Owning the young mind

[Sailor Steve]

That is indeed sad for the people who are watching their way of life fade. On the other hand, what I don't see mentioned are their children. These younger adults have obviously found something to replace that particular social life, something they can relate more to in their own lives. What is it? Where are they going? They obviously aren't sitting bemoaning what they've lost. They have new social functions that interest them more.

Among my circle of friends are two sets of believers who, though they believe diametrically opposite things, both call themselves Christian. They both attend their respective churches regularly, and though they do have a social functionality both will tell you that what they believe is more important than what they do socially. That said, the group also includes people who don't attend church or believe at all. They will also tell you they have rich social lives with like-minded friends. I associate with musicians and gamers mostly. One of my neighbors lives for golf.

The fading of those churches doesn't seem to be the cause of the next generation moving on, but rather the result of it. Peoples lives are not being left empty because of churches closing. The churches are closing because their members' children have found something they'd rather be doing. Yes, for some that may be a bad thing, but I'm sure that most of them would say otherwise.