Organized religion is driving people away from religion:

[DetlefK]

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/heres-increasing-number-americans-ditching-religion/

When asked why they don’t identify with any religion, a majority of respondents — 60 percent — said that they question a lot of religious teachings (respondents were allowed to give multiple answers). Forty-nine percent said they opposed the positions taken by churches on social and political issues, which should be unsurprising given that the nation’s younger cohort skews liberal and churches are seen as largely conservative institutions.

Only 37 percent gave not believing in God as their reason for rejecting religion, highlighting the fact that many non-believers do not necessarily identify as atheists or even as agnostics. Forty-one percent said that don’t like religious organizations, while 36 percent said religion is irrelevant to them and 34 percent said they dislike religious leaders.

[thucythucy]

1. I think it was Lenny Bruce who used to say:

Every day more and more people are leaving the church to find God.

[narnian60]

3. I like that.

[3Hotdogs]

4. Lenny Bruce -- When Jesus and Moses came to Harlem and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

To long to type here but he imagined them asking why Cardinal Spellman didn't sell the gold in the cathedral to help Harlem's poor.

And of course, there's George Carlin's many takes on religion.

[thucythucy]

13. Yes, that's a hilarious routine

and very daring for the time.

One of my favorite parts is Bishop Sheen calling the Vatican to ask what to do. We hear Sheen (Bruce) on the phone, asking for help. They put the Pope on the line and there's more monologue, with Sheen getting more and more flustered. Finally, in sotto voice, he asks. "Look, what are we paying protection for?"

Have you heard "Religions Inc."? Another groundbreaking routine.

[3Hotdogs]

18. Sheen: "They're here." Spellman: "Who's here?

Sheen: "Its Jesus and he's got a nice Jewish boy with him.

And he's got lepers with hm and they're in the nave of the cathedral.
--- Ah, don't touch anything fellas."

[thucythucy]

19. "And burn the towels and doorknobs on your way out."

Or Sheen, still talking to the Pope, "Look man, we're up to our asses in canes and crutches!"

Lenny Bruce was so amazing, and so very far ahead of his time.

Have you ever heard "Captain Wackencracker"? Another fave of mine.

[True Blue American]

2. The young are rejecting

Religion because so many in the Church have turned it into a bigoted, fear driven Political Arm.

As the young become more Educated and aware they reject the myths. And, honestly that is what they are. Written by many old men centuries ago.

I wish I could say different but most of what I accept in Church is the message to be a better person, more compassionate and understanding of others. It has taken me a long time to come to that conclusion. We were brought up to accept. The young already know this.

[DetlefK]

10. I think, it's a larger phenomenon. A sign of our times.

Growing distrust of the establishment: Distrust towards the established political parties, towards the established media, towards established science, towards established churches...

[True Blue American]

14. Science did not help!;)

[DetlefK]

15. Science does as science does.

Science says up-front that nothing is infallible. And that is taken as an argument that science must be inherently flawed.

[Lonestarblue]

5. White evangelicals are to blame for at least part of religious decline.

Their hypocrisy is on display every day as they turn their backs on the tolerance preached by Jesus and the admonitions to take care of the poor and the earth. They push their agenda against gays, minorities, and women while preaching about their own morality and their fictitious loss of religious freedom. They are truly the “ do as I say, not as I do” group. They are killing religion, or at least their perverted brand of it, which I see as a good thing, yet they refuse to look in the mirror and see their own guilt in driving away young people. Instead, they prefer blaming liberals and a government that doesn’t let them inflict horrible pain in programs like gay conversion therapy. They have sold their souls for political power, perhaps without realizing that the god they now worship is power. I know many Christians who are true believers and good people who try to live their lives according to their beliefs. None of them are evangelicals.

[True Blue American]

16. Evangelicals. Are mostly to blame

Because they turned their brand of religion into a right wing Political anger.

[keithbvadu2]

6. Religion and politics use each other to gain power and wealth.

Religion and politics use each other to gain power and wealth.

[keithbvadu2]

7. Judas was an early modern day conservative disciple.

Judas was an early modern day conservative disciple.

Judas got 30 pieces of silver, but just once, for selling Christ.

Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker and their ilk get millions of dollars repeatedly for selling Christ.

Judas was a fool for doing a one-time sale.

[samnsara]

8. when i was 18 that was the first part of religion I rejected

[Snarkoleptic]

9. I live near the fifth largest megachuch in America.

The community was shocked (me not so much) several years ago when it was revealed that the church owned two jets.
This was revealed when one of them struck a deer on the runway of a small local airport, causing a couple of hundred thousand in damages.
Were it not for this incident, the public may have never connected these dots.

Sex, jets, sailboats, beach houses, mansions -- all while we have hungry, uneducated children in America.
#WTF

Here's there's current scandal-

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/7/17657730/bill-hybels-willow-creek-steve-carter-resigned-allegations-sex-harassment

[90-percent]

11. Well, what do you know?

Frank Zappa wrote a song about that!

But THEIR GOD says; Avenge the Crusades!


-90% Jimmy

[The Genealogist]

12. A generation of more skeptical young people

Sounds like a lot of young people are not falling for the old paradigms. Good for them. Younger people today are much better at finding information, and quickly. The evangelicals are going to have to step up their game.

[Act_of_Reparation]

17. Interesting the lengths many will go to deny this basic fact.

It's not like the kids would stop believing in religion because they're smarter than their parents. No, must be some other reason.