|
Thoughts on Christianity's decline?
I am an ex-catholic. After leaving, at 10 maybe, I was an atheist until about 12 when I found Wiccanism and Paganism, and I really felt like I fit in and found new faith. Now I've read some articles about how Christianity and all forms of christianity are declining rapidly and religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Wiccanism/Paganism and the such are growing drastically on the other hand. Islam isn't really my cup of tea, but I've met Muslims I respect and if that's the right path for you go for it. Buddhism I find admirable. Wiccanism attracted me like a magnet because all it's beliefs aligned to mine, I especially loved the idea of a God AND Godess. I also thought it was a much less strict, basically if it won't hurt anybody, you could do it when in the Bible it is super strict but doesn't persecute things such as slavery and rape. I left Christianity because I did not feel welcome as a homosexual women and it's views stopped fitting me like they once did. I notice many catholics and christians are leaving the religion extremely fast. About 99% of the kids in catholic school are there because their parents make them and the priests are desperately trying to appeal. A majority of conversations about spirituality I have begin with the person saying,"growing up I was Christian but now..." It is pretty sweet to see Paganism and Wiccanism, religions that were feircly being pushed out bounce back. I think the internet is the cause. Now many Wiccans and Pagans could interact and reach out, and new converts can learn all about our God and Godess, beliefs, majick, etc while laying comfortably in their bed in pajamas eating snacks. I also feel that theres more tolerance (not for Islam, unfourtanetly), of course there is a long way to go. But I want other's opinions: what's your opinion on what is causing the rise of Islam, Buddhism, and Wiccanism/Paganism? Why do you think Christianity is suffering while the other 3 are gaining every day?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
It's a difficult one to say why exactly. Certainly in the UK the regular (christian) church has seen a huge decline in attendance. It goes back further than the internet. Around 100 years ago about 90% or more of British folk attended church, quite or very regulalry. Today it's around 10%. Once the 'church view' as you might say, held great sway with attitudes and ideology in society. Now it has very little. Perhaps it has something to do with the increase in science to answer our question? The decline coincides with the work of the likes of Darwin. A turning towards science to provide the answers. German philosopher Nietzsche put forward the idea that man's growing knowledge of himself and his environment had 'killed God'. But noted that it had not, and may never, come up with anything capable of replacing God. Or even replacing the idea of there being a God. We appear to have some 'need' to believe there is 'something more'. A divine/supernatural/omniscient agency which is watching us and controlling things. And we would like to think that there may be some 'after-life'. Perhaps where we may be reincarnated, or meet with friends and family we have lost? Essentially, death and seperation are the most basic and fundamental of all human fears, after all. And science has real no answer. We can certainly expect to live longer thanks to our medical 'cleverness'....but none of us will cheat our eventual physical death. Hence, a resurgence of interest in matters spiritual, of an alternative nature, perhaps? In terms of tolerance, it is important to differentiate between Islam (as a belief system) and Islamic Fundamentalism, of course.
]
Just a quick fact check: Christianity is still growing faster globally than Buddhism, Hinduism or Paganism. Although those numbers may be different in the particular country where you live, looking at the whole planet, it is Islam, followed by Christianity that continue to make the greatest gains.
In the US, Buddhism and Paganism are growing quickly, but globally, neither is growing much as a percentage of the human population despite the gains in places like the States. Some studies would even suggest Buddhism is headed into decline.
It's best, I think, when looking at religions, not to make the mistake of thinking what is happening in your community or your country is an example of what is happening on the whole planet. What is happening to religion in the US is nothing like what is happening in Africa or India, or even much like what is happening in Europe.
You are probably right that beliefs like Paganism are really benefited by the internet age, especially countries where literacy is high and internet access easy. The generally higher tolerance in these educated, wealthy countries for religious minorities also helps. Many forms of Paganism are much less prescribed and reflect a more individualist view of spirituality and faith, which is more in line with a modern understanding of belief and religion. I don't think strict is quite the right word, but because these religions rarely have one book of authority to be strict about! Without those central authorities, the rules and norms change with the age we live in and can reflect modern understandings of ethics and morality more easily than those religions which find authority is the writings of those who lived long ago.
