General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Liberal believers are going to be the people who ultimately bring change to their own religions." [View all]JVS
(61,935 posts)Liberals have always been at a disadvantage within churches, as the hierarchies have tended conservative. But the trend within the churches has made them pretty much a lost cause as far as liberalism is concerned. The reason for this is that even if these organizations became more responsive to their parishoner's viewpoints, liberal church goers have quit in droves. The record number of people in the US who are religiously unaffiliated did not come from the conservatives' portion of the congregations. This drop in religious participation on the left is going to lead to even less representation in the organizations and further reinforce the religious conservatives' hold on power. The left's concerns will remain unaddressed. You can see this phenomenon at work in the selection of the new pope, who positions the Vatican well to play up to the Global South and dismiss criticisms from North America and Europe as "first world problems".