The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-26
Why should Not Church Attendance
Diminishr

We find in professionally religious papers
much discussion of the cause or causes OF
diminishing church attendance both OH Sun
| day and at weekday meetings, NimplIes, OF
course, that there is such a diminution,
but as to the extent Of the falling OIL we
have no statistics. Apparently the Roman
Catholic churches are not suffering from
it. Their many services seem to be as
numerously attended as ever, but whether
the aggregate of people at these Is as
great proportionatcly 20 the population rs
1t was formerly we are not informed pre-
cisely; but it seems to be. Nor do we OBJ
serve such complaints in Episcopal papers,
and the congregations at their churches, III
this city more especially, seem to be large.
The lamontation over the diminution Of in
| terest in church services m chiefly from
the BaptistS, Methodists and Preshyterians
and kindred religious bodies.
The Christian InieiligencC', for instance,
representing the Reformed or old Dutch
Reformed Church, one" SO powerful in New
York, tells of the results of inquiries appar-
emily sent out in this city, as to the rea-
sons for this neglect of the church. The re-
sponses, in the first place, found fault with
the preaching, "thc Inconsistencies If not
hypocrisies of church members and "thc
unproiltableness or exclusivencss Of the
church and It's services or course, these
are all mere prrtexts. the real cause being
confessed frankly by the others, or gen
- + -. ., l..l;I-, =. ,,,,.,- ,r.I
religious services The real reason why
people stay away from churches is that
they nave lost belief in them and their
necessity to the souls salvation.
The social pressure which once filed the
churches by making abstcntion from them
%disreputablc has been removed to "A very
great extent. Even in small communities
where formerly habitual neglect of the
church brought social rcproach with it, no
such penalty is now Incurred. In small
and large towns great numbers OF refined
and educated people have given up church
going without ~cncountering any social dis
advantage. Even among nominally rclig-
ious people who sometimes put in an
appearance ut n church service, Sunday il
often used as a day OF sports and pastimos,
more particularly in places to which
people go in the summer, SO that
the ~ncighbOring churches are able TO
obtain no moro than small congrc-
cations. OF old, the prayer meetings
and the conference meetings held by evan
gnlical" churches on stated evenings dur
ing the week were attended by all the more
serious members, old and young, as a rclig-
ious obligation, and they constituted an
important feature of the social life Of hun
dreds of thousands ~ Americans, ms tho
reading Of American poetry and romance
will afford abundant evidence. Now, so
far as we can learn, they have dropped into
comparative insignificance, and all sorts Of
sensational devices to revive superficial in
tercst in them have been adopted. Chris.
tian Endeavor and kindred societies have
been established To attract Young people
more especially.
What is the trouble? What is the rem
edy? The trouble is obvious enough.
declining church attendance, Of course il a
consequence Of diminishing religious faith.
Wien people are stirred by alarm for their
sous salvation they do not carp AT the
preaching Of the way Of salvation or under.
take to excuse themselves for neglertinr TO
get into that way by finding fault with the
conduct Of other people. The remedy is
not less obvious; il is TO revive religious
faith in both the preachers and the hearers.
With such faith vital in the hearts Of the
people the churches would be too small
to contain the throngS which would
eagerly rush to them. Take tho time
Of the Great Awakening in 1887: the
aires had to be- brought into service TO
accommodate the m%ultitudes who were
concerned about the salvation of their
souls, and noon-day prayer meetings had
to be- held daily even in the business dis
tricts of the town. No trouble in finding
acceptable preachers appeared then. But
how is il now: A large part ofthe Christian
pulpit is teaching the people that the Script
urrs on which alone they based their relig.
ious belief are OF dubious validity, or il is
tacitly consenting to the work Of destruo.