernatural to have that experience. It is a state of mind. It has been called many things and associated with many religions, but it has nothing to do with wealth or power or politics or dogma.
John P. Sorg. There is wisdom to be found in the Scriptures. There is also wisdom to be found in the plays of Shakespeare, the Harry Potter books, Aesops Fables, Poor Richard’s Almanac and a million other places. The Scriptures are simply stories and philosophy sold as divinely inspired, inerrant truth.
Joanne Himebaugh. A deep dive into science and extensive time spent in nature caused me to realize that everything is related to everything else and that I am a part of something vast that will continue long after I am gone. This produced in me a sense of profound peace and comfort. It is not necessary to believe in the supernatural to experience this. It is a state of mind, claimed by many religions but owned by none.
Dave K asked, “On another topic that Shiela frequently raises. Is anyone interested in becoming a “Documenter” for the new, non-profit Indiana Local News Initiative?”
I guess they don’t like the job our existing non-profit news outlets are doing.
I have completed their questionnaire and was honest with them about my local working relationships with foundations (I’ve held them accountable for being oligarch descendants who still manipulate community affairs behind closed doors).
We’ll see how that goes…
Sharon Miller @ 11:36; thank you! I also found wisdom in the movie “Gone With The Wind” when Rhett Butler warned the plantation owners, “There is as much money to be made in the destruction of a civilization as there is in the building of one.” We have watched Trump and his children making billions in the amount of this nation it managed to destroy in only 4 years.
Countless Americans found wisdom in the the comic strip “Pogo”; “We have met the enemy and it is us!”
Growing up I went to church regularly for a small period of time. My parents were not organized religion participants, they identified as believers though. I started going because of some classmates and one of the teachers who was the mother of one. I went to the large Southern Baptist church in our town. It did not last long. It became evident that what was said and done inside and outside of the church did not match. Judgmental and hypocritical, indeed. I am so thankful my parents did not push this on me. Later in life, in my early 40’s I started going again along with my new relationship. We went to a large church in Dallas that has a large LGBT congregation and there were many straight couples there as well. I eventually, moved further away after the end of that relationship and have not returned since. I think the thing that turns most people off, as happened with me, is judgment and hypocrisy. It is too much for many to accept.
These people, such as the Christian nationalists can keep raging and trying to force their POV, it will only create more people leaving the church behind.
“Being raised Roman Catholic, and having done all of the sacraments etc… I have a strong religious background. Today I fall into the agnostic crowd. I respect those with strong faith, right up until they trade faith for critical thinking and reason, which unfortunately happens far too often. ” – Dan Mullendone
This statement is exactly what I was thinking. Dan you couldn’t have said it any better. When a “church” pays $20 million for a super bowl advertising, it’s not a church. It’s a business.
Lol, for what it’s worth, I can point to many instances of documentation where the scriptural information concerning individuals and stories have been backed up by archeology and other writings from a different source. So, the very comment that it’s all made up stories is a fairly ignorant one I would say. Because it’s not true!
If one chooses Not to believe anything that has been promoted by scripture in its actual writings, that is of course a personal choice. But then again, how many have actually witnessed the writing of the original Constitution? Or, any number of historical books and information that has been absolutely agreed upon by the many. Not questioned at all. Is that a bit hypocritical? I would say absolutely!
Sharon Miller, your comments today caused me real joy.
John Sorg, it’s irrelevant that the bible refers to factual places and people. So do all the works that Sharon cited. (And you may want to rethink your last argument. It stinks of the “were you there?” argument, which is just plain silly. For the particular example, the information in books and documents is accepted when there is good reason to do so. Historians and scientists aren’t just arbitrarily deciding what’s factual and what’s not.)
On religiosity, while younger people are definitely less religious, it’s not just them. My father was a united church minister when I was born. When he passed away last fall, he had been an atheist for nearly two decades. Similarly, my elderly aunt has also long since completely abandoned her former religious beliefs.
I know these comments will give offense to some, but I can’t help that. It gives me true and honest _hope_ when I see people give up their “easter bunny” beliefs when the evidence (or lack) dictates.
It is every person’s absolute right to believe any such thing they want. But, two things: (1) those beliefs should remain a personal thing, and must stay resolutely out of the public sphere, and (2) others are not bound in any way to respect or honour those beliefs. In other words, I honour your right to hold the beliefs, but not necessarily the beliefs themselves.
And lastly, Dirk Gently, the architecture of old churches is often amazing. If you need someone to go in with you on the purchase, let me know. 😉
This query/opinion can be summed up briefly. It isn’t Christianity that is failing, but Christendom. There is a vast chasm between the two. Just as ancient Babylon was destroyed, never to rise again, so “Babylon the Great,” “the great harlot, “the mother of the harlots,” representing all false religion but, primarily, apostate Christianity, will fall, never to rise again.
Rather than following HER “King, Jesus Christ,” Christendom became a disloyal traitor, prostituting herself with “the Kings of the earth” since the 1st century, after the death of the Apostle John, the last apostle to “act as a restraint.” The earthly Kings continue to use Christendom as a facilitator to corral and control the people “made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” In turn, she is, and has been, paid handsomely for her ‘services,’ receiving both money and status, “living in shameless luxury.” Eventually, though, like all prostitutes, time takes its toll, and she hasn’t “aged well,” in fact, she’s now old, ugly, worthless, and dispensable. Oh, sure, the political leaders of the world recall the “good” times with fondness, but that will not stop them from ravaging and destroying the whore for the liability she now is.
If you’re truly interested in understanding the reality of what we’re seeing now and what will occur in the foreseeable future, read the inspired Revelation, chapters 17 – 19: “A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent his angel and presented it in signs through him to his slave John, who bore witness to the word God gave and to the witness Jesus Christ gave, yes, to all the things he saw. Happy is the one who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy and who observe the things written in it, for the appointed time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3).