Being Christian in Western Europe at the beginning of the 21st century #1

Today we do find a lot of people, in our regions, who say they are Christian and with that mostly mean Roman Catholic, but nearly never go to worship services like mass.

The majority of Europe’s Christians are non-practicing, but they differ from religiously unaffiliated people in their views on God, attitudes toward Muslims and immigrants, and opinions about religion’s role in society.

Western Europe, where Protestant Christianity originated and Catholicism has been based for most of its history, has become one of the world’s most secular regions. Although the vast majority of adults say they were baptized, today many do not describe themselves as Christians. Some say they gradually drifted away from religion, stopped believing in religious teachings, or were alienated by scandals or church positions on social issues, according to a major new Pew Research Center survey of religious beliefs and practices in Western Europe.

Yet most adults surveyed still do consider themselves Christians, even if they seldom go to church. Indeed, the survey shows that non-practicing Christians (defined, for the purposes of this report, as people who identify as Christians, but attend church services no more than a few times per year) make up the biggest share of the population across the region. In every country except Italy, they are more numerous than church-attending Christians (those who go to religious services at least once a month). In the United Kingdom, for example, there are roughly three times as many non-practicing Christians (55%) as there are church-attending Christians (18%) defined this way.

Non-practicing Christians also outnumber the religiously unaffiliated population (people who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” sometimes called the “nones”) in most of the countries surveyed.¹ And, even after a recent surge in immigration from the Middle East and North Africa, there are many more non-practicing Christians in Western Europe than people of all other religions combined (Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.).

The 10% for Belgium is more 8%, where the Roman Catholic Churches are less filled and of the protestant churches the Pentecostals get most people in  their church-services. Where we can find most people going to a religious service is by the Islamic community where the garage mosques and official mosques may count on a very good attendance on Friday night.

Not everyone in the churches of Christ are “ungodly”

English: A of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Thursday up tot the end of the weekend it was time again for the many communion feasts and Spring feasts in Belgium.
The Catholic churches have to face a lessening in communion feasts. The second communion is mostly placed aside to celebrate with the humanists and atheists their Spring feast.

It is the sign that more and more people are leaving church. They complain about the several acts of church people which are not acceptable by ethic and normal people. The population has encountered to many cases of paedophile clergy, which has made them lose interest in those who should preach the faith in sacred love and love for God.

Lots of people spit on the church, but they do forget that there are many more churches than the Catholic Church. They also seem to forget that not all the priests and bishops in that Catholic church are such pervert beings. Strange also when they would really believe in God, that they do not seek for other solutions, other churches, other people of God.

Would we all "have to blame Jesus Christ for Judas Iscariot?" asks also John T. Polk II.
His answers is:

No, because “Satan entered Judas” (Luke 22:3). {5-8-2015 Why Reject Jesus’ Church?}

He still considers his church as the church of Christ, the body of Jesus Christ today (Colossians 1:24), and wonders why to blame the churches of Christ for the “ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4 NKJV)? 
But should the church not be an example for the gentiles? Should those who are in charge of the church live according to what they preach and according to what they demand from their flock?

He is right in saying:

It seems people want to dismiss the churches of Christ by emphasizing the hypocritical few.

We also may not reject Jesus because of Judas, and should not reject the church of Christ because some have failed to be faithful.

Paul wrote “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse” (Colossians 1:2).

Everyone in the churches of Christ are not “ungodly,” anymore than all Apostles are betrayers of Jesus Christ!

John T. Polk II writes

People should come to see that there are many more churches than the Roman Catholic church or any other church where they bow in front of crucifixes, graven images and paintings, contrary to the demands of the Most High God.

It’s useful to realize that we are two years away from marking the 500th Anniversary of the “symbolic” beginning of the Protestant Reformation, noted to have begun on October 31, 1517 by Martin Luther.

Peter Traben Haas  writes:

Of course, like all movements, it is impossible to peg a precise date, since often such movements emerge from within a multi-dimensional environment with diverse social factors and influences. But, for all practical purposes, Luther’s posting of the 95 Thesis is as good a moment as any to mark the Reformation’s beginning. {2020 Vision & Formation 2017}

Throughout the ages many changes took place. We even can notice when there where efforts to come back to the Word of God, the Scriptures Alone, and getting away from the idolatry, the bowing down in front of pictures, we can see in those renewal movements a shift took place after a few years and as such in many protestant churches we can find today also again a lot of pictures or Christ and of God and even of different saints.

