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I suspect one factor in the declining membership is shared with other mid-century social groups that have also dwindled (e.g., men's lodges): it's easier to fin
by ubermonkey 6y ago
I suspect one factor in the declining membership is shared with other mid-century social groups that have also dwindled (e.g., men's lodges): it's easier to find community elsewhere.
For my parents -- born in 1940 -- church and men's service clubs/lodges were the primary areas of social interaction outside work. Dad ran his own veterinary practice, so his social interaction there was limited (I mean, everybody worked for him). Mom stayed at home until the late 70s. Church was the center of their social life.
Now, nobody wanted to say that out loud; it was all about the faith. But that's what it was.
In my life I've had no need for that, because people of my generation (b 1970) have generally found other communities of support/friendship/connection. None of my friends are Masons, either.
- at_a_remove 6y agoMen's lodges, fraternal organizations, and so on around here tend to have a religious underpinning of specific faiths, or seem to be charities of some kind with a connection to religion. As such, I think declining church membership would drag them down as well. I wonder if men's clubs exist which are neither, just completely secular. I haven't been able to find any when searching, aside from The Club, which technically fits but as a bathhouse for hookups, wasn't really what I had in mind. I know lodges centered around professions more or less fell apart, and perhaps the last vestige of secular groups would be country clubs. It's hard to tell how much of this is just "people aren't joiners anymore" and how much is declining church membership.
- Robotbeat 6y agomen’s Groups are now often political in nature. Social justice groups (which are not that secular, actually), libertarians, militias. Church membership declined. Qanon membership soared.
- ubermonkey 6y agoIt's definitely not true that all men's lodges/clubs were religious in nature. The big three service clubs (in the US, at least) are Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions, and none of them have ever been religious in nature. (Though certain in the eras and areas where they had the biggest membership, the populations would be overwhelmingly American protestants -- but that's demographics, not organizational affiliation.) Freemasonry may or may not be "religious" depending on your definitions, but has traditionally been a target of some faiths due to perceived conflict between the club and the church.
- at_a_remove 6y ago"tend to," not "all."
- ubermonkey 6y agoWell, I provided high-profile examples of broadly popular groups that are in fact secular. These are the orgs I had in mind. You have provided an unsupported assertion.
- at_a_remove 6y ago... now do "around here."