New Poll Suggests Why
Christianity Is Declining
CNS,
by
Bill Donohue
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
3/16/2020 5:41:30 PM
The Pew Research Center survey on white evangelicals, President Trump, and Christianity's public role was released Thursday. The data on Christianity's influence in American society is particularly interesting. Over half of all Americans say Christianity's influence is declining (53 percent). A majority or plurality of respondents in all religious groups indicated that Christianity’s influence is declining; those who were the least likely to ascribe to this point of view were Jews, the unaffiliated and non-believers. The reasons posited for why this is happening vary.
Because of the leftward movement of almost all churches, away from Christianity and towards Socialism...
75 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Catherine 3/16/2020 5:58:33 PM (No. 348336)
The slow, steady drip by progressives taking religion out of everything. The Pope.
40 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 3/16/2020 6:07:12 PM (No. 348347)
Several reasons but the main one is what #1 posted.
27 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Northcross 3/16/2020 6:21:00 PM (No. 348361)
It's not as if this was not anticipated. II Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
40 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
John C 3/16/2020 6:23:25 PM (No. 348363)
Social Justice campaigns by main line churches.
33 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
synchronicity 3/16/2020 6:44:41 PM (No. 348375)
It became about bodies and not souls.
32 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
brezley67 3/16/2020 7:23:03 PM (No. 348396)
It has more to do with what the Supreme's did in '62.
6 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
columba 3/16/2020 7:41:06 PM (No. 348403)
Churches that require something from you --- grow.
13 people like this.
The Cross and Christ Crucified have been replaced with Positive Thinking. Salvation is no longer necessary to a lost man who is made secure in his sin because Law is not preached to condemn a man so that he is then able to have his heart moved by the Holy Spirit to the Gospel of free Grace through Jesus Christ! Now it is a contest to be more woke and they are going broke! I'm leaving the ELCA Lutheran Church and returning to the Missouri Synod after 25 years. I can't take it any longer and made a mistake leaving!
18 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 3/16/2020 8:50:19 PM (No. 348449)
The second paragraph indicates that those who are least likely to ascribe to
a Christian point of view were Jews, unaffiliated and non-believers. Duh.
5 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
buckeye1 3/16/2020 8:52:51 PM (No. 348451)
It's following the decline of Western civilization. And the embrace of postmodernity.
10 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Timber Queen 3/16/2020 8:55:10 PM (No. 348454)
FTA: "What does the growth of people who are not religious have in common with permissive attitudes about sexuality and negative portrayals of Christianity in pop culture? Answer: the sense that a more Christian nation would be a more moral one. "
St. Francis of Assisi instructed his brothers to teach the Gospel unceasingly and speak only when necessary. He also lived in a time of political and social upheaval when people were disillusioned with all leaders and religion.
Since the fall in the garden humanity has struggled and groaned on their journey through a broken world to back to God. Satan has deluded himself into thinking the world is his play yard and people his playthings for him to destroy. Evil is initially successful in its schemes to outwit God's Plan, but eventually all practitioners suffer the just consequences of their actions. Christians are called to fast and pray, and put on the armor of God. We are called to confront and rebuke evil, both publicly and in our own private lives. The time for timid Christianity is over. Join the Great Battle. God is at work in the world, and Donald Trump is His builder.
15 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
anniebc 3/16/2020 9:04:31 PM (No. 348460)
People go to church as seekers who are sensitive to and about having their needs met. "Pastors and church leaders" adjust "church" to seeker sensitive needs; they preach self help and no longer preach the Word of God. They've all rejected the cure for their diseases and opt for bandaids instead. They are the blind leading the blind. It flows into people's politics as well. Many church goers have issues with things President Trump says and equate his words morally with the actual advancement of abortion up to and beyond birth, for example. To them, the two are morally comparable. My sister told me that she was turned off from becoming a conservative or Republican because we have no issue with PDT telling a woman he would grab her by the private part (he never said that, by the way, but what's context when you're making a stupid point?), yet we complain about obama's policy on abortion. When I say the two are not morally equivalent, she yells louder and accuses me of yelling. People are really lost out here.
9 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
Italiano 3/16/2020 9:25:00 PM (No. 348474)
As for me and my house...
(I read the ending)
10 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
chumley 3/16/2020 9:29:07 PM (No. 348477)
Just a generation or two ago, children were expected to practice the religion their parents practiced. They grew up with it and were comfortable with it, so they generally stayed. Having a friend of a different religion or, God forbid, marrying outside ones faith was a scandal equal to marrying outside one's race.
