I'm not going to hold my breath on this shift. Religion is going to be around for a long, long time. We, as a species, are too immature to reach a better potential.

The one I love is an 1800s era church is Star, Idaho. It was turned into a coffe shop. BOB bless those out there that find abandoned places and turn them into other sanctuaries.

Not a new idea . . .

Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
Restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the
Church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of
Room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room,
Seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't
Have to take out their garbage for a long time.

We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be
A friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So
We took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red vw
Microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed
On toward the city dump.

Well we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the
Dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving." And we had never heard of a dump
Closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off
Into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage.

We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the
Side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the
Cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile
Is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we
Decided to throw our's down.

That's what we did, and drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving
Dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the
Next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie. He said, "Kid,
We found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of
Garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it. " And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
Under that garbage. "

Most of the older churches around here are huge, uninsulated, impossible to heat unless there are unlimited funds, and too expensive to retrofit into something else & pass building codes (such as wiring, handicap access, bathrooms, and many in towns have NO parking sufficient for gatherings (again, code requirements). Just "white elephants"

Turn all the Churches into Community Centers.

I doubt it’ll happen so soon. It’d be nice if those thieves started paying taxes, then we could use those billions and billions of revenues for the common good.

That’d be a change for the better than can theoretically happen very soon. I don’t see that happening soon either though.

I go to our local Humanist and Free Thinker group. Someone in our group presents on a subject they are versed in or we have a guest speaker. Evenings out we enjoy an epicurean evening and comaradarie. We marry and bury our friends. Replaces the local church and is real.

Society adapts and traditions evolve usually without prior planning. I think the architecture and history should be preserved, but let's move on with new social centers that don't attempt to force their arbitrary morality on those who participate or on society as a whole.

Before we mourn the eventual demise of religion and engage in nostalgic ruminations over the old ways, let's make sure there's no resurgence and remember the crimes committed in the names of fictional beings, the atrocities committed by zealots, and the complacency of the less fervent devotees.

Wouldn't it be nice if people met at libraries, embraced knowledge, and strove to make the world we live in the paradise they want to attain.

It has always has been the pub for all of those situations in my experience!

The ones worth saving will probably will, the rest of your argument is bogus, mourn the dead, share values, meeting and singing will continue to happen regardless of location.

Here in Texas, we see churches pop up in strip malls, and then disappear. Some stick around for quite a while. One along an old highway has occupies a whole strip mall since we moved here.

Freedom From Religion Foundation has an addition in their "Freethought Today" newsletters. Pictures of converted churches. Gatherings for nones are needed and they are slowly being created. More people need to step up and start something.

I like the way they do it in Denmark. Many Danes still consider themselves christians. They go to church and the church continues to function as the venue for weddings, funerals etc...

However, for most of them, they have completely cast aside all the vestiges of dogma, superstitousness, and they don't actually believe in anything supernatural. So the church still functions as a community organizer and beacon of morality but they have stripped it of all the negatives that go along with religion.

My pharmacy, the Hotel Pharmacy in Brattleboro VT. It is still kept pristine inside and out, it is a gorgeous building. Inspiration has long moved people to make great art, and it doesn't matter if what is inspiring them is fiction - the feelings are real for them!

Good points, as with other social issues our leaders are
TOO TIMID to broach. Here the rich are buying religious
buildings (another land grab) to use for exclusive dinning.
They have the clout to put them to social use/ guess
they are highly motivated($$$)... we need another restaurant
like a hole in the head.

Very good idea why waste them

I think ...as they are already doing in most cities and towns in the UK...as museums, galleries, restaurants and even private dwellings...serving humanity in a way that preserves their beauty in a purely aesthetic and secular way, and a more fitting one for the 21st century.

They're just buildings.
Their aesthetics may be nice, but it's not reason enough to preserve them.
I don't see the need to spend money on them.
Take the cathedral of Notre Dame, for example. They should have just let
it burn to the ground. It's ridiculous to me that millions of dollars are going to
be spent to rebuild it. That money would be better spent serving the needs
of the poor, and others who need it more.

As far as "fellowship" goes, I don't think it's necessary to gather as groups
to do anything.
That's just me though. Y'all do what you want.