It's worth remembering that ancient practitioners of Pagan religions included some pretty war-like groups, and groups that practiced slavery, or forced conversation on their opponents. Modern paganism is quite peaceful and usually very inclusive - and it deserves all the credit in the world for that - but the ancient world those faiths came out of was not peaceful. Pagan groups just didn't keep 'Bibles' condoning rape, war or slavery, but many Pagan groups, like the Celts and the Norse, and some North American Aboriginal groups did embrace exactly those sorts of things, and used their religion to justify those codes and laws. Those groups just didn't (or couldn't) write down those awful beliefs for people thousands of years later to insist on following. So those terrible ideas got rejected more easily by those who came next.
]
I can't speak for Islam as I know nothing about the religious belief but am much more familiar with the Ananda religion based on teachings of both Yogi's and Jesus, also the Universalists and some Buddhism besides Christian background. I haven't been involved with church people from organized religion, (Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Baptist, etc) for quite some time so I can't say I have really noticed the decline there, only the increase for the others. Whether all come from Christianity or they were those with no opinion before who finally had a spiritual awakening, I can not say. But everywhere I read, articles, on the web, I hear many say that this age we live in is one of great Spiritual awakening in people, and this isn't coming as reports from Christian churches but more the New agers, Spiritual rather than religious groups. I do see more interest around me from people to seek something greater than themselves, find something that finally answers all the questions Christianity created, and a growing concern to really connect and love the earth and all its inhabitants as our sisters and brothers. there are more groups without religion or any agenda reaching out to help those in need, the pay it forward concept, etc... so I can see the hunger and desire in people for something that works better for them than Christianity. The Christian faith is not all bad, there is a lot of good in it. It has the same problem as any belief systems out there . The problem is that all have some part of the truth, but each one has a varied nugget of truth, not the same one as the other. On the other hand, All of them also have some misconceptions or all out twisted lies which differ among the beliefs. One would have to spend a good chunk of ones life in a belief system to begin to see its shortcomings easily. Since most my life was Christian, my thoughts are that they tend to think and act inside the box...meaning very limited. When one wants to explore God beyond the walls of the box, you simply told that only whats inside the box is true and good and has Gods stamp of approval and everything outside the box is evil and of the devil. Many of the concepts in CHristianity require a blind belief, meaning you simply 'choose' to believe something without more deeply exploring everything about it yourself to see whether it all adds up and makes sense. Then if you do finally have questions and do ask, the pastor/elders have no answer or one that is unsatisfactory and creates more questions than answering the one, and you are told to simply believe and not doubt, to show your faith and trust in God, etc... I've heard many versions of it. I can't say whether people in other faiths have ever felt the same thing, just my past experiences. Your idea of the internet may be part of the rise of interest in other areas spiritually. The internet is like the best updated encyclopedia at our fingertips and we no longer have to get just the right phrase to get hits on a search. I just put in a phrase or short sentence and get hits pop up right away. So the ease and simplicity of obtaining information could be one but not the only one.
Dissatisfaction in peoples lives is enough to start them seeking elsewhere for truth and they been reading, searching, keeping their eyes and ears open. Some actively start studying other faiths while others wait until they meet or bump into others who have a faith other than CHristianity and begin to ask questions. And then, there is the way it happened for me, led out of Christianity by the Holy Spirit herself, as I now recognize Her as the Goddess or the Lady part in the recognized Lord and Lady of pagan beliefs. Both the same to me. A person has to evolve to the point that finally in one lifetime their soul has matured enough to actually feel and have a desire to seek out a spiritual path, that there must be something greater that created it and if so, what is my purpose here? That is not an instant thing and may take lifetimes for a soul to get to that point. I feel that from what others are saying that perhaps many feel that a good majority of mortals living on the planet right now are souls who have gotten to this point of wakening up spiritually. What clicks with them, what they come across first may be their first step into spirituality. To grow spiritually, it is God or Goddess themselves working in each individual either active conversations back and forth where They are recognized, or just as whispered thoughts that a person think is their own thoughts in their head to start seeking. Mine was the active convo's with Goddess. When she asked as the Holy Spirit I still called her during my church days, she said "Would you believe me if I told you reincarnation is real?" That one thing is something the whole Christian faith is wrapped up in, one life only to get it right or we go to Hell. Well, if we got more lifetimes to get it right, it was instant realization that left me with nothing to stand on, as I knew that meant Jesus didn't die for my sins and so on. Its things like all this that cause people to look elsewhere when it comes to beliefs.
]
More Questions: |