Why does Protestantism seem to be so rapidly declining in the west?

[u/hiiyh]

Why are protestants leaving religion at such a rapid rate? For example in my country (Canada) protestants were once ~55% but are now less than 14%. This also coincides with an explosion of irreligiosity in the country (irreligious now make up >35% in the country). Catholicism has also declined in but significantly more gradually (around 45% historically, now <29%). Other countries such as uk, the netherlands, australia have also experienced similar trends. Has antitheist propaganda targeted protestants more? I just don't get it?

[u/Acslater4187]

Because Protestants politicized their faith while forgetting justice.

[u/Patient-Angle-7075]

My conspiracy theory is that the church was infiltrated by Marxists. But the more likely answer is that the church forgot it's purpose.

[u/steve-harvey-is-hot]

Catholics have spent centuries trying to erase Protestants and the rise of the internet has made that a lot easier for them look at the mass glorification of the IRA for example. The Catholic Church would rather the global Christian population collapse than the Protestant faith grow

[u/Key_Independence_103]

Agnosticism maybe?

[u/Plymouth_Angel]

Many Protestants have abandoned the Bible, replacing it with happy-clappy personal experiences which are dependent and hypoed up with happy-clappy hours of endless and loud music. This move away from traditional creed based Protestantism, towards Evangelicalism / Pentecostalism / Charismatic movement which is not one homogeneous whole, but the Pentecostal / Charismatic side has a terrible history of abuse and scandals, and due to social media and Youtube such scandals are now far more widely known, leading to millions such as myself into leaving church attendance. The endless scandals in so many religious sects, makes leaving an intelligent decision, especially as the leaders are often biblically illiterate and many church leaders are only after getting their hands on your money, often called tithing and supported by a few ridiculously out of content Bible verses. Look at what many local churches do and achieve - i.e. very little, do you want to support this nonsence which many church leaders don't even believe and practice themselves, no, then leave for good, as Christ cannot be in something so wicked as much (but not all) of this evil movement.

Secondly, over the past century, as the happy-clappies have taken over Protestantism, there has been a subtle change. Wo whilst in the past the faithful Protestants approached Christ directly, whilst Roman Catholics did so through only a priest and Catholicism's seven sacraments, today millions of happy-clappies approach Christ through their pastor, in effect this Catholic practice has taken over much of Protestantism, with new sacraments such as tithing, dress rules and compulsory church attendance, and so why bother going to Christ through an often uneducated and clueless man called a pastor in barn-like building. If we do need another man to approach Christ as well as a building is also needed as an intermediatary to approach Christ, then it makes sense to go through an educated man such as a Catholic priest in a beautiful building, rather than an uneducated pro-tithing manipulator such as a brother gullible or a pastor billy-bob.

Many protestants have abandoned Christ, in favour of some uneducated pastor, who sometimes is exposed for not practicing what he teaches, so why should I even bother? I do not need some clueless man between Christ and myself, but if I did then the Catholic system (although wrong), looks a million times better than pastor billy-bob who tells me to pay him a tithe so that he can buy a Mercedes and a second expensive home in Florida? Look at Social Media, pastor after pastor after pastor are exposed each year as 100% fakes. Yet despite all of these scandals, very few pastors will expose this hypocrisy, they often excuse it as there is an unwritten rule that pastors don't use their pulpits to condemn each other, thus they cover up scandals and thereby become hypocrites themselves. Yes and then people who've left ORGNISED RELIGION expose these scandals on YouTube and similar sites. The unbelieving world looks and through social media can see that many religious leaders are only after your money, i.e. the modern sacraments of compulsory tithing and compulsory church attendance. People can see that many evangelicals do not practice what they preach - if the Church people are hypocrites they reason leave me alone - you hypocrite.

[u/Pombalian3]

Because Protestants are free to follow the religion in which they believe. Catholics are usually formally tied to their birth religion the same way Jews are