The Atlantic: What Really Happens When Americans Stop Going to Church
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Christianity believes in the Triune God, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. The Unitarians do not believe in the Triune God
and therefore are not considered Christian.
Unitarians only believe in God the Father and deny that
Christ was divine. They believe that man is free to believe
whatever he wants and that a good ethical character will
determine your spiritual destiny. They put their faith in man.
Holy Spirit. The Unitarians do not believe in the Triune God
and therefore are not considered Christian.
Unitarians only believe in God the Father and deny that
Christ was divine. They believe that man is free to believe
whatever he wants and that a good ethical character will
determine your spiritual destiny. They put their faith in man.
What really happens when Americans stop going to church? They get a lot of time and money back in their lives. It’s glorious.
Part of the downfall of our society and the west.
People have become engrossed in themselves and think of themselves as the most important piece. Politicians as idols and a new religion of political parties.
People have become engrossed in themselves and think of themselves as the most important piece. Politicians as idols and a new religion of political parties.
HORTGOAT is an example of the online places that have replaced churches. Not just churches, but service clubs like Rotary or Lions.
Probably true to an extent. But we're not in person interacting. We're not enjoying beer together. We don't live physically near. It's not as good. Example of a replacement not being as good as the original.
Exactly. You dont know really who you are interacting with. People play roles, etc.
Facebook is worse though.
Ol' Doodle takes exception to this!!
It is what it is. Best to take it at face value.
You'll have to connect the dots here. Maybe finding the dots first would be helpful.
No. People leave the church b/c it isn't worth the effort. Listening to the constant, redundant messages week after week while seeing the lack of effect those messages have on behavior, including fellow members is not a recipe for keeping the crew happy.
The older stories grow the less believable or are considered believable. And the story of Christ is just that: a story. Immaculate conception. How many more generations can you spin that yarn to before the whole flock says "WTF?". People are born without information and gather and process it based on environment and exposure. I was baptized, raised going to church, Sunday school. the whole ball of wax.
The Christian religion thing began to make no sense. Why were these people going to church listening to the same crap every Sunday with different words as matter of routine. No conviction. They were cheating on each other's wives and the minister was looking up girl's shirts, just a microcosm of society.
So, IMO religions, I can only relate to Christian- related have created their own problem. By being judgmental and self-serving they have continually ostracized younger generations. Christianity is special because it came at a point in history when publishing and distribution made is so. Every religion has or will run its course.
This is the part that always gets me. People assume church=good but in reality a lot of the time church= making a shit person feel good about themselves. My mom never went to church until I was 20 years old. By the time I was 22, she was going 3-4 times a week....then it turns out she had been having a long affair outside of her marriage w/ my dad. She was drowning herself in church to try and balance out how shitty of a person she is.
Church and organized religion are just scams. The absolute best, honest, most trustworthy people I know don't go to church.
Science has proven many things our ancestors, through no fault of their own, were legitimate miracles by a greater power, such as God; were not miracles or some work of a high power. So the whole premise of this type of after life, miracles and such, has been exposed, that’s one of the big issues.
Interesting concept. Science has proven the power of God. Where do I find this lab?
Edit: re-reading, you are saying miracles are not the result of a higher power?
All due respect but do you even know what the Immaculate conception is? It doesn't mean the virgin birth, it means Mary was born without original sin. It's confusing, I know.
It doesn't make sense to me why anyone would leave church because some of the members are hypocrites or bad people. Would you leave school because of that? I bet you had classmates that were great and some that were garbage and everything in-between. Would you leave this message board because some posters suck?
Church isn't a social club that should be judged by its worst members.
Most of my personal friends are Jewish.
Lastly, I suppose it comes down to what one believes is the purpose of life. To me, the only purpose of life is to attain the Beatific Vision after death.
That's it.
There are tons of miracles that science can't explain.
Lourdes has dozens.
A visit to Lourdes, the site of mystery and medical miracles
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has an office dedicated to investigating claims of miraculous cures to determine if they can be explained by current medical knowledge.
www.cbsnews.com
As I have been trying Buddhism for a bit I am finding that it's not really a religion. More of an approach to life.
My 2 Cents.
My 2 Cents.
