The book suggests that the defining problem driving out most people who leave is … just how American life works in the 21st century. Contemporary America simply isn’t set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. Such a system leaves precious little time or energy for forms of community that don’t contribute to one’s own professional life or, as one ages, the professional prospects of one’s children. Workism reigns in America, and because of it, community in America, religious community included, is a math problem that doesn’t add up.

  • bigmonkey [they/them]
    ·
    11 months ago

    My grandma is a Methodist and has been going to church every Sunday for the past 80 years. This year she stopped going because according to her it's constantly brought up and argued about. She's the old fashioned "I don't care and I don't want to hear about it" type when it comes to LGBT which is about as good as you can expect from her age group. I guess there's some pot stirrers in her congregation that keep trying to push everyone rightward and it's tiring her poor old heart out. I am very anti Christianity but I can't help but feel bad for her since she's losing one of the only consistent things she's had her whole life.

    • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
      ·
      11 months ago

      I feel really sorry for your grandma. I hope she has some other kind of social circle, or that she's still close with family