OK. Both locations are valid.

But I see no reason to cede institutions that lead the community, or say they do, speak for the community to politicians and teachers, who listen to them, took generations to build, and are essentially your own.

Yes religion can function underground. That doesn't mean it SHOULD voluntarily do that.

A community that won't fight for its church to represent it, is going to deserve that its church DOES represent it, even if falsely and badly. Ouch.

Yes, if it is truly impossible to recapture the local church, then yes, you keep everybody close, and impose a formal schedule of religious engagement at home. In fact, grace before meals, prayer before bed, prayer on rising, are all part of home life anyway.

So I hear you.

OK. Both locations are valid.

But I see no reason to cede institutions that lead the community, or say they do, speak for the community to politicians and teachers, who listen to them, took generations to build, and are essentially your own.

Yes religion can function underground. That doesn't mean it SHOULD voluntarily do that.

Demographics is part of it: when a congregation, the people who show up, any religion, is old people and women, with no vigorous young men, it drifts toward a softer mentality.

That softer mentality is certainly part of the message but should not become the whole message. Which it does, if the men don't show up. Lots of them.

Any religion, and I am in a different one, that loses the vigorous men, the young men, is going to go down, down, down.

So it's about men. Young men.

A community that won't fight for its church to represent it, is going to deserve that its church DOES represent it, even if falsely and badly. Ouch.

Yes, if it is truly impossible to recapture the local church, then yes, you keep everybody close, and impose a formal schedule of religious engagement at home. In fact, grace before meals, prayer before bed, prayer on rising, are all part of home life anyway.

So I hear you.

OK. Both locations are valid.

But I see no reason to cede institutions that lead the community, or say they do, speak for the community to politicians and teachers, who listen to them, took generations to build, and are essentially your own.

Yes religion can function underground. That doesn't mean it SHOULD voluntarily do that.

Demographics is part of it: when a congregation, the people who show up, any religion, is old people and women, with no vigorous young men, it drifts toward a softer mentality.

That softer mentality is certainly part of the message but should not become the whole message. Which it does, if the men don't show up. Lots of them.

Any religion, and I am in a different one, that loses the vigorous men, the young men, is going to go down, down, down.

So it's about men. Young men.

A community that won't fight for its church to represent it, is going to deserve that its church DOES represent it, even if falsely and badly. Ouch.

Yes, if it is impossible to recapture the local church, then yes, you keep everybody close, and impose a formal schedule of religious engagement at home. In fact, grace before meals, prayer before bed, prayer on rising, are all part of home life anyway.

So I hear you.