Peter Traben Haas does think that

2015 is a good time to begin thinking about how Christianity has changed since then, and how Christianity is currently evolving, and more importantly, what might be the next phase of spiritual evolution Christianity is moving into. Everything is growing, including the sphere of consciousness in which Christianity “lives, moves and has its being,” and we would want to grow with it. Most of us are, which is probably one reason why you are reading this.{2020 Vision & Formation 2017}

For sure anno 2015 lots of 'church people' do not take much time to read the bible or to spend time with or to pray to the Most High God.

the contemplative dimension of Christianity is a niche “market,” primarily visible in monastic communities and other like-minded teachers, groups and organizations, such as Richard Rohr or Contemplative Outreach. For the majority of Christian’s, though, “contemplative” is a “boutique” way of being and doing Christian life, totally appropriate for retreats and monasteries, but not yet ready for the mainstream, so the thinking goes. But such ignoring and resistance is about to shift into attention and acceptance. {2020 Vision & Formation 2017}

writes Peter Traben, who would like to see a

Sola Silence. Sola Solitude. Sola Stillness,  Simplicity and Service.

But God perhaps does not want such a silence. God and His son want us to go out in the world proclaiming the Good News. Coming closer to the end times we should shout even more clearly and pronounce to the world the necessity to come closer to God and to worship the Divine Creator, thanking Him for His son who has brought salvation to the world.

Those who love God should let others know that they love the heavenly Father and that they would like to see that more people would come to love this Only One God. It is our task to let the world that not all people are ungodly or are people who love to tell lies or do not mind telling lies. The world has to know that there are still many people who prefer not to tell lies and to worship that One God Who did not tell lies.

That God said about the man in the river Jordan that he was His begotten beloved son. His words we should accept and spread throughout the world, so that all people can come to know Jesus Christ, our saviour, the Messiah.

We also should invite those around us to come to visit us at our meetings, our church, which is the Body of Christ. In-there we should show them what the real  love of Christ is and how we want to share that agapé love with each other. To the world we should prove that there are other churches, who have people who really want to live according to the Laws of Christ and to the Laws of God.

It is up to you, believer, to show the world not all in the Church of God are ungodly.

°°°

If you are looking for a church with men and women who want to be 'set apart' as godly people, please contact the Christadelphians.

Find the Christadelphian Church in Belgium: Ecclesia Brussel Leuven

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Identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the Latin American region

English: Common geographical regions of Latin America Español: Regiones geográficas típicas de América Latina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Latin America is home to more than 425 million Catholics – nearly 40% of the world’s total Catholic population – and the Roman Catholic Church now has a Latin American pope for the first time in its history. Yet identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the region, according to a major new Pew Research Center survey that examines religious affiliations, beliefs and practices in 18 Latin American countries and one U.S. territory (Puerto Rico).

Historical data suggest that for most of the 20th century, from 1900 through the 1960s, at least 90% of Latin America’s population was Catholic. Today, the Pew Research survey shows, 69% of adults across the region identify as Catholic. In nearly every country surveyed, the Catholic Church has experienced net losses from religious switching, as many Latin Americans have joined evangelical Protestant churches or rejected organized religion altogether.
On Nov. 13, 2014, the Pew Research Center brought together members of the Latin America community, religious leaders, scholars, members of the media and other experts for a round-table discussion about the latest data on religion in Latin America.
Speakers:
Jim Bell, Director of International Survey Research, Pew Research Center
Neha Sahgal, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center
Andrew Chesnut, Professor of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
Moderator:
Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research, Pew Research Center

> Event Transcript: Religion in Latin America

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Hello America and atheists

In response to the article

ATHEISTS EXPOSED! shared by Greg Liebig Sr.

I wrote a reply which I also would like to share with you here.

In the article the author does like he is God writing to the people of the United states of America.

“First, let it be known, that I created each and every person on this planet; also, That I Love Each And Every One Of Them. Furthermore, let it be known unto them, that I have a purpose for them now, during the millennial reign of my Son Jesus (Yeshua) and Then Throught All Eternity!

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - NARA - 515673 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“My precious humans are eternal spiritual beings: yes, for the time being they are in flesh, blood and bone bodies, at death, that changes. When I send Yeshua to rapture up the church they will be changed as well. I am having you tell humanity this because it won’t be long before I tell My Son to get His Bride, the Church, the believers.”

Strange that this God calls those human beings eternal spirits, when He has created them as mortal elements in the universe.

Then that god speaks about the Satans or adversaries of God and the ones who fool the world, with their own false teachings.

