New Survey: Women Leaving Church at Unprecedented Rate

John P Maher

AND WITH GOOD REALLY GOOD REASONS !

Najah P Tamargo

Najah Tamargo-USA I tend to agree with Jake. "Religions" all tend to treat women like so much chattel. Obey your MAN, clean your house, cook the meals, make babies, kiss the ring, etc. Being a Baby Boomer, I walked away from organized religion in my teens. I was blessed with 4 children, one being a girl. I raised them ALL to think for themselves, be respectful towards everyone, always be truthful, honest and kind. I also taught them to fight against injustice of any kind and never judge others, as that is not our job. I worked all my life to support them (without EVER getting a penny in child support) and they all have turned out just fine. If younger women are walking away from male dominated religions....GOOD FOR THEM!!!!

Jake Reynolds

This is great, after the screaming about the abortion issue and the call for women not having the ability to manage their own bodies, good for them to leave god, because they aren’t leaving anything except blather from “the other side” the alphabet problems though that is another kettle of fish, the screaming from one side about a personal issue that is broadcast to all points so much it is being made political, again, what people want to do and believe in should be their business, and who you want to be with behind closed doors is your business and yours only, the ladies coming to a conclusion and new belief reminds me of the black and white life turning into colours because of new insights in the movie Pleasantville, ladies keep it up and keep making YOUR OWN MINDS up, good news.

Rebecca L Tice

I'm 73 years old. I've been in the Baptist Church my whole life. I left the church because I hadn't met an honest preacher, a true man of God, in decades. When the pastor of my last church had an affair with my friend and then threw her out of the church, that was the last straw.

Women couldn't read the Bible, as a whole, until around the 1840's or 1850's. We didn't get a vote until 1920. The Gospel was still trapped in the King James Language gap until 1970. We didn't get a look at how women were treated until just recently.

Women hold down jobs, run the household, volunteer, and have the children. Men tell women what to do. Might as well put a leash on a girl. That's what the Old Testament taught. Women and children were a commodity. Men based their value on how many children they had to work in the field or in the house.

Men have had centuries upon centuries to be straight with us about what their Bible says. Instead they made every man a hero and every woman a harlot. Except of courst Mary.... who they turned into an idol.

So yes... women are displeased with the dishonesty of the church.

IMHO... Jesus would spit this church out!

Hoctui

TIA Becky

Matthew Mastrogiovanni

There's no good reason for a woman to be a Christian. They're literally considered property in the old testament and are excluded from everything in the New.

Cathy A

Women aren't leaving G-d, they are leaving the patriarchy. Churches, like any other business, need to adapt and change according to current trends, or they will fail, like any other business.

Alexander Arends

The gospel just does not relate to women anymore. I think the reason women did not drop out sooner is that they looked at it as a good way to raise theiir children.

Jacquelyn Kendall

The article presumes that women leaving the church means those women are "leaving god". This is an invalid assumption. Organized religion is not the only place a Higher Power exists.

Patricia Law

for me it is the patriarchy in formal religions, I am tired of being a second class and inferior to men have left all organized religions.

Lionheart

Hopefully men will soon catch them up.

Recovering from religion is not an easy fix, but there are tools available to recover. For those of you considering do so there are secular therapists available at seculartherapy.org and people can also call the Helpline at recoveringfromreligion.org.

🦁❤️

William J Lewis

Once the church practices what it preaches they all will come back, women and men.

Dorothy Hawkins

"Amongst young women, there’s a growing belief that men and women are not treated equitably in the church."

You don't have to believe it. Just examine the history to know it is the truth.

Nicholas J Page

If women are leaving the church then there's good reason.Yes women look after their children but what about men doing exactly the same It seems to me that women are doing the house work and the church work why don't men share the work load it's all about women's rights.

David Cox

The bible says that there will be a great falling away from the church. Many will grow cold. The bible says many things but many people go by what they here.

David M Hines

Read through a few of a certain commenter's contributions to the discussion and it's pretty easy to understand why the church is having problems attracting women these days.

