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Wrong. Poll after poll shows a steady decline in US Christians. Global polls show a somewhat steady one third of the world's population.
This indicates that increases in third world populations (areas still culturally stunted and supersiticous) is making up for the loss among Christianity globally.
At the moment, all indicators show only 76% of the US population identify as Christian, and that percentage is falling.
Regardless, there are hundreds of thousands of new believers every year. So, to whomever said "no one is buying it anymore", you are incorrect!
The actual # of new believers in Southern baptist churches in '08 was 342,198.
You conveniently leave out the number of members who have left the church, so those figures mean nothing. Membership is continuing to decline, regardless of your cherry picking to make it seem the opposite.
From your link... These are the numbers that count... Total membership of Southern Baptist churches was 16,228,438 last year, down nearly 38,400 from 2007.
Perhaps you need to ask yourself why people are leaving your church instead.
Regardless, there are hundreds of thousands of new believers every year. So, to whomever said "no one is buying it anymore", you are incorrect!
Mind showing how you came to the conclusion of "hundreds of thousands of new believers"? From your own article...
Southern Baptist churches baptized fewer people in 2008 for the fourth year in a row to reach the lowest level since 1987, and membership in the country's largest Protestant denomination fell slightly as well.
Baptisms dropped just over one percent to 342,198 last year, compared with 345,941 in 2007, according to an annual report released Thursday by LifeWay Christian Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing arm.
Total membership of Southern Baptist churches was 16,228,438 last year, down nearly 38,400 from 2007
You conveniently leave out the number of members who have left the church, so those figures mean nothing. Membership is continuing to decline, regardless of your cherry picking to make it seem the opposite.
From your link... These are the numbers that count... Total membership of Southern Baptist churches was 16,228,438 last year, down nearly 38,400 from 2007.
Perhaps you need to ask yourself why people are leaving your church instead.
You've changed the debate (to church membership decline). I was simply refuting the point that "no one is buying it anymore". That is not true!
Mind showing how you came to the conclusion of "hundreds of thousands of new believers"? From your own article...
Southern Baptist churches baptized fewer people in 2008 for the fourth year in a row to reach the lowest level since 1987, and membership in the country's largest Protestant denomination fell slightly as well. Baptisms dropped just over one percent to 342,198 last year, compared with 345,941 in 2007, according to an annual report released Thursday by LifeWay Christian Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing arm.
Total membership of Southern Baptist churches was 16,228,438 last year, down nearly 38,400 from 2007
That's almost 700,000 new believers in just two years, in just Southern Baptist churches. That # excludes all the other Christian denominations & missionary work worldwide.
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.
Poor recovery attempt, you said Jesus said everyone was sinners. That is not what this verse says or implies. Proves you do not know what is stated in the bible and you go along with the run-of-the-mill taughtology.
I am still waiting for your proof to back up your statement that Jesus spoke more about hell than anything else.
If you listen to profit John Haggee, he also says that Jesus spoke more on finances than anything else, depends what con he is trying to spin.
See w/o your mythical hell xians have no fear card to play anymore.
Hell is real, it is alas but the grave and the hell Jesus referred to was gehenna - now a pretty grassed park in Jerusalem.
You American evangelicals may as well cite any other book as the Jesus of the bible you really do not represent and really do not grasp the teachings just goes to prove that
That's almost 700,000 new believers in just two years, in just Southern Baptist churches. That # excludes all the other Christian denominations & missionary work worldwide.
Which means that quite a bit more than 700,000 left the church in that same period....Does this mean that non believers are growing at a faster pace? The fact is that your church and many Christian churches are in decline.
That's almost 700,000 new believers in just two years, in just Southern Baptist churches. That # excludes all the other Christian denominations & missionary work worldwide.
The figures means squat. By that number alone it can be inferred that children of adult members "coming of age"
How many real new converts aka real unbelievers converted? Ask them, if their stats mean anything they should know. My money is on the kiddies growing up. While you are at it ask them how many teens have walked away as adults.
