Pretty sure it started as a Christian organization but they’ve since dropped the strong connection as it was turning a lot of people off to it. They’re trying pretty hard to combat the stigma since young people are avoiding them. The average age of attendees has gone up by like a 15 years.
That definitely may have been the issue too. I was in the southern US at the time in a heavily Christian town too.
Pretty sure it started as a Christian organization but they’ve since dropped the strong connection as it was turning a lot of people off to it. They’re trying pretty hard to combat the stigma since young people are avoiding them. The average age of attendees has gone up by like a 15 years.