Religion Will Be Dead....

Wishful thinking because a need for religion is hard wired by evolution into our brains.

 

Gee, I wonder why they think people only turn to God out of desire for a more prosperous life? [cough]Joel Osteen[cough]

Actually I think we will see a trend toward Eastern Religion and philosophy since they are the most consistant with the teachings of the god of self aka western individualism. Christianity will dwindle and then Jesus will return and all the enlightened will truly be enlightened.

 

Religion

Jesus did ask the question, when he returns, would he find faith. I think this article is an example of that trend. However, I would also point out that there are actually a growing number of scientists as well as other highly educated people who do believe in God and no longer accept the atheistic views that the public is constantly bombarded with.

Man is not capable of achieving anything remotely resembling utopia....with or without prosperity and comfort of living.

J.

 

What's wrong with that quote?

1. We don't "wish," we have faith.
2. Christianity is not a religion.
3. Evolution from ape to human is a theory full of holes.
4. Brains do not determine who we are. We have the insight and understanding of Christ. That's spiritual, originating in the Spirit.

A born-again Believer rises far beyond and high above any of the elements in the quote. We'll be around until He calls us Home. :saint:

 

Of course we should address it.

We address it every waking moment. That's what Christ meant when he said "Come, follow me." We not only talk the talk, we walk the walk. We don't do those things that you mention in your last post. We're grateful that God loves us, that we are his children, and we approach life with that spiritual quality first and foremost. Do we sometimes falter, sometimes fail? Of course! Do we regret it when we do? Of course. Does the desire to apologize, to make amends, to reconcile rule our lives. Yes! I think about Corrie ten Boom who suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis in a concentration camp, emerging still strong in the faith, and finally embracing one of those who mistreated her there -- the camp commandant, if memory serves me correctly.

We'll always be around. In the depths of despair we'll recognize one another. In other times it was the sign of the fish above the door posts. Perhaps it will get so desperate that we can only wink. When the totalitarians outlaw winking, we'll come up with something else, and it will spread like wildfire.

After the fall of the wall, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in those countries that were locked in as the Warsaw Pact, the thing that they hungered for the most was a bible, even one book, or one chapter, or one passage.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! :applause:

 

A few comments to certain statements made in the quoted item:

"By the year 2000 only 45% of Americans went regularly to church, while two centuries earlier the entire population systemically visited the house of God."

This is far from true, based on any figures I have seen before. 2 centuries ago only 17% were members of the various churches, and the all-time high for weekly church attendance was 49% in the early and mid 1950'x.

"Living conditions in those countries are still poor but they are much better than in previous centuries and that has gone hand in hand with a diminished belief in the divine."

Progress in science, techology, and medicine has led to greater population, with the greatest increases among the poor of the world, producing more poor. So science has bettered the lives of many while at the same time increasing those who live in poverty-- belief in the divine notwithstanding.

"That [techology] will obviously translate into a larger satisfaction of people’s needs which will make individuals even more indifferent to God."

How is that so obvious, considering that the USA has such a high level of technological progress and has far greater belief in God and participation in church services than Europe and other industrialized regions? If technological progress inevitably resulted in indifference to God, the USA would be roughly on par with Europe with degress of belief and participation.

"Three centuries ago the entire population of the Western world believed unconditionally in the Christian religion."

False. One reason the Puritans condemned the theater was because it was considered such a big attraction for atheists. In much 18th century literature, such as the drama, She Stoops to Conquer, diminished belief and mockery of devoutness are a significant feature. Deism, the belief that God is "there," but impersonal, because the world could not be explained without 'him,' was a growing trend and had much to do with social movements on the time, certainly including the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

Furthermore, these projections of diminished belief are already shown historically to be way off base and the wishful thinking of those who have already turned their back on belief in the divine. Madalyn Murray O'Hair said in the 70's that America would be predominantly atheist by 1990. I don't remember hearing about it, but I hope somebody called her on that forecast before she croaked at the hand of a fellow atheist-- one of those in whom so much hope is placed for lasting "peace."

 

One expression heard often in time of war was that "there are no atheists in foxholes." I find this to be relatively true in the world to-day. People have lost interest in goig to church, but when disaster strikes, when death pays a family visit, people again turn to the divine.

The "feel-goodism" of some cults do attract many people, and I fear some evangelical churches have fallen for the same trap. We try to appease the crowd. We try to outdo the other. Look, we get a bigger crowd than they do. We must be more faithful. Is this the religion we are talking about?

By the way, we are a religion. To say we are not a religion, is the type of semantics that is driving so many people away. They are tired of our cliches and self-righteous attitudes, and inconsistent lives that speak volumes about what we are not.

I will look unto the hills from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Aye, my help comes from the Lord, not from religion. To say that we are a religion equates us with the structuralism (shudder) of, for example, Roman Catholicism, definitely a religion, requiring one to follow certain steps, procedures, processes, edicts; to wonder if one is "getting it right" in order to obtain eternal life. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is 180 degrees out from that. There is no structure, there are no steps, procedures, processes which one must follow, nor is there a requirement that one wonder about their status before God. Eternity, eternal life, salvation, is by grace through faith, the gift of God. Yes, we live inconsistent lives. To say that we need to organize, to religionize our faith in order to overcome that is an oxymoron. :saint:

 

So, you think Spurgeon was off base on hsi preaching of the Christian Religion,,,,his words...........So, you think, Whitfield was off base when he spoke of the Christian Religion...........and we can name any number of faithful preachers down through the ages and right into the early 50's when we spoke rightly of the Christian religion....It is only in this modern age that the word religion has been given a bad connotation.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I agree with the writer in some things. Just as Noah's world become more and more intollerant of God and the Gospel and obedience and truth -- so it will be at the end of time. Mankind will be lovers of self and pleasure and pursuing all that is not-God.

The 7 last plagues represent God's judgment on the entire end-time planet. Mankind will once again have passed the bounds of probation. As God said in Gen 6 "My Spirit will not always strive with man" - so it will be again.

And oh by the way -- Cudos to Billwald for linking this to evilutionism.

In Christ,

Bob