Then, gradually, people started getting tired of the harangue. Every single church screamed louder and louder "Believe like I do or you are going to HELL!" If even two of them were right, everyone is going to hell.
More choices became available. No longer were people relegated to the hellfire and brimstone country preachers keeping their congregations in fear with threats of eternal damnation and weekly screaming. My great grandfather was such a preacher. Nobody wanted to go to his church; they were just afraid not to. He was an angry and brutal man.
And its always about the money. Pass that plate and keep passing it. When we get enough we can build a bigger church, and have cars and houses and stocks. And don't forget the settlements and hush money. Have to pay that too. Not enough donations? Ok, next week more Hell talk.
I will not be a part of any organization that tells me who I can have for friends, who I can have sex with, who I can marry or what percentage of my income belongs to God (its ok, they'll send it to Him for me). I find God in all sorts of places that don't involve fear or man's rules disguised as God's rules.
1 person likes this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
BarryNo 3/16/2020 9:56:44 PM (No. 348490)
I agree with poster one. When the Church leaves God, I leave the Church.
Ultimately, if Christ is in your heart, you need no trappings, building or committees, nor church governance. Those are all trappings for men, not God.
6 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 3/16/2020 11:29:43 PM (No. 348531)
Doubt any other religion is faring any better. Christianity is corrupt? The same can be said about most other religions. People are moving away from Christianity? Again, the same can be said about other religions. People will not follow corrupt tyrannical leaders that want to run and control their lives.
The universe around us proves the existence of God. Why did God create everything, and what does he expect from us? Every religion attempts to answer that. Christianity does a better job than others.
People want God. Why? Because life eventually gets meaningless and impossible without God. Christianity thrives when it focuses on God, and helps people have a relationship with their creator.
8 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 3/16/2020 11:42:37 PM (No. 348536)
One of the major reasons I don't attend church (besides what #1 says), is the complete absence of traditional hymns, organs, choirs, and the presence instead of guitars, drums and happy-clappy "praise" music that sucks out loud. The last church I attended was deep into that garbage but luckily put it all at the beginning of the service. I usually walked in 20 minutes late so I didn't have to listen to it. In addition, most sermons consist of "Jesus loves you, and God forgives your sins," without any discussion of repentence or what living a Christian life means. Baby boomers have really ruined the mainstream churches. I worship with my Bible study group instead.
6 people like this.
The last paragraph is always the most important.
Maybe it's the constant begging for money so the pastor can live large. I don't like the modern bands in church either. As I told the pastor "I am not here on Sunday. I live my faith in this community everyday sharing and caring"
However, long about week two of the virus quarantine, there will be a lot of praying in this country.
1 person likes this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Harlowe 3/17/2020 2:36:33 AM (No. 348597)
#11- Welcome home. Was ELCA for 60 years; found LCMS and regret not having found LCMS decades earlier.
#14- Beautifully expressed and appreciated.
#19,#22- Not all churches have left God--most mainline churches, especially those that are centuries old, adhere to tradition rather than contemporary and/or nondenominational. Some of the larger mainline churches may offer options of contemporary or traditional worship services, the latter most often being devoid of guitars, drums, happy-clappy praise music. Scripture encourages church attendance (Hebrews 10:24-25).
3 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Harlowe 3/17/2020 2:53:39 AM (No. 348600)
It may not be inappropriate to consider the possibility that the children and/or grandchildren of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, the “flower children,” who abandoned traditional values that included parents, grandparents and religion never provided their children with church attendance or religious instruction. For people who have not had any exposure to religion or any association with people of faith, they are probably likely to think religion is not necessary, that it has no value. How tragically wrong they are and how sad it is that they are not aware of or experience the blessings of hope, faith, and love that come from the treasured Word of God. It is possible that disregard for the value of human life, turning to drugs, the hopelessness and emptiness within their being, might be assuaged if they had God in their lives.
4 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
TXknitter 3/17/2020 5:20:12 PM (No. 349257)
Your response was perfect, #14. While yes, there are many many lukewarm churches (mainline and otherwise) there are also Christians and Pastors who have never forsaken their First Love, The Lord Jesus. Their churches are vibrant and DO the Gospel every day as best they can. They hear from God and love His Word. They recognize the mighty miracle God gave America on Election Night 2020 and they will fervently pray and stand by His servant for the next four and a half years.
1 person likes this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
TXknitter 3/17/2020 5:21:30 PM (No. 349260)
Sorry all - Election Night 2016 my post should have read. :)
1 person likes this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Imright"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)