Dear Owlswing,
Yes it is very interesting, for me it ask the question, why?
Complacency within the Church.
Has something replaced religion.
The Church is no longer at the heart of a community.
The various atheist organisations are now making their presence felt.
The Church is outdated.
Pagan religions are on the rise.
Bad press ( deservedly ) over the past decade.
Sunday's are no longer sacred, as in families can find so much more to do on a Sunday morning.
A combination of all the above.
Gonnagle.
I would say "A combination of all the above" with the exception of "Pagan religions are on the rise".
The rise has slowed considerably since the glory days of the 90s and the 00s; mainly because of the decline in the numbers of teenagers takinng up paganism in order to be able to walk into school and announce "I am a witch!" and watch and wallow in the reactions.
This slow-down has occurred because said teenagers have found that being a witch demands time and effort, ranging, depending upon the coven and the path, from a lot to a very great deal. A Wiccan Coven will require the learning, by heart, all the eight main rituals which, in Wiccan Covens, can last up to three hours each. In addition there will be study of spellwork, herbs, and history and a requirement that the Coven's Book of Shadows (a diary containing the history of the Coven and its activities in minute detail) by hand..
And a real killer of teenage attachment to the craft in a Wiccan Coven is the requirement that all rituals are performed sky-clad, even in two feet of snow or a howling rainstorm!
