There are probably a thousand and one answers to that question, depending upon the individual. Religion is not a priority as it was in previous generations. In a secular world, the movement has been away from the church. Some people have felt abused in a variety of ways, found it boring, not spiritually stimulating, or has too much emphasis on dogma, etc.

A lot has to do with a person’s mindset. Do they reach out to others, or do they focus primarily on themselves? If you’re totally self-absorbed, you will only spend time where you get something from it. The break-up of the family is probably due to cause and effect. Without religious values, there is little to hold a family together other than sex, economic benefits, and social norms. Why even bother getting married, except for the tax benefits?

America has become a society of skeptics. It’s not science versus religion. That was the battle in the 18th Century. We just have lost trust in anything. We don’t trust government, business, or large organizations. In practical terms, millions of people work on the weekends so there is less opportunity for church activities.

The church as an institution has brought on a lot of problems onto itself. The church is made up of humans, who make mistakes, so it is not in the role of the church to judge people. In many cases, the church has tried to cover up its mistakes. The church is to provide a guide for living based on the scriptures.

The wars in the Ukraine and the Gaza get lots of media attention, but we’ve have had continuing wars in Africa and Central America for more than a century. How can a loving God allow that to continue? Well, we can’t blame it on God. Human beings must assume the blame. We have free will to choose to do good or evil.

Rabbi Harold Kushner tried to answer why bad things happen to good people. It is a question that has challenged people for generations. At the most basic level, we live in world of natural disasters as well as personal disasters, and even the good are not exempt. To paraphrase Jesus, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” from Mathew 5:45. That’s a lesson for a sermon.

The Christian church as an institution has continued changing for the past two thousand years. So have cultures, social norms, and our understanding of God’s purpose in our lives. We are less inclined to look for direction than we did a hundred years ago. We have become arrogant and think we know it all. We can get along fine until some crisis erupts.

In closing, let’s try the reverse of that question. Why do people go to church?

• To seek a closer relationship with God
• To build a stronger prayer life
• To live in community
• To find emotional and psychological support and direction
• To contribute toward improving society
• To serve others through the various outreach programs of the church
• To find a purpose in life through spiritual formation

Some people will go to church during Holy Week who do not go regularly. They must still feel some need to continue a spiritual connection.

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