Kathryn Hodgkinson

I left Christianity after 54 years. It took awhile to recover from the indctrination It is a patriarchal construct that by design oppresses women. In the US it has morphed from the sickening capitalistic incarnation as the prosperity movement to a vile and dystopian new inquisition. The good men of the new/old political church have little regard for the health and safety of women and children. They subjugate women and exploit poor children in the name of white republican jesus. If they continue this path we will return to the dark ages.

Julie Armstrong

Jesus said, you don't need a building to Pray to Father. I consider myself very Spiritual, I do not go to church. Church is for people, in my opinion that need guidance and cn not do it on their own. I help people all the time without a building. I am ordained, and I meet with people that are thirsty for GOD over coffee, camping, AA, NA etc. If you live in a household family in todays times, everyone pitches in to help. That is good karma. It is true families were better way back when a parent could stay home while the other went to work, however not anymore. Yes I said 1 parent. I know of households where mom worked dad stayed home. It was better for them in a family unit. Yes they believed and prayed Isn't bottom line to believe and pray and trust GOD. I also do believe children need a foundation to build their beliefs on. So now I am speaking opposite of what I just said.. Children need church/religion to get and understand the concept. If this can be done in a religious school or classes so be it. GOD is inside of us, My children and I visited many churches when they were little 3rd til 5 grades. Then we stopped and just prayed at home. I have one child who believes. One agnostic, however now that she is working through issues. not so much anymore. My last one, was Atheist, Agnostic, Buddhist, Pagan, and now speaks to GOD. I think sometimes people go through process, and need that proof of his existence to believe and continue.

Donald G Magel

Could it be a continuation of the "Get thee behind me woman" attitude of church elders"? Women can work to keep the church running but LEAD one? Never happen! The Bible says so.. ..someplace.

Misti

Nobody is leaving God, they simply are leaving the dogma of the Church. Spirituality is alive and well without the brainwashing of any religion. The made up rules, the homophobia and the sexism is rampant. Once they realize making money from funding anti abortion laws & fighting gay rights is not worth it due to losing parishioners, maybe they’ll stop the hateful controlling rhetoric. Love always Wins!

John M. Endress

Women are also catching up to men in heart disease, lower life expectency, college attendance (wait, they’ve passed the guys on that one). So, I’m not surprised that women have found substitutes for what value they once found in church attendance.

Claudia Marshall

I left the traditional church and joined a UU church. I am a baby boomer. I can support my LGBTQ brothers and sisters. I still claim Christianity but I can be my political self which I had to conceal like it was a sin. I am allowed to be myself but I admit I feel more comfortable I don’t focus on my sin, just strive to be more productive now. There are people who I can identify with it’s wonderful.

Julie Gardner

We could also consider how religion can be “an opiate…” People have often turned to religion when they don’t feel they have power or control over their life. As women become more empowered in our society they may not feel the need for religion to ease their feelings of uncertainty and lack of control.

Robert Rohr

Article hit the issues on-point. The church has forgotten the role of women in the very early churches especially in the eastern Mediterranean. They financed and led many of them; and had prominent roles. There was a cultural and historical shift around the 300's AD that led to their downgrade in the church.

Rev. Michelle Love

The Bible itself may be a reason women are no longer going to church. There are very few positive women role models discussed in the Bible and the women that are mentioned are either portrayed as scapegoats, harlots or opportunists. Representation matters and if it is not seen in their place of worship, women will look elsewhere for positive role models.

Bridget Kielas-Fecyk

Many Christians and Catholics, especially the particularly fierce zealots like the individuals we are seeing here who are absolutely spewing hatred toward women, scream about "No Shariah Law!" When they speak of religion in the USA. But, at the same time, are fighting tooth and nail to implement their own, brutalistic, version of it against the women in the nation.

I was born, baptized, and raised roman catholic. I broke away from the church at age 15 and never looked back. The why is irrelevant now, I'm in my 50's after all. But one thing that always bothered me was the absolute need to control my life. Who I talked to, who I didn't talk to, what books I read, and so forth. And I refused to let myself be controlled like that. Fortunately, my family isn't, and wasn't then, ultra-religious and didn't bend to the whims of those in the church much, so when I told them I was no longer going on sundays, they understood.

