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The Church is made up a body of people. Some people have the gifts of evangelism that is sharing the Lord Jesus to unbelievers, others have gifts such as preaching in the Church, others have gifts such as helping the homeless, the unemployed, the elderly, the sick, the outcasts of society, others have the gift of a music gifts and there are others.
Christianity is much more of a relationship with Jesus Christ than a religion. Without the relationship with Jesus Christ and having him as their personal saviour then the person is not Christian.
I was at at a time in the past where I did not believe in God. Yet there were events in my life which lead me to God. My life was out of control and I was depressed and suicidal. Then I saw that Jesus Christ is God in the and he is the biggest hope of the world. With that Jesus Christ saved me and gave me a new life. Now my depression and suicidal thoughts are a thing of the past.
We have heard this story so often that we begin to wonder whether anyone had ever become a Christian for rational reasons rather than as a happy pill to save them from depression.
However, that may be, people eventually come to realize that the reasons to believe are poor to the point of falsity. Whether the trend to irreligion is real and continuing remains to be seen. It is significant that Christianity is forced to turn to China to bump the numbers up.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 03-13-2015 at 08:47 AM..
It's hard to attend religious services when they're so watered down it has been diluted of any meaning or significance.
Oh to have a Latin rite mass here.
I grew up in the era of Pius XII, and can agree to the extent that the mass (and other rituals) were lovely and mysterious, and if you followed them in the missal their meaning might even be comprehendable. But my recollection is that at least half the congregation (and I think I am being kind) did not use missals, and in any case you really needed a pretty well developed sense of scriptural history and even poetry to grasp the translation.
I don't think most people had the will or the background to struggle through reading the missal at mass.
However, if you miss the Tridentine mass, go to one of the traditionalist churches that refused to give it up. Or take a leap and shop Eastern Orthodox churches for beauty and mystery in the liturgy.
I don't know the answer to this, but Eastern Rite branches of the R.C. church may still be using their old pre-Vatican II liturgies....but that's a guess, and this would keep you in the same church bailiwick.
How do you explain China then since it is expected there would be more Christians living there than any other nation soon? 50 years ago it was so common for Chinese to starve to death, but it does not exist in China now as China has enough resources to feed everyone. A lot of China is now developed and it has a very large middle class now.
China could be the home of the largest number of Christians in the world and over taking America in 15 years time if the trends continue.
Christian congregations in particular have skyrocketed since churches began reopening when Chairman Mao's death in 1976 signalled the end of the Cultural Revolution.
Less than four decades later, some believe China is now poised to become not just the world's number one economy but also its most numerous Christian nation.
"By my calculations China is destined to become the largest Christian country in the world very soon," said Fenggang Yang, a professor of sociology at Purdue University and author of Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule.China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years - Telegraph
In addition I know Africans here in my country and even back in Africa that are Christian. They appear not to be in poverty but have jobs and are certainly not starving.
America today still has the largest number of Christians but China is predicted to overtake America in the future.
Most poor nations didn't oppress the religious beliefs of their citizens however. We have no clue just how many might of believed in the past either.
Most poor nations didn't oppress the religious beliefs of their citizens however. We have no clue just how many might of believed in the past either.
Oh China did oppress all forms of religion during the Cultural Revolution and all forms of of public religious belief were attacked. In addition large numbers were put to jail and disappeared. In addition the Chinese Government is striving to eradicate house church movements.
It the not only time Christians were persecuted either in China history.
Another example is :
The "China Martyrs of 1900" is a term used by some Protestant Christians to refer to American and European missionaries and converts who were killed during the Boxer Rebellion, when attacks targeting Christians and foreigners took place in northern China. China Martyrs of 1900 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are at least 50 countries out there and mostly third world countries where Christians are persecuted:
The harassment and persecution of Christians is a worldwide phenomenon. Voice of the Martyrs, through its International Christian Association, works in approximately 50 countries where the Gospel is opposed, supporting those who proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ despite the personal cost.
Voice of the Martyrs is committed to supporting Christians wherever they might be found, in countries as diverse as Pakistan, China, India and the Sudan.Countries - Voice of the Martyrs
In addition the German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated Christians are the most persecuted faith in the world:
“Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world.” To anyone moderately aware of world events, this passing comment by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is an obvious fact. German Chancellor Declares Christians ‘Most Persecuted’
I note in the article "Several “human rights” organizations from the German Green Party to Amnesty International, to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religious Belief declared her statement to be either “totally senseless,” or “misguided.” They said her opinion was based on “occasionally rumored numbers.”
The article probably won't accept that as it regards those who argue for evolution or discuss the Bible as persecuting Christianity
It is the old Christian 'persecution complex' again. If they are not allowed to stomp on atheism, evolution, Bible critics and other religions, in time, then it wails that it is being persecuted.
I understand that China is now tolerant of religion - Buddhism is attracting even more than Christianity, last I read. But it has to be done with Government approval. Capitalist it may now be but it is still monolithic authoritarian.
So a big deal is made about unauthorized churches set up, I don't know why, to challenge Government authority? To make martyrs of their flock? Because they recognize no authority but God? I only know that the Chinese authorities clamp down on Falun Gong also because they are not 'approved', and I don't hear you or Chancellor Merkel leaping to their defence.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 03-13-2015 at 01:12 PM..
Oh China did oppress all forms of religion during the Cultural Revolution and all forms of of public religious belief were attacked. In addition large numbers were put to jail and disappeared. In addition the Chinese Government is striving to eradicate house church movements.
It the not only time Christians were persecuted either in China history.
Another example is :
The "China Martyrs of 1900" is a term used by some Protestant Christians to refer to American and European missionaries and converts who were killed during the Boxer Rebellion, when attacks targeting Christians and foreigners took place in northern China. China Martyrs of 1900 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are at least 50 countries out there and mostly third world countries where Christians are persecuted:
The harassment and persecution of Christians is a worldwide phenomenon. Voice of the Martyrs, through its International Christian Association, works in approximately 50 countries where the Gospel is opposed, supporting those who proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ despite the personal cost.
Voice of the Martyrs is committed to supporting Christians wherever they might be found, in countries as diverse as Pakistan, China, India and the Sudan.Countries - Voice of the Martyrs
In addition the German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated Christians are the most persecuted faith in the world:
“Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world.” To anyone moderately aware of world events, this passing comment by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is an obvious fact. German Chancellor Declares Christians ‘Most Persecuted’
Alberta had a Premier (governor) who had a "back to the bible hour" radio program that ran from the 1930's to the mid 1959's.
Central Alberta has many fundamentalists, including a strong Calvinist contingent, and southern Alberta has a very strong Mormon population.
I aam in SE corner of Alberta, where appropriately are you?
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