#83 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Friday July 9)
Good morning,
RANKING OF THE PRESIDENTS
Susie Whyte Simon forwarded the new list of best and worst presidents according to CSPAN's poll of historians (https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2021/?page=overall or watch the video at https://www.c-span.org/video/?513077-1/span-announces-results-2021-presidential-historians-survey)
Unsurprisingly, Lincoln, Washington, FDR and TR retained their positions as the top four. Of some note is the fact that the relatively moderate, yet productive presidents of the post-war era fared quite well. Ike is #5, while Harry Truman is #6. Susie notes that the other Virginians have fallen a bit over the last 20 years, perhaps due to the current thinking about slave ownership.
The most watched area often is the the bottom of the barrel. While many thought Donald J. Trump would take up the rear, alas the president most responsible for the coming of the Civil War and the president most responsible for the dismantling of reconstruction, Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, take up the year. But right above these rogues is Mr. Trump. It is difficult to see how he’ll rise, as he accomplished little good. He could have been lower, had his own Civil War (the insurrection) succeeded and/or if he successfully stole the election through nefarious means.
DECLINE IN CHURCH AFFILIATION
Things are changing. People change. Politics changes. Demographics and neighborhoods change.
Just before COVID I learned that my childhood temple was declining in membership, reflective of a demographic shift, aging of the population, and general decline in religious affiliation. Its building was sold to a Greek Orthodox Church and the congregation now rents the sanctuary back for Shabbat and the Jewish holidays. Neighborhoods change. [I wonder how the church dealt with the stained glass menorah over the ark depicting the twelve tribes of Israel.]
This story got me thinking about the temples in Boyle Heights, the “original” Jewish community of Los Angeles. The temples there shuttered their doors years ago. Only one remains and that one eventually will become a museum and a community center for the largely Latino community of the neighborhood.
But this story, in turn, got me thinking about our visits to Italy and to the various small churches in Rome. A number of years ago I was on a “Caravaggio mission,” trying to visit all the churches where Caravaggios are displayed. For those who may not recall, Caravaggio was revolutionary in his depiction of common people and biblical greats as ordinary people. The people were dirty, their extremities oversized, showing an imperfection not previously seen in religious art. In a sense, he brought high church art down to the people.
Anyway, I digress. The message here is that the churches that had these priceless masterpieces gracing their walls were empty. There was no one around—no one seemed to work there, few seemed to worship there; there were no calendars of events or signs of life in some of them. Sure, there was the random lonely person in a pew but, by and large, they were mere “museums” of their faith and their earlier importance to the community.
It feels like churches in America, with notable exceptions, increasingly are becoming like the temples in Boyle Heights and the churches in Rome—edifices in search of occupants.
Religion is on the wane. Churches and Temples own a great deal of real estate. They still have endowments and assets that, unless they plan now, will be depleted until nothing is left. The time to marshal resources and reconsider consolidation with other institutions, sale of assets, and reduction in “footprint” are at hand.
I WAS WRONG
The older I get, the more I find myself acknowledging this... But in the case of my Musing on Wednesday, I was wrong on the statement that only 20% of Americans report religious affiliation. In my rush to make a point (which doesn’t depend on this percentage), I used the term “religious affiliation” when I meant to say “church membership.” But that would have been wrong too. The 20% number is reflective of the church attendance of 20-somethings. But the point is the same. Connection to a religion, a church, or religious dogma that represents a central organizing moral framework is declining (whether measured by affiliation, membership, or attendance). And that means something else must fill that void. That void is religious fervor for absolutist principles, political views, and rationalizations. And, regardless of the statistic used or even the magnitude of affiliation, is wrong. Thanks, Jesse Sharf, for pointing out my error.
Best,
Glenn
From the archives: