The storm in the holy water basin, otherwise known as the scandal of the "Bling Bishop" in the city of Limburg, Germany, has generated another set of headlines in the media.
There is a spike in the number of Germans leaving the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church.
The estimated cost of 40 million Euros for the new residence of the bishop does not sit well with many Germans and with the new Pope, but if you look at the numbers of Christians leaving the church, the quoted 50 to 60 percent increase is tiny.
Since 1990, each year an estimated 100 000 protestants (a few more for the Catholics) have been quitting the church. At a current protestant church membership of around 24 million, this rate would mean German protestant churches will be empty in 240 years, right?
We know that the underlying assumption that not a single new church member will grow up in Germany in the next 240 years is a bit optimistic.
So, long story short, yes, a few hundred more people have left the official churches after the bling ring story broke but it takes a lot more to drive large numbers of Germans out of the institutions.
The need of humans to believe in some higher power coupled with the prospect of not being buried by a pastor or reverend if you stop paying the membership fees will keep the church institutions going.
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