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3 big US churches in turmoil over sex abuse, LGBT policy

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AP Washington
Last Updated : Mar 03 2019 | 12:00 AM IST

It has been a wrenching season for three of America's largest religious denominations, as sex-abuse scandals and a schism over LGBT inclusion fuel anguish and anger within the Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist and United Methodist churches.

There's rising concern that the crises will boost the ranks of young people disillusioned by organized religion.

"Every denomination is tremendously worried about retaining or attracting young people," said Stephen Schneck, a political science professor at Catholic University.

"The sex-abuse scandals will have a spillover effect on attitudes toward religion in general. I don't think any denomination is going to not take a hit."
"Many of you have children and grandchildren who cannot imagine that we're voting this way today. They wonder, have these people lost their minds?"
The most recent survey of the religious landscape by the Pew Research Center found that the biggest growth was in "unaffiliated" people who described themselves as atheists, agnostics or "nothing in particular."
"They're not going to join a religion that's not making a difference or, worse yet, is full of hypocrisy."
"If you're already only going to church three or four times a year, if you're moving from one place to another, your ties (with a church) have already gotten weak."

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First Published: Mar 03 2019 | 12:00 AM IST

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