Do you really think Christianity will survive another century?

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Laurence_of_PA

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In today’s modern world, the rate of apostasy is staggering. Even in my own community of Northeastern Pennsylvania – a famously Catholic region, I can recall few of my friends who still retain these beliefs. Though nearly all of them were raised Catholic, when I bring up this topic, they are mostly atheists and agnostics now. The next generation of Catholics (and Christians for that matter) seems to be dying. The catholic heritage of my region seems now only a facade.
 
Are you kidding with your title?

I see the Catholic Church as being on the verge of a huge expansion. I am waiting expectantly for the Eucharistic reign of Christ throughout the entire world, which will mean the conversion of so many non-Catholic Christians that we will have are Masses overflowing.
 
Eileen_T said:
Are you kidding with your title?

I see the Catholic Church as being on the verge of a huge expansion. I am waiting expectantly for the Eucharistic reign of Christ throughout the entire world, which will mean the conversion of so many non-Catholic Christians that we will have are Masses overflowing.
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I think if God sought me out to bring me into the Catholic Church, you may not be so far off.
 
Eileen_T said:
Are you kidding with your title?

I see the Catholic Church as being on the verge of a huge expansion. I am waiting expectantly for the Eucharistic reign of Christ throughout the entire world, which will mean the conversion of so many non-Catholic Christians that we will have are Masses overflowing.
Click to expand...
I am very interested in this huge expansion you mention. To those of my own generation (I am a teenager of course), Christianity is nothing but overrated ceremony. I’m not making this stuff up: within the U.S. alone, only 70% of people believe in God (and how many of those are adults and elders). In addition, though statistics would have you believe my own community is a Vatican outpost, my own experience among my “Catholic friends” says this is far from the truth. Narcissism/materialism is the new religion it seems, and if I myself could foresee masses overflowing, I wouldn’t have bothered with this poll.

No offense intended to you – I deeply sympathize, but I feel in reality we are in deep trouble. It may not become apparent until my own generation flowers, but with a media and culture that isn’t too friendly to us, where will we be???
 
Eileen_T said:
Are you kidding with your title?

I see the Catholic Church as being on the verge of a huge expansion. I am waiting expectantly for the Eucharistic reign of Christ throughout the entire world, which will mean the conversion of so many non-Catholic Christians that we will have are Masses overflowing.
Click to expand...
Absolutely!! Massive thumbs up to this one!!! 👍

~Liza
 
Jesus could come back at any time…we are to be ready. It will be when the times of the gentiles will be fulfilled…
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
I am very interested in this huge expansion you mention. To those of my own generation (I am a teenager of course), Christianity is nothing but overrated ceremony. I’m not making this stuff up: within the U.S. alone, only 70% of people believe in God (and how many of those are adults and elders). In addition, though statistics would have you believe my own community is a Vatican outpost, my own experience among my “Catholic friends” says this is far from the truth. Narcissism/materialism is the new religion it seems, and if I myself could foresee masses overflowing, I wouldn’t have bothered with this poll.

No offense intended to you – I deeply sympathize, but I feel in reality we are in deep trouble. It may not become apparent until my own generation flowers, but with a media and culture that isn’t too friendly to us, where will we be???
Click to expand...
I do not think narcissism and materialism will be the new religion. For me, I idolize knowledge! And I am interested in certain radical attempts to improve humanity’s capabilities of assimilating knowledge.

I think the new eugenics of biotechnology will spark an interest in the notion of perfecting humanity and that will be pursued with the religious fervor.
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
I am very interested in this huge expansion you mention. To those of my own generation (I am a teenager of course), Christianity is nothing but overrated ceremony. I’m not making this stuff up: within the U.S. alone, only 70% of people believe in God (and how many of those are adults and elders). In addition, though statistics would have you believe my own community is a Vatican outpost, my own experience among my “Catholic friends” says this is far from the truth. Narcissism/materialism is the new religion it seems, and if I myself could foresee masses overflowing, I wouldn’t have bothered with this poll.

No offense intended to you – I deeply sympathize, but I feel in reality we are in deep trouble. It may not become apparent until my own generation flowers, but with a media and culture that isn’t too friendly to us, where will we be???
Click to expand...
Have you seen the testimony of Fr Don Calloway? visionsofjesuschrist.com/weeping339.htm

We have come back to the time of the early Christians, when the society of that time was narcissistic, and pleasure seeking, satisfying the senses was rampant.

The early Christians, by their very way of living, caused shame to the pagans who hen persecuted them.

What has been happening for the past 50 years, is that the lukewarm are removing themselves from Christianity, leaving the fervent. As this becomes more evident in society, we will see more and more persecution of Christians.

History has shown us that where the Church is persecuted, it flourishes. As Tertullian said,** “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”**
 
It is easy to say that a 2,000 year-old establishment could easily go another hundred. No problem.

But understand this! When immigrants come into a new country, they carry with them the language, culture, and traditions of their homelands – passed down to them over hundreds of years! What is different though is that this new country of theirs is completely different in all of these aspects. Sure, the new-comers cling on to their heritage, but with each successive generation, the family loses touch, and usually, within three generations of living in an alien land, they are completely assimilated. All that’s left of their heritage is the occassional family-tree research project!

