Has Christianity Succeeded or Failed?

[Charlemagne_II]

****There are many in the modern world who claim that Christianity is failing and will soon disappear, to be supplanted by some other religion (Islam?) or by the Secular Nanny State.

Some believe too that Christianity is false, and that what is false cannot be good for the human race.

What say you? On balance has Christianity been good for human civilization?

Yes or no? Why?

Two thousand years of history to prove it either way.****

 

[Hypnotoad]

****There are many in the modern world who claim that Christianity is failing and will soon disappear, to be supplanted by some other religion (Islam?) or by the Secular Nanny State.

---

Hahaha nothing new under the sun! Those who were opposed to Christ in the begining thought they would achieve victory over Him as He was being hoisted on the Cross, but what happened?

http://www.christiangump.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/pow-thumb.gif



IN YOUR FACE HATERS!!!

 

[meltzerboy]

****There are many in the modern world who claim that Christianity is failing and will soon disappear, to be supplanted by some other religion (Islam?) or by the Secular Nanny State.

Some believe too that Christianity is false, and that what is false cannot be good for the human race.

What say you? On balance has Christianity been good for human civilization?

Yes or no? Why?

Two thousand years of history to prove it either way.****

A bumpy ride for sure, but major successes en route.

 

[PennyinCanada]

By far, the Catholic Church and her faithful have brought blessing to the world. Whether or not people think it is false or not, the blessing is there for everyone. Hospitals, modern science, modern medicine, the monetary system and financial system, schools and universities, art, music, all have been influenced in a profound way by Catholics. I don’t think we will understand the impact until the next life.

Those who criticize the Church don’t realize how they are standing on the shoulders of giants. I wonder what the world would be like if we removed the Church from ever existing.

 

[Celtic_Maiden]

****There are many in the modern world who claim that Christianity is failing and will soon disappear, to be supplanted by some other religion (Islam?) or by the Secular Nanny State.

Some believe too that Christianity is false, and that what is false cannot be good for the human race.

What say you? On balance has Christianity been good for human civilization?

Yes or no? Why?

Two thousand years of history to prove it either way.****

Moslems are leaving there Religion in droves, here are two links, they keep it quiet because in the Quaran Mohammed tells people to kill any Moslem who wants to leave, plus when anyone tells them Moslems are leaving they say Christians are telling lies and know one is leaving- that is one of the Biggest Lies, one only has to go to U Tube and see all the Moslems that have left there Religion and become Christian, I met an Anglican in England who had been a Moslem and he was from Iran he told me that he always wanted to be a Christian, and now that he had changed he could not go back to Iran as he would be killed, he says he was so happy.
He who blows a lot of bubbles does not mean have the biggest Bubble, it just means they are blowing bubbles as a smoke screen.

youtube.com/watch?v=Z3M0eZINFXY

youtube.com/watch?v=_LNYGEE3FQo

 

[bzkoss236]

By far, the Catholic Church and her faithful have brought blessing to the world. Whether or not people think it is false or not, the blessing is there for everyone. Hospitals, modern science, modern medicine, the monetary system and financial system, schools and universities, art, music, all have been influenced in a profound way by Catholics. I don’t think we will understand the impact until the next life.

Those who criticize the Church don’t realize how they are standing on the shoulders of giants. I wonder what the world would be like if we removed the Church from ever existing.

This!

The Church has done so much good in the world that many don’t even realize. To claim that religion is bad is saying that most of the world’s history was for naught.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I like Chesterton’s idea that Christianity has died and risen again several times in its history.

It seems a little premature to say that a religion that contains, at least nominally, about two billion people worldwide (over a billion of which are Catholics) is about to croak. Its influence over Western civilization is certainly declining and may or may not be restored, but as a religion I think it is not going anywhere.

As for Christianity’s influence on civilization I think it has been very positive, at least if it is primarily the Catholic Church that we are talking about. The Catholic Church really preserved, purified, and enriched Western Civilization through the Middle Ages and the eras immediately before and after. Since then it has at least been a voice of conscience and reason in an increasingly deranged world.

 

[Charlemagne_II]

bz

**The Church has done so much good in the world that many don’t even realize. To claim that religion is bad is saying that most of the world’s history was for naught. **

Agreed. The stream of history in Europe has been largely under Christian aegis. Even democracy emerged throughout Europe (as nowhere else in the world) largely from the influence of the Christian ethic that we are all equally loved by our God. The Church (though not all churchmen) has always been a beacon for truth and justice. That some churchmen failed in their duty to truth and justice is no more an indictment of the Church than that the treachery of Judas was an indictment of Jesus Christ.

 

[tskrobacz]

****There are many in the modern world who claim that Christianity is failing and will soon disappear, to be supplanted by some other religion (Islam?) or by the Secular Nanny State.

Some believe too that Christianity is false, and that what is false cannot be good for the human race.

What say you? On balance has Christianity been good for human civilization?

Yes or no? Why?

Two thousand years of history to prove it either way.****

Which Christianity has been at the root of inclusivity, union and Love it has succeeded…all other times it has failed.

 

[TimothyH]

Being good for humanity is not the point of Christianity.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The salvation of souls is the point of Christianity. The Second Person of the Trinity became man so that we might spend eternity with God. That is the whole point of Christianity.

I would never allow myself to get into a discussion about whether Christianity is good for humanity because it discusses a non issue. It is like discussing whether Mozart’s 4th symphony is good for the environment - it totally misses the point of Mozart’s 4th symphony.