The fact is, zealots and bigots have taken over most religious institutions. They are fighting tooth and nail to rip away from women, every single right we have fought for, bled for, DIED for over the last century. The right to bodily autonomy is only the first step. They intend to rip away the right to be able to travel freely. The right to get divorced and escape abusive relationships. Then they will remove the right to vote, the right to own land, the right to drive, etc. And yet, far too many turn a blind eye because these individuals use "the bible" to justify their behavior, and these brutal laws.

So yeah, I'm not surprised how many women are leaving the churches, and not looking back.

Randall Braxton Spell

So-called experts are scrambling to hide the real reason for church-flight. It is really simple ... and it is called the "blind faith" doctrine. This is almost always related to the Tertullian illogical teaching about a "triune" nature of GOD (which is antithetical to everything in the Bible).

Logically, if the churches tell their congregations that they have to accept the church teachings on blind faith ... that also means that the churches don't understand the Kingdom of GOD either. If they did ... they could teach congregations the truth.

Otherwise, people eventually come to the simple realization that the blind are leading the blind (i.e., see Luke 6:39).

People are tired of being deceived by politicians, other greedy-gluttonous people, and churches telling them that they have to accept church teaching on blind faith.

Sadly, almost 100% of Christian churches duck into the dumb-headed mode of "blind faith" in order to dodge the responsibility of truthfully leading their congregations in the light of truth (but, see Jeremiah 23:1).

Ironically, churches could increase their memberships 2 - 10 times by simply teaching the truth about the incarnate WORD-Jesus Christ ... and the fact that HE is trying to lead all of us to the same GOD that He serves.

The best constructive information I can give is found in this book: "GOD's Truth About Blind Faith for Dizzy Dummies" at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVG53PFX

The information is that book takes the "blind faith" control out of churches hands and puts people in the same room with WORD-Jesus Christ ... where people will learn truths that put them all closer to the Kingdom of GOD.

Thanks ... I am Rev. Randall B. Spell, BS, M.Ed, DD

Susan H. Crain

I don't believe they are leaving God. I believe they are searching for the freedom to worship God and not men -- the men who (despite the fact there are women pastors and bishops, etc.,) are at the foundation of the majority of all religions. I commend the women on the beginnings of their respective arduous and necessary journeys. It is my personal hard-won truth that the Master of the Universe wants to have a personal relationship with me that I may continue to learn my purpose here in this life, to fulfill those life's purposes for which I was sent, and to make whatever mistakes are necessary without their being dictated by an "overseer" who is a mere male human. Without the freedom, with the encouragement to give myself permission, and being told constantly to submit to male dominion, I was dying spiritually. I was not heard, or tended by any shepherd of any flock. My spiritual needs were not met, no matter how diligently I tried. Men who support (and demand their spouses also support) a government which abandoned a woman's right to make decisions about her own body, her livelihood, her purpose...and -- who knows? As they rescinded Roe v. Wade, and created the 2025 Master Plan which will obliterate the Department of Education, what's next? Sending women back to the kitchen, back to the nursery to continue birthing children no matter what, and taking away our right to vote? I no longer worship men who unquestioningly obey other men "in authority" (claiming their authority from God), who devalue the women in their lives -- and teach women to shun other women who refuse to goose-step. May God bless us all as we find our respective ways home.

Melaine Rae Thompson

I split from organized religion because of the misogynistic mentality as well the constant pressure to give money to the church. I’ll donate to places that help people in need.

Danielle Elizabeth Ostach

I think these number will vary by denomination and religion. The fact is that many branches of Christianity are discriminatory or outright misogynist towards women. Their only place is baby factory and kitchen and encourage men to promote that. This includes Islam, orthodox Judiasm, and many christian denominations. Even catholic church prohibits women from clergy and only way they can serve god is wife or chaste nun (even if they can do good works as nun, it is limiting).

Add in the LGBTQ+ and the abortion and some of the rise in militant church mentalities and women have little reason to be part of church.

That said, a lot of female friends still believe strongly in God or Goddess (to them God is not necessarily male, could be female, sexless or both in one). They just don't want to support what they see as political institutions that take their donations and give them little support or anything back. Sure there are exceptions for some churches that really build community but there is still the vies they disagree with.