All due respect but do you even know what the Immaculate conception is? It doesn't mean the virgin birth, it means Mary was born without original sin. It's confusing, I know.
It doesn't make sense to me why anyone would leave church because some of the members are hypocrites or bad people. Would you leave school because of that? I bet you had classmates that were great and some that were garbage and everything in-between. Would you leave this message board because some posters suck?
Church isn't a social club that should be judged by its worst members.
Most of my personal friends are Jewish.
Lastly, I suppose it comes down to what one believes is the purpose of life. To me, the only purpose of life is to attain the Beatific Vision after death.
That's it
Immaculate Conception | Definition, History, & Feast
Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic dogma asserting that Mary, mother of Jesus, was preserved from original sin from the instant of her conception.
www.britannica.com
A Pope made this arbitrary decision. I rest my case on this issue, which is part of my argument. You think the Bible is divine. It's a freaking book.
The topic of the thread is attendance, and I provided (some of) my opinions on why it's losing members. You can ramble on with visions and beauties, but churches are losing members.
Immaculate Conception | Definition, History, & Feast
Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic dogma asserting that Mary, mother of Jesus, was preserved from original sin from the instant of her conception.
A Pope made this arbitrary decision. I rest my case on this issue, which is part of my argument. You think the Bible is divine. It's a freaking book.
The topic of the thread is attendance, and I provided (some of) my opinions on why it's losing members. You can ramble on with visions and beauties, but churches are losing members.
You are free to have your own beliefs.
Church attendance is way down. Very true.
Is America improving??
Obviously not.
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Only when virtue signaling (think Dobbs) and cancel culture start supporting neo Nazis it will be time to compare the two.
Unbelievable.
A sh*t sandwich and a nuclear waste sandwich are both disgusting sandwiches. I'm smart enough to know which one is worse. I make my own moral compromises where I need to, but at the same time I don't chide others who choose neither of them.
You need to think bigger. Christ is focused on the entire globe, not just the US. Christianity globally is growing, projected 2.9 billion by 2050. Some of the fastest growth today is in the underground churches in Iran and China (often led by women).
Christian population growth - Wikipedia
You need to think bigger. Christ is focused on the entire globe, not just the US. Christianity globally is growing, projected 2.9 billion by 2050. Some of the fastest growth today is in the underground churches in Iran and China (often led by women).
Christian population growth - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Great point.
Church attendance is crumbling in America (which is also crumbling as a nation) but rising in other countries.
There was no virgin birth.
That is exactly like the Greeks. Zeus was always knocking up mortal women.
At some point Christianity needs to transform itself more to a way of living, less focused on mythology. You don't need organization for that.
That is exactly like the Greeks. Zeus was always knocking up mortal women.
At some point Christianity needs to transform itself more to a way of living, less focused on mythology. You don't need organization for that.
It’s cute when people take what their “faith” leaders tell them about authors like Schopenhauer that they’ve clearly never read themselves. The true self worship comes from the cult of pedophiles and narcissists that is the American evangelical churches of the last half century.
Grew up Catholic so missing mass as a youth was not an option. As an adult … attending church occasionally … When I moved to DSM - I attended a service a few times and my opinion changed … behemoth churches with church bands and video screens and seeking half my salary. A far cry from the church I grew up with.
I have some religious beliefs and I hold tight those beliefs - church and church rock bands and video screens - where it seems many are there just to portray the perfect family - are in my rear-view mirror.
I have some religious beliefs and I hold tight those beliefs - church and church rock bands and video screens - where it seems many are there just to portray the perfect family - are in my rear-view mirror.
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Ultimately, your Christian faith is a relationship between
you and the Lord. If a certain church does not help to
strengthen your faith, then you should look for another
parish. @ Rustys Dad is correct, Rock Bands and Video
Screens are not helpful for some people.
you and the Lord. If a certain church does not help to
strengthen your faith, then you should look for another
parish. @ Rustys Dad is correct, Rock Bands and Video
Screens are not helpful for some people.
I was an atheist for many years, as I posted.
I read about Schopenhauer for years. He was a mean and selfish person. I've never talked to any clergy about him.
Here's a favorite:
There are no stakes involved with UCC. They believe everyone is saved.
I think every rational person would agree that if there is a permanent Heaven or Hell awaiting us after death, then the stakes are immense.