-Tim-

 

[meltzerboy]

Being good for humanity is not the point of Christianity.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The salvation of souls is the point of Christianity. The Second Person of the Trinity became man so that we might spend eternity with God. That is the whole point of Christianity.

I would never allow myself to get into a discussion about whether Christianity is good for humanity because it discusses a non issue. It is like discussing whether Mozart’s 4th symphony is good for the environment - it totally misses the point of Mozart’s 4th symphony.

-Tim-

Do you mean Mozart’s 40th symphony? That’s the famous one.

Is the salvation of souls the WHOLE point of Christianity? I thought love of neighbor and even enemy was a major part of the faith.

 

[Brandall]

Hahaha nothing new under the sun! Those who were opposed to Christ in the begining thought they would achieve victory over Him as He was being hoisted on the Cross, but what happened?

http://www.christiangump.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/pow-thumb.gif

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwJ5SgwVu...s400/Resurrection+of+Christ+Michael+Gluth.jpg

IN YOUR FACE HATERS!!!

You just made my day when I needed it. From what you said to the graphics to pointing out the deceit of those that mock him.

Thanks so very much!

 

[ElizMary]

As far as my salvation is concerned, it is succeeding (so long as I continue to seek and do His will and am willing to participate in ongoing conversion through the sacraments). Many times during scripture study or adult formation, there is the crowd who likes to draw our attention to this sinful world, but it has always been a sinful world filled with unbelievers. There are also many believers of various Christian faith traditions and many, many good, imperfect human beings just waiting to discover how thirsty they never knew they were. Hopefully we Christians will be used by God to** show** them how how much they are loved by Him!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Christianity is the single biggest religion on the face of the earth. It is a little early to start writing the obituary for it. It wouldn’t matter what anyone said about Christianity failing or not. It is the Truth and it is God’s revelation of the Truth so even if there was one person on earth who was Christian it would be a success. Not to mention the Billions and Billions of people throughout history who have the opportunity to be saved and live eternally with God. Sounds pretty successful to me!

Has the Church been weakened? You bet.
Will it probably get smaller? Sure.
Has it always been the biggest religion? Nope.
Will it endure until the end of this world. Absolutely!

 

[Charlemagne_II]

Timothy

The salvation of souls is the point of Christianity. The Second Person of the Trinity became man so that we might spend eternity with God. That is the whole point of Christianity.

The salvation of souls is for the good of humanity. In particular, the principle “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is for the good of humanity … that they may be saved from perdition.

Sorry you don’t like the topic.

 

[bill99]

bill maher sure wishes it will go away but like the roman leaders he will never see that day.many people think science will destroy christianity but i think science has proved christianity although dont tell a scientist lol

 

[TimothyH]

Do you mean Mozart’s 40th symphony? That’s the famous one.

Is the salvation of souls the WHOLE point of Christianity? I thought love of neighbor and even enemy was a major part of the faith.

I like all Mozart and am partial to the Saltzberg Symphonies.

Yes, I should have forseen your comment.

God does care for humanity in general, for Israel in particular and for individuals. He made temporal promises to Abraham - land, worldwide blessing, etc. Creation after all, is the theater of our redemption and God said it was very good in Genesis.

For me there is great joy in keeping God’s commandments, and in deep prayer. There is a sense of peace, and a true, lasting joy at feeling God’s presence in my life even when he is challenging me to do something uncomfortable. I think God does want us to be at peace.

Some even say God would have become man even if man had not sinned, just to show his glory, to fully reveal himself to man, and to show his love for us. I tend to believe that.

We love our neighbor and our enemy because they are created in the image of God. A Christian is to recognize that God became man and died for our enemy as much as he did for us. That God would give up his life for us gives our lives infinite value, and that extends to our enemies as well a ourselves.

We love, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

If you have not read it, John’s first letter in the Christian scriptures is sublime.

I like your posts Meltzer Boy. I grew up in Queens and Long Island. My mom is elderly but has a companion who is Jewish, president of his synagogue. Fun stories and I love to chat with him into the night. I always thought that if I was not Catholic that I would be Jewish.

I long to learn how to say the Shema in Hebrew.

-Tim-

 

[Otche_Nash]

By far, the Catholic Church and her faithful have brought blessing to the world. Whether or not people think it is false or not, the blessing is there for everyone. Hospitals, modern science, modern medicine, the monetary system and financial system, schools and universities, art, music, all have been influenced in a profound way by Catholics. I don’t think we will understand the impact until the next life.

Those who criticize the Church don’t realize how they are standing on the shoulders of giants. I wonder what the world would be like if we removed the Church from ever existing.

The monetary and financial system?? Lending at interest, fractional reserve banking, central banking, fiat currency? No. The Church forbade lending at interest for 16 centuries, then began to allow it in certain circumstances, which opened a pandora’s box of evil in the Western world, augmenting the States’ ability to wage war, impoverish the masses and oppress the third world.
Any “profound influence” the Catholic Church had on the financial system, was in the form of anathemas.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

The monetary and financial system?? Lending at interest, fractional reserve banking, central banking, fiat currency? No. The Church forbade lending at interest for 16 centuries, then began to allow it in certain circumstances, which opened a pandora’s box of evil in the Western world, augmenting the States’ ability to wage war, impoverish the masses and oppress the third world.
Any “profound influence” the Catholic Church had on the financial system, was in the form of anathemas.

I think you are right. A development merely happening when the Church had a more prominent role in Western Civilization does not mean the Church invented that thing. You have to look at how it actually came about.

 

[feed_me]

Christianity didn’t fail, we just have so many false teachers and profits out there that fail Christianity