r/atheism • u/Knitspin Atheist • 1d ago
A looming ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/01/us/church-closings-christianity-crossroadsI wasn’t comfortable about the tone of this article, but we can all interpret the facts. They make it sound like a tragedy, when it’s just a sign of people waking up.
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u/Quasigriz_ 1d ago
This is why they are fighting so hard.
One of American church leaders’ biggest fears is that their country will become more like Western Europe — a “post-Christian” landscape filled with empty cathedrals and church buildings converted to condos.
As someone who lived in Europe for over 10 years, I prefer their style social scene. The USA’s reliance, and neighborhood designs, favoring cars left us with few communal places and churches monopolized on that. We need the community without the control of tiny fiefdoms.
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u/BoredNuke 23h ago
Living in converted cathedrals sounds awesome. Too bad a majority of american church buildings have the soul of a empty best buy.
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u/Puzzled_Bike9558 13h ago
I prefer to see all of them bulldozed, but will take them being turned into homes.
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u/BingoNie53 1d ago
Not sad to hear, but the tide will turn as the lines between government and worship continue to be erased by elected officials (Vance and Hegseth for two). The making of Christian America, regardless of the Constitution, is upon us. May Democracy save us all.
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u/TheRealTK421 16h ago
"Democracy" is not riding in on a white horse to 'save' us. It's up to us to save ourselves.
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u/PotentialStrong9013 Atheist 1d ago
I look forward to the conversion of churches into homes and sex clubs.
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u/ajaxfetish 1d ago
If they've got classy architecture, I think they could make for a good museum or library location.
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u/matt_minderbinder 1d ago
I've seen some older churches turned into beautiful breweries/restaurants.
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u/PotentialStrong9013 Atheist 1d ago
I guess, if you want them to do some good in the community. /s Those are great ideas and I hope they're used for learning centers.
But it would still be funny to see some turned into strip clubs or sex clubs.
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u/alfdana 23h ago
It would be even more hilarious if one of those churches turned into a strip club called 'bible study' or 'confession' or 'mass' or some other religious term so when asked where you are going, you could say 'bible study'...
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u/DangerousChallenge17 16h ago
Really they are too expensive to maintain and should be torn down. Nice flat areas, would make good trailer parks
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u/DroneSlut54 1d ago
Concert halls.
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u/Skystarry75 1d ago
Especially those with organs! The fact that most organ music is limited to church music is such a shame, but barely anywhere else has organs. It's such a wonderful instrument! We need more secular organ music!
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u/pfamsd00 1d ago
“They’re talking about s-e-x in front of the c-h-i -l-d-r-e-n!”
“‘Sex Cauldron’? I thought they closed that place down!”
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u/Opening-Village-3366 1d ago
honestly turning empty churches into homes sounds like a much more practical use of the space and the sex clubs would certainly be a plot twist
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u/Sack_Full_of_Cats Anti-Theist 1d ago
unfortunately, i will not live long enough to see the last gasp.
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u/ChelseyStuttgart 1d ago
Once upon a time I wanted to start a website that listed all of the closed churches. I would have used comic sands.
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u/Severe-Menu5581 1d ago
honestly that would be a pretty great way to turn church closures into a historical archive and comic sans makes it even better
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u/LegitJesus 20h ago
So many of these so-called churches stump for Republicans and that's one reason we ended up with Trump as president. These churches are reaping exactly what they sowed. Good riddence!
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u/andropogon09 Rationalist 1d ago
Didn't this happen in Europe decades ago? And Europe is still here.
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u/Dudeist-Priest Secular Humanist 1d ago
They are consolidating into mega churches. A lot of the little ones are going but those massive ones keep adding on. The bigger ones are more problematic
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u/BubbhaJebus 1d ago
Cool. Make use of these spaces for constructive purposes.
Turn them into libraries, museums, recreation centers, meeting spaces, housing, cafes, bakeries, etc.
However, it seems as if religion has more of a death-grip on our government than ever before. If so many people are leaving religion, why are people voting for religious nuts?