Russel A. Kester

Women leaving the church could be a good thing in the long run. Feminism has led women to this point as it continues to tell women to eschew children in favor of degrees and work. Men in church shows a greater opportunity for men to come together and relearn the biblical understanding of their duties to God, the church, their families (as both husbands and fathers), and in society at large. Men were sidelined by the influx of women into the clergy and as theologians pushing feminist theology to the detriment of men. So this just might be the reconning the church needs. This might be the salvation that men need.

Sadie Tan

I completely agree with the woman leaving church😈. I am a 24 would LOVE to leave my church because my pastor is SAing me🤢. His name is Fr. Issikal Mark Summers, age 64, and he’s been having an affair on his husband with me for 8 years now🙇‍♀️. I’m not sure if his husband knows, he’s been there for all of it … maybe he likes it🏳️‍🌈. Issikal, even though he has a husband and a wife, is EXTREMELY homophobic and heterophobic to everyone in the church. I think he just hates marriage, but not intercorse! Anyways, no joke my mans Issikal should probably be cancelled and have his subscription to life revoked if you know what i mean.

Signing off, Allison 😩

Kathryn Schneider

My first thought is what's their family history? I never went to church outside of the mandatory school masses, funerals, weddings, Christmas and Easter. My parents never made it a family thing. Yet a friend of mine from grade school went to confession every Wednesday, Mass on Sundays and did the no meat on Fridays thing because her parents did those things. As an adult she continues the tradition. I tried to do the Catholic in good standing thing for a year and a half once.However God didn't comply with the rules, we had a fight and I held a grudge for 2years. But we're cool with each other now. And now that we're friends again and I cast off the shackles of organized religion our relationship is stupendous. So maybe in order for me to get here I had to have that fight 30 years ago.

ServantOfJudgement

Woman globally are becoming more leftist/socialist/communist. These things in general are antichrist. It makes sense that those women would leave the church.

I suppose it will have an effect of steering a church closer to God with the antichrists leaving. With out the combative nature of grouped women as an influence, churches might be better suited to handle our imminent national judgement.

When there's nothing to eat, women will get their priorities squared up again.

Rev. Peter

The Southern Baptist faith, for one, lost 241,000 members in 2023. The general drift from legacy religions is one reason Christian nationalism is on the rise.

https://research.lifeway.com/2024/05/07/southern-baptist-membership-decline-slows-baptisms-and-attendance-grow/

Madison Morgan Johnson

I agree with the author. However, I also believe its more complex and involves the politicization of christianity in the U.S. such as christian nationalism. U.S. churches are losing their way.

Steven Ferrell

Sadly there is to many younger that only want to live for just themselves, not need to be concerned about others. Going to church take a couple hours of their time and may give them a feeling of needing to also reach out and help others at times. OMG how terrible it is they can’t be all about themselves only.

Michelle Kitz

Anyone in business knows that you have to change with the times. You have to grow. Organized religion changes very slowly, if at all. There is nothing agile about them. And, quite honestly, I find some church beliefs to be traumatizing. I'm a recovering Catholic myself (Gen X here). It's been a while since I finally made a clean break when I realized the truth and felt drawn to Wicca.

Where I think the article goes wrong is in saying they're turning from God. I don't know if that's true. They're questioning. They're asking the right questions. If God is loving and we're all His children, then how can he turn his back on those he loves? That doesn't make sense. It never made sense to me either. But there's fear. The Catholic church taught me fear. I was a wreck from the things they taught me. I'm free of it.

I believe that the Deity is inclusive. We're all part of the universe. We're all made of the same stuff. Everyone should be treated equally. And the only rule that really matters is "An it harm none, do as ye will."

Rev.J.Buchanan

I left the organized Church system because of older women being controlling, abrasive, gossips, back-stabing, unfriendly, etc. etc. It is like High School clicks all over again. Each church as a set, or two, of "family generational leaders". They never lose their positions. They know the pecking order and are content to fill their role within this order. Only G_d can help the young women who brings in a new idea or view of how something should work. It will be tossed out, only to be brought up and implimented when the rulers, or someone within the click brings it up again as "their idea".