As he (the Satan or devil) sees the approaching of Christ’s appearing, he and a few of his partners (doubt and fear) have really been stepping it up.”
One of his lies is,” God (Yahweh) does not exist.”
Another is, “Jesus (Yeshua) did not really die and rise again.”

“So, consequently he has turned a great number of people against me. He really does hate my precious humans.”
“Another one of his tactics is he has chosen very weak minded individuals to enlist in his destructive task and they have fallen for his lies, hook, line and sinker.
He tells them to go to various places and spread these lies. He even pushes his agenda onto governments. He even tells people that it is not right to have people display Godly things in government institutions; like the Ten Commandments for instance.
He has them say it is offensive to pray in public places.”

The author calls all those who do not want to believe and those who agreed to let such things happen "atheists, non-believers, heathen or just plain lost".  But he reminds the people they have to remember that God, no matter what happens, still loves these people: "don’t ever loose sight of that fact."

And that is very important: god loves His creation and all what we can see around us is part of that creation. All people on this planet earth are also created in the image of God and are loved by the Divine Creator.
He also gives them the necessary time to be able to find Him and to come closer to Him. though many also donot want to recognise the person God provided to save the world, He gave His only begotten son, to offer himself as the most justified ransom and to become the mediator between Him (Jehovah God) and men.

A nice building in the United States of America. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So therefore I also would call like that author to the United States of America and to other nations:

Hello America, are you not the New World, where so many of the Europeans went to because at the continent many denominations limited their people and because many governments brought strong limitations of all sorts of freedom?

Did you America also forgot that many of your ancestors looked for the Truth and looked for God His Word and His Will?

Though many descendants from those pioneers went far away from those Bible Students and Bible researchers, and prefered to follow 'standard churches' or even more 'mega churches'. With times (you or) they became not so interested any more in reading regularly the word of God, available in much more versions now in their own or in their new language. You also wanted to be called Christians but pick and choose which laws to live by and to impose on others living around you.

II (The Presidents of the United States of America album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They prefered to make new gods, like the many movie stars, football and other sports idols, but also the fashion models and idols form other worlds like the cooking world. In this some did not mind to fit their other god, Jesus. So many americans are not willing to accept hat he was a real Jewish man, of flesh and blood, who could be seen by many, who was tempted more than once and who really was brought to death in a cruel way, but less cruel than many other tortured people.

God is an eternal spirit, who can not be seen by men or they would die. God also can not be tempted. that is all be written in the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, many do not want to take for the words which are there black on white, but they do prefer to hold fast on tradition and denominational dogma's, like the 'Holy Trinity'.

Yes, America, wants to stay blind and does not want to have its eyes opened by the Biblical truth. Do they ever wounder if it is not because of their blindness, their ignorance that america is turning upside down?

But is it not the disease which is spreading all over the world, where money is the Manon, the new god worshipped by so many?
The Love of money is the root of all evil church in America and every other culture that has turned its back on Christ and his Father, the Only One God.  

The Biblical message has been corrupted to such a degree that seminaries are supporting a “priest class” that has elevated itself above the laity. This shift toward relying on a seminary educated expert trained in Christian theology to lead the church is inherently risky and flawed.  The body of Christ and it’s shepherds are to be vigilant with discerning and testing the doctrines being introduced into the churches.  The modern day Protestant denominations have completely capitulated the hard won gains of the Reformation and the American bible Student movement. America and with it other nations are re-instituting the old Catholic paradigm of ignorant congregation and all knowing priest class.  On top of the increase in creating Biblically ignorant congregations, America has hybridized Biblical Christianity with of all things “The American Dream”. 

The dream has been shattered.  The New Atheism has made it safer for people to declare their godlessness. 

Godlessness and Unbelief is it there to stay?!? Or not?

It can change, but we shall need time and lots of people wanting and daring to come out into the world to assign their love for Christ and to show the world the work this son of god has done, and which blessings we have received by his offering himself for us.

You, like every other humans on the face of this planet, have one overwhelming and stupendously important need … to be forgiven for the sins you have already been condemned for, and released from the death sentence that you have already been sentenced to. No matter what happens in this world, as long as Christ shall not have returned, all people shall share the same 'lot', the same burden of finding death at the end of the road. We all shall die, believers and unbelievers.
But do know, afterwards there shall be something different for believers and non-believers. Than it shall be too late to change direction  God has given each of us and you, time enough to think, to consider, to find out, to look for the right way, for the right path.

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