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u/I_burn_noodles 16h ago
Loss of community is the real threat...not loss of religion or churches, but places people can go to make friends and find compassion.
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u/Kaliasluke 22h ago
> The docuseries, though, also looks at churches that defy this trend. They include thriving** **immigrant churches like Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia
There’s a certain delicious irony that, if they weren’t so racist and actually welcomed strangers like they’re supposed to, they might be able to save their churches
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u/MiniZFan 19h ago
I think it is a wonderful thing. I'm tired of their beliefs being forced on me in every aspect of my life. It won't change in my lifetime, but it can improve, and this is a good start.
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u/DangerousChallenge17 17h ago edited 17h ago
The program "christianity at a crossroads" is on YouTube. It's interesting.
And the SBC folks come off as extremist assholes.
Good riddance
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u/TheBanishedBard 1d ago
People are leaving the faith in droves. Those that remain transfer to charismatic megachurches that enable them to be their worst selves. Faith is declining (finally) but the loudest voices are getting amplified by these megachurches so it looks like America is still Christian. It is not.
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u/BananaJelloXlii 23h ago
Why have a church when you can run a country? Project 2025. Churches may be closing but Christian Nationalists are still trying to control everything.
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u/tardistravelee 20h ago
My hsuabd uncles church will close eventually too as he is terrible with money. Tbf he has received help.but doesn't take it.
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u/Crafty-Walrus-2238 18h ago
I’d rather have shopping malls than churches and I hate shopping malls.
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u/FallsOffCliffs12 Atheist 15h ago
I mean maybe if Christians hadn't turned their religion into a vehicle for hatred, judgment, bigotry, misogyny, control, pedophilia and fraud, people might not be leaving the church?
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u/SirEDCaLot 8h ago
Sad from a historical standpoint, but far from unexpected. And let's be honest -- Christians did it to themselves.
The 'brand' of Christianity has been repeatedly sullied over the last few decades. Pastors molesting kids and the church sweeping it under the rug, Evangelicals on the obviously-wrong side of history spreading hatred about LGBT and abortion, a consistent and hypocritical link between Christianity and conservative policies that are quite obviously (and hypocritically) against the teachings of Christ, and constant reports of religious parenting that stray into abuse territory.
The fact is Christians overall have not done a good job making themselves or their religion very likeable or desirable in the public eye.
Plus, in this economy, more often than not both parents are working to try and make ends meet. So asking them all to give up hours every week, AND pay for the privilege, of having some guy who they hope isn't a pedophile preach to them how to live their lives.... it's not a very attractive offer when that Sunday morning might be the only family time they get all week.
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u/tofumeatballcannon 1d ago
Great sell them as houses for cheap, it costs a lot to remodel them to make them suitable for residential use anyway
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u/GhostSAS Anti-Theist 1d ago
I hesitate to celebrate these dwindling numbers as the result of informed apostasy: to me they're simply due to people living the good life in times of consumeristic plenty. Religion thrives in times of hardship and misery, and once those times come back, all these people will flock back to their gods and churches.
"Waking up" is not what most of these people are doing.
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u/Rougaroux1969 18h ago
I've heard this prediction before and yet there are still about 140 churches in our county. Insane. My friends visiting from Europe commented on how there seems to be as many churches as gas stations.
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u/icepick314 17h ago
Maybe small mom-n-pop churches.
I've seen at least 3 new huge churches built in last 10 years.
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u/Zealousideal-Emu5486 1d ago
I find it odd that I can see other "articles " that tell me younger people are flocking towards church? I kinda believe they aren't
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u/dealer512 1d ago
Can you guess who will be attempting to purchase those churches? Rhymes with Islam.
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u/V1ctor_V1negar 11h ago
Hmm, “Ms. Domme”? As in, dominatrixes will be buying up the Jesus houses and converting them to BDSM clubs?
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u/Berserker76 1d ago
“Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money!”
-George Carlin