Bishops See More Selfish Europe 20 Years After Berlin Wall Fell

[Catholic_Press]

Europe has become increasingly selfish and materialistic in the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the heads of the Roman Catholic bishops’ conferences across Europe said at the end of their three-day annual meeting at the weekend. “The crisis sweeping Europe today is serious,” they said in a statement after the session in Paris. They cited materialism, individualism and relativism as major challenges facing European society.

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[joandarc2008]

It would make sense - God gave us free will to follow Him or not to. To not follow Him means death; to follow Him means to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So simply given more choices with the fall of communism more people will express free will. In the days of communism to be religious whether Catholic or some other religion was to be revolutionary in most communist countries, hence expressing free will. Therefore, to express free will now is to turn your back on God or mildly stray depending on how you look at it - it would make sense that a free society would have more sin of any kind. However, I also think it would have more of the truly faithful. We however tend to focus more on those that need to repent than those that live in God’s grace. Just my opinion.

 

[St_Francis]

It would make sense - God gave us free will to follow Him or not to. To not follow Him means death; to follow Him means to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So simply given more choices with the fall of communism more people will express free will. In the days of communism to be religious whether Catholic or some other religion was to be revolutionary in most communist countries, hence expressing free will. Therefore, to express free will now is to turn your back on God or mildly stray depending on how you look at it - it would make sense that a free society would have more sin of any kind. However, I also think it would have more of the truly faithful. We however tend to focus more on those that need to repent than those that live in God’s grace. Just my opinion.

Well, I can sort of see that, except that in the case of Ireland, they didn’t have Communist oppression. The decline in that once-Catholic society is really sad, and seems to co-relate more with their increase in economic standards than with increased freedom from England.

 

[aspawloski4th]

Before any trust comes from me on the subject, I need specific examples. What wrong with individualism?

 

[aspawloski4th]

Well, I can sort of see that, except that in the case of Ireland, they didn’t have Communist oppression. The decline in that once-Catholic society is really sad, and seems to co-relate more with their increase in economic standards than with increased freedom from England.

People got tired of livng like dog , only getting the scraps from the table. Thats why you don’t oppress people, because when they get out of the cage they will be out to make up for lost time.

 

[Polaris]

My father once said to me, If the Republic actually worked, it would have never have failed, so do not mourn its loss (Rome). The same can be said about anything like the Catholic religion, it has already failed the people of western europe, no magic void was filled, no peace was found, so they abandoned the system in search of a new system. Will materialism last, who knows, but the church already had its era in which it proved its inability simply because it failed.

 

[joandarc2008]

Well, I can sort of see that, except that in the case of Ireland, they didn’t have Communist oppression. The decline in that once-Catholic society is really sad, and seems to co-relate more with their increase in economic standards than with increased freedom from England.

No they did have other types of oppression though than communism where the Catholic religion was not the “in” thing to do. If I remember correctly the Catholic religion put them squarely at odds with the Queen who is the head of the Anglican Church.

 

[St_Francis]

So the same thing is happening in the once-persecuted nations that happened to the other nations before.

Original sin strikes again.

 

[joandarc2008]

I would say it is not just happening to Catholics. Look at Islamics in more liberal countries such as Kuwait. I was once at a mall and those women were dressed in outfits that were more revealing than some things our teens wouldn’t be caught dead in. :bigyikes: I think it happens any time one takes restraints off that were placed there by fear instead of Love and Respect for God.

 

[rtconstant]

I would say it is not just happening to Catholics. Look at Islamics in more liberal countries such as Kuwait. I was once at a mall and those women were dressed in outfits that were more revealing than some things our teens wouldn’t be caught dead in. :bigyikes: I think it happens any time one takes restraints off that were placed there by fear instead of Love and Respect for God.

I think you make a good point in terms of the affects of persecution. I’ve predicted for awhile that nations like Iran, Afghanistan, and Arabia will eventually be so secular that the West will be shocked. They’ve been under pressure by religious authorities for so long, that when they break, they’ll completely 180, and probably despise religion totally. Iran I think is in real danger of this because they combine oppressive religious leaders with an educated populace. Not a good mix.

Arabia will probably change when the oil dries up, and the aristocrats can’t buy protection from the West anymore.

 

[joandarc2008]

I compare the problem to the behavior typical of a small child. If you force them to go to Mass when they get older they don’t want to go. If you tell them only Catholic- they will go Protestant. If you tell them not to go to Mass or to Church it is for the weak they will become Fundamentalists. Children often go through a rebellion period. Well, these countries are now in their “childhood” stage of their religious freedom. And they are rebelling.