John Casillo

RELIGION SOMETIMES IS A POTENT DRUG.....AND THE CHURCH LEADERS GLADLY COUNT THEIR COINS

Pastor Lyn

You have to ask this question? So many reasons, so many crimes against women and children.

Robert K Brown

There's a lot of deep thoughts going on here. I think at least part of it is financially motivated. Value of the Dollar keeps going down, cost of living keeps going up. Everyone feels guilty when they can't tithe cause they broke after buying groceries , so they simply don't go. Nobody cares when only the people at the bottom suffer, but rampant globalization is going to turn us all into slaves via financial means.

James Pace

You want to know why women are leaving? The abrahamic traditions treat them like crap. I wouldn't follow that tradition either.

Father Frederick

It's not hard to understand why women are leaving. When I was a young child, (1950s), the church was not only a congregation of faith, but of culture and community. Women, especially, used this as a social gathering in support of their families.

Today it's very rare that you have a church which does not have divisions in ideas, culture, and community. There lacks a commonality of spirit.

Add to that now the raw support system which women, and girls received in the 50+ years ago. That support system has eroded. Where at one time; one person hurt would have the support of dozens, today if a person is hurt the congregation avoids the drama and involvement.

Sadly, I've seen many women leave because there is no support, nobody to talk to, no "friend" in the church to talk to. It's not the fault of the religion, it's the fault of society. We are now a generation of "let's keep to ourselves".

Daniel Todd Kamm

If the question needs to be asked, apparently no one has been listening. It's like the guy who is blind-sided by his wife's request for a divorce... apparently some people don't get it no matter how hard women try.

Hi and bye small - minded fry!

Harold Albert Clark

I was pushed in a religious, patriarchy, where woman did the traditional female roles. I was young, 1970's and 1980's, and never became a member of the church, for many reasons. It is not surprising that women, or any than a masculine figure, may be daunted by many religious organizations, churches, etc. People have a lot to offer for each other, not just Sunday school; the social changes, or lack of, will come, but need to come for all of us, humans, divine.

Tammy S Gardner

Many years ago I left a church. I did not leave God but the church I was attending. My spouse walked out on me and I filed for divorce. We could not work it out and the divorce went through. I was not in a church at the time. I did not receive any support at all from that church that I joined years after the divorce. According to the belief system, I made the choice to marry him and now that I found God and "knew better" it was up to me to get my act together and the expectation was for me to cry out and pray for God's mercy so God could reunite me with my ex-spouse. (He walked out on me! I did not walk out on him!) I raised our children myself while I was being sold the idea that I could not date anyone or I would be committing adultery. He had found someone else who was more into his lifestyle than I was, yet the doctrine was I still belonged to him. I got tired of the idea that I was my ex-spouses property even when he was involved with another. He did not want to reunite and was happy where he was. My beliefs somehow were not the same as the doctrine. I just wanted to drop the issue and go on with my life. So I left and found a life that enabled me to do so. I think being more respectful of a persons issues and what may have caused them and better ideas of how to support the issues that may come into the church in a more compassionate way would do wonders. Jesus took compassion on people. He performed miracles for them fed them, healed them. Resurrected Lazarus. He even turned Saul into Paul. In none of this was he rigid about the issues. He wanted friends who would willingly follow him, I guess the reason I left is the way certain systems analyze and present the ideas as non negotiable issues.

Ari Joseph Bertine

It's really not surprising. A very patriarchal religion with a very patriarchal scripture just has very little to offer to modern women. There's no appeal in it for them. The way some churches treat women exacerbates the situation, and then there's the anti-abortion movement that is mainly Christian. I was made aware a few years ago that many women are Christian "by default" and their church attendance is social rather than spiritual. If community support is the only thing keeping them in church and communities are not supporting them, they're going to go somewhere else for support rather than a place with a lot of things they have to ignore to feel valued.

Amber Fry

I don't think it's for the first time. Women were leaving pretty regularly back in the 70s and 80s as well. I do think when people have means and methods of getting along in life but are held to second class citizen then eventually they do leave. Some churches have managed to shift and change enough through time to accept that the role of women has changed in modern times, but many still refuse. If they keep refusing they will find themselve obsolete. Alternative religous ideals have become a much bigger posibility for both women and the men who also recognize these needs for that change.