The overall education level of these countries and its theopolitical tyrants
I don't belong to any political party, and I only follow the Quran and its interprtation.
You're really "reaching" here, eanassir. You'd better read up on basic audio physics. You're making this up as you go in order to scare us, but rational folks do not live in constant fear of The Boogie Monster or Hell. There simply is no h$ll underneath us, unless you're a 6 year old child. are you?
The fear is a normal protective motive: to protect man and animal from dangers like the fire, the knife, the wild beasts ...etc.
Therefore, when man fears the fire, the knife, the disease: then it is only some normal reaction, and it is not any shame.
When man fears God, then he is a wise man: who will certainly avoid the punishment of God, and instead he will prosper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rifleman
So... we should all believe all of our dreams?
I once dreamed that I was eaten alive by a polar bear. Of course, it was about two weeks after I'd been attacked by one near Churchill, Manitoba, and I had to "dispatch" him at about 5 feet with extreme predjudice (aka: Remington Mdl 870 pump, 12ga; SSG shot).
I was therefore simply re-living, as a dream, an intense real life situation that was firmly imbedded in my imagination. You seem to be thoroughly convinced, andterrifiedof, hell, so dreams about it would not be out of the question.
But to conclude they are real? A bit delusional.
No, of course; not all dreams are true. Such dreams that you mentioned are only the reflection of your experience and the psychological influence.
But of course, some dreams are true; which you can see here: Man after Death
Then from the list of Contents, click on:
The vision (or the dream)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rifleman
Now, about this doctor who got numerous bed-side stories of near-hell experiences... how come he's alone among doctors in this documentation? Does it not concern you that he's also a devout Christian, and also an author and book seller? And he's represented on a devout fundamnetalist Christian website, where, oh by the way, you can easily, with your Visa card, order up one of his book(s).
His scientifictraining seems to have completely abandoned him when he said: "From the look in his eyes, I just KNEW he wasn't lying, that he'd actually been to hell!"
There are a large number of observations related to near death experience and other spiritual observations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rifleman
Finally, eanassir; regarding your comments about us heathen atheists being punished and sent to hell. Would that be "...without any dinner! Now go directly to hell!"
Such comments are quite insulting, and are why most of us atheists rise to the bait, so to speak, and battle you fundamentalist theists whenever we can..
You assume that if we're not bowing, scrpaing, genuflecting and tithing, we should be punished. That our non-belief in any of the hundreds of alternate Gods put before us, each one absolutely the "right one", means we should be punished? How insulting, to repeat myself.
By that logic, you and the other "alternate Christians" are all going to hell, because you surely do not believe in someone's god, now do you? Just in your own.
I am a moral, upstanding person in my community. I've been married for over 26 years, have two kids, and work in my community to educate children about this world and how to better understand and take care of it and it's other less arrogant species. To think I should be feeling guilty because I do not fall to my knees and babble to your specific God is... is...
INSULTING.
So now... apologize to all us atheists, or I'll drop you in the "Ignore" bin! Where, as they say, you can rot in hell!
So you are proud over bowing to your Lord, which has nothing to do with that you are married and have two kids ...etc.
And the bear attacked you as have you said, and God saved you, and it could have been the other way round and the bear devoured you; so in stead of being grateful to God Most Gracious Who saved you, you kept up on your ungratefulness to God and denial of Him!
Can you be sure, such incident will not be repeated with the opposite result?
And you are dreaming; but all I say to you and your group of the atheists: if there has been any transgression on any person, I apologize to him, although I see that they in fact did transgress on me with their mockery and many bad words; while for the atheism and disbelief in God and the afterlife, I say to you clearly: AWAY WITH ALL ATHEISM
I agree that there are new converts to Christianity every day. But I know for a fact that many of them have no idea what they are 'converting' to. Many people are really looking for something other than God and, when they eventually realize that, they leave the fold. I've seen that play out so many times I've lost count. I can practically predict who will leave and when based on what was going on in their lives when they converted.
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