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Michigan residents leaving the Catholic Church as many turn away from religion
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/04/michigan-residents-leaving-the-catholic-church-as-many-turn-away-from-religion.html...It’s a trend backed by numbers. Between 2000 and 2018, membership in Michigan’s Catholic parishes dropped from 2.2 million to 1.8 million, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), which collects annual data from U.S. Catholic dioceses.
Even more striking in the CARA data are the declines in Catholic sacraments and education. Infant baptisms, down 49% since 2000. Weddings blessed by the Catholic Church, down 54%. First Communions, down 46%. Enrollment in Catholic grade schools, down 49%. Enrollment in K-12 religious education classes, down 48%.
...But (Brian Wilson, a American religious history professor at Western Michigan University) and other experts say Michigan is not an outlier in the U.S. Catholic Church -- and the U.S. Catholic Church is not an outlier among the nation’s Christian denominations, most of which are losing members.
...In a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center 24% of Michigan adults answered “none” when asked their religion. That compares to 25% who identified as evangelical Protestants, 18% as Catholic and 18% as mainline Protestants.
Even more striking in the CARA data are the declines in Catholic sacraments and education. Infant baptisms, down 49% since 2000. Weddings blessed by the Catholic Church, down 54%. First Communions, down 46%. Enrollment in Catholic grade schools, down 49%. Enrollment in K-12 religious education classes, down 48%.
...But (Brian Wilson, a American religious history professor at Western Michigan University) and other experts say Michigan is not an outlier in the U.S. Catholic Church -- and the U.S. Catholic Church is not an outlier among the nation’s Christian denominations, most of which are losing members.
...In a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center 24% of Michigan adults answered “none” when asked their religion. That compares to 25% who identified as evangelical Protestants, 18% as Catholic and 18% as mainline Protestants.
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What a surprise that is! 
300 Catholic sex-abuse claims reported since state investigation began, Attorney General Nessel says
LANSING, MI – State Attorney General Dana Nessel said law enforcement has received more than 300 tips of alleged sexual misconduct in Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses since her office began investigating the issue in 2018.
She added Thursday, Feb. 21, that the investigation will take “in the neighborhood of two years” and that upwards of 1,000 sex-abuse victims could be uncovered. She did not elaborate on how her office arrived at that potential number of victims.
LANSING, MI – State Attorney General Dana Nessel said law enforcement has received more than 300 tips of alleged sexual misconduct in Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses since her office began investigating the issue in 2018.
She added Thursday, Feb. 21, that the investigation will take “in the neighborhood of two years” and that upwards of 1,000 sex-abuse victims could be uncovered. She did not elaborate on how her office arrived at that potential number of victims.
https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2019/02/300-catholic-sex-abuse-claims-reported-since-state-investigation-began-attorney-general-nessel-says.html
Religion will be delegated to an almost purely ceremonial role. Some people will still go to churches to marry and bury, but nobody will really believe in it.