Kristin Emley

I left christianity years ago due to its sexism and mysogyny. I did years of research and found the errors in the bible, the forgeries (Timothy 1 and 2). I researched ancient civilizations and found many of the bible stories come directly from Mesopotamia and the Anunnaki. Their have been additions, mistranslations throughout the old and new testament. Please research the Gnostic gospels as well as they were almost destroyed by the catholic church.

Rev. Elizabeth

I wouldn’t say they are all leaving God. It could be that they don’t like what their church is saying or the way they practice. When I left a church, I wasn’t leaving God. God has always been in my life since I was 6yo. I have moved recently and so far I don’t care for the two churches in my area. What they say is not what is in the Bible and I can’t worship in a place that doesn’t honor God and what he wants for us. My sister was hurt from a church like that. The pastor was arrested from stealing from the church funds. It messed with her son’s head. He doesn’t trust because he was taught that the Pastor speaks for God, which my sister didn’t like him saying. Then that all happened and they have no church now. None around them. So that didn’t pull them away from God. My sister got even closer and we Bible study on the phone with each other. We are just as close, if not closer, with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I’m sure some women are saying that they are leaving God. I don’t agree that all the women leaving the church is leaving God. As we all know, everyone that is not close to God blames God for all the bad in the world. I have to say to people in my realm, when they blame God, I say it’s not God’s fault, it is Satan that is doing this. Did you ask God for help? Jesus? the Holy Spirit? This is Satan’s world and God gives us free will. If you don’t ask for help, he assumes you don’t want his help. Invite God and he will be with you. I have to remind the people around me of that more than I like. It’s not God’s fault. It is Satan and yours because you don’t ask God for help. Then I teach how to ask God. I say you can ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit too. So, all I just said, I don’t think all women are leaving God. It’s not black and white.

Do you agree? Please, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. Try being positive for a change 😉

Everyone, be safe & be well Rev. Elizabeth

Ealdormon Piparskeggr Robinson

My wife was raised Greek Orthodox. But over time, back in the 80's, basically became an agnostic deist. She believes there is something Beyond our existence, but has no personal Gnosis of it.

James H Caldwell

Prior to becoming ordained my wife approached our pastor seeking help with a court case for her children the pastor instead of being the character witness she needed and he knew us well enough this was possible only simple says let me pray with you and we will let god handle it his way. Well needless to say it didn’t work out like that because we had no one of importance to back us up we lost and after that she left the church we are now both practicing pagans and have found freedom and peace in our lives now. If the church wants women to stay then leadership needs to fight harder to protect the women of there congregation and don’t get me started on the number of women a year that are in domestic violence relationships and seek help from church leaders that blow them off as over reacting because there husband teaches Sunday school

Cheryl Pettijohn

Let's be clear here, leaving the church is NOT the same as leaving your faith. I would never, ever go back to the faith of my childhood. So much hate there, too much bullying my children, too much misogyny. I may not believe in the SBC, but I absolutely believe in Christ. Christianity is incredibly diverse as it is. It is time to reclaim Christianity from the haters.

Charyn Fessler

Wow this makes me so sad... Y'all do not know the same Jesus that I do. I am cherished. I am loved. I am protected. I am His. I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a WOMAN OF GOD. My Jesus is a frickin blast! The original partier is my BFF! ❤️ I pray that all peoples of all generations know Him like I do ❤️ He's way cool lol

Constance Wellik

For me it was more about studying the historical evidence for the Bible - since I was taught from childhood the B I B L E was the infallible and inerrant Word of God. I took Biblical Studies courses from secular rather than theological schools. At first I was angry that I was indoctrinated by those I trusted but eventually I reconciled the duality of still loving the Bible but reading it as I would any other literature. I miss the church community (mine was more progressive) but after 70 years as a Christian, I really enjoy my Sundays!

Patricia Law

Christianity is not for me I am tired of the second class position for women in the beliefs. Prefer Pagon Goddess which honors women in all their aspects.

Barbara Rose

Yep have to agree I have left the church and I'm leaving without guilt and condemnation. I can breath