So too with Christianity. This modern world has abandoned its Christian culture in favor of some idealized secularism, and be honest, how God-friendly is the average shopping mall? We may never abandon our faith, but what about our grand-children and their children? After even fifty years of being immersed in godless opulence, we may have the same success passing on to them Christianity as my grand-father will have teaching me Polish!

So really, let’s be honest and at least acknowledge the problem!
 
How can we doubt the words of Jesus when He told the Apostles that He would be with the Church until the end of time and the gates of hell would not prevail against it?

I believe, honestly, that God will bring about a tsunami of conversions as people, like St Augustine, realise that the emptiness inside, and the restlessness so many experience, can only be filled with God.
 
I think that the OP has a point. Christianity, especially the Holy Catholic Church, will of course survive.

But I think that the world the Church finds itself in today is very similar to the pagan world of the first few centuries before the conquest of Christianity. In my (somewhat tongue in cheek) end-times scenario, this is the end of the “millineum” of Rev.:

Link to my old site: "You Can’t Handle This! shasta.com/sphaws/endtimes.html
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
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So too with Christianity. This modern world has abandoned its Christian culture in favor of some idealized secularism, and be honest, how God-friendly is the average shopping mall? We may never abandon our faith, but what about our grand-children and their children? After even fifty years of being immersed in godless opulence, we may have the same success passing on to them Christianity as my grand-father will have teaching me Polish!

** So really, let’s be honest and at least acknowledge the problem!**
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Well, of course there’s a problem. Satan hasn’t given up, has he? But please understand, this isn’t the first generation that’s had a problem.

Don’t you think all through the Church’s history, that there has been strong evidence that the Church will not last much longer? The Church has often been far closer to the brink than She is today.

But it’s God’s Providence, not man’s!!! Jesus made a promise. I ask you, is Jesus God? If you believe he is, then case closed. As God, Jesus knows what your next thought it, and He knew it 2000 years ago. He knows what is the future of His Church, and He still made that promise 2000 years ago.

It’s all about Faith, Laurence! Northeastern Pennsylvania is waiting for someone like you to re-ignite the faith!
 
In the sense of self-centered depravity, yes, our world is like that of the early-church’s. However, at that time, people of all stripes already worshipped some set of deities or religion, so that Christianity merely had to supplant the falsehoods of the day with the truths of Christ’s revelation.

Now look at today: Christianity, or belief in God for that matter, is being supplanted by the idea of their being no God at all. The scenarios are completely different. The missionary work of St. Paul would be impossibe in say for example: a secularism-embracing Europe. When Christianity first came about, it was a new thing for the belleaugered poor. Today, modern culture tries everything in its power to discredit it.
 
It will either survive another century or Jesus will return first. Those are the only two possibilities.
 
You’ll need to come visit my parish at college. Daily mass gets over 150 participants regularly. Sundays (especially on game weekends) are packed. So many people are so in love with Christ! These youth have dedicated themselves to adoration (8 am - 10 pm everyday, and would have done more if it wasn’t for safety concerns) and are mainstays in the stand-and-pray outside the abortion clinic. This doesn’t even mention all the effort people volunteer for teaching, helping the poor, etc. All these people do because they love God! There are many more, militant is a poor word, but you know what I mean, Catholics here who love to defend the faith and in some cases go on the offensive. A concerted effort by the parish to make more of a presence on campus resulted in a “Ask a Catholic” table. Too many young Catholic men turned out and I would been intimidated to approach it if I wanted to ask a sincere question.

To many of us are tired of poor confirmation classes and promptings by others to be polite and not to bring up the love of our life, Jesus. We’re tired of people not caring about their faith.

No, with friends like these I can’t see how the church couldn’t continue.
 
Laurence_of_PA said:
In today’s modern world, the rate of apostasy is staggering. Even in my own community of Northeastern Pennsylvania – a famously Catholic region, I can recall few of my friends who still retain these beliefs. Though nearly all of them were raised Catholic, when I bring up this topic, they are mostly atheists and agnostics now. The next generation of Catholics (and Christians for that matter) seems to be dying. The catholic heritage of my region seems now only a facade.
Click to expand...
Not only a century but a millenia.

JP2 didn’t say we were on the threshold of hope for nothing.

Its the millenia of Mercy.
 
oh ye of little faith,what other org. be still around after all the scandals and nonsense that have hit the church in the last few years .Jesus said “I’ll be with you to the end of of the world.”
Peace to you
 
Eileen_T said:
Are you kidding with your title?

I see the Catholic Church as being on the verge of a huge expansion. I am waiting expectantly for the Eucharistic reign of Christ throughout the entire world, which will mean the conversion of so many non-Catholic Christians that we will have are Masses overflowing.
Click to expand...
I have noticed myself there has been an odd boom(both positive and negative) in Biblical Archelogy lately, especially in NT archelogy, I think this is very much related to this “huge Expansion” and “conversion of many”… I have personally had this feeling since about 2004. In fact it was one reason I became interested in christianity again.

Heck now they’ve found the Tomb Of Herod… what next?
 
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