Is the Roman Catholic Church fading away?

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montanaman:
You know, guys, the whole numbers debate is just as pointless as the scandal score debate. The number of warm bodies in a Catholic Church has about as much bearing on the truthfulness or the falsehood of its teachings as the number of people who, acting in the Church’s name, added a couple of extra inches to heretics’ heights on the rack.

It may someday be a GOOD thing that the Church is down to a few people in someone’s basement.
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B16 says the church will be smaller and stronger

but

eventually there will be, as God has proclaimed,

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

and it ain’t non-Catholic:clapping:
 
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allischalmers:
A half century ago Brazil and South America where predominantly Roman Catholic. Today there are two Protestant churches to one Catholic church. Is the catholic Church fading away in South America and Brazil ?
Twenty eight thousand mainland Chinese become Protestant believers every day
More than 20,000 Africans become Protestant believers every day.
Over 40% of Koreas are now Protestant Christian. Now there are more than than 7000 Protestant churches in Seoul alone, with one church-Yoida Full Gospel Church - claiming a registered membership of more than 700,000, making it the largest single church in the world.
And on it goes thoughout the world. Is the Catholic Church fading away ???

forever Baptist
allischalmers
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From the “tone” of your thread, it seems that you feel all Protestantism is created equal. Are you concerned that most of the growth figures you show have nothing to do with the Baptist Faith?

Notworthy
 
Fredricks said:
**GLOBAL CATHOLIC NEWS
Rome’s Zenit News **

Percentage of Catholics in the World Slips
VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The number of Catholics in the world is increasing, but their percentage has decreased slightly, according to newly released Church data.

The Statistical Yearbook of the Church for 2002, prepared by the Central Office of Church Statistics and just published by the Vatican press office, tracks data from the start of John Paul II’s pontificate through 2002.

The yearbook indicates that the crisis of the dwindling ranks of diocesan priests has passed, but not the crisis of religious vocations.

The number of Catholic faithful rose from 757 million in 1978 to 1.07 billion at year-end 2002. By continent, the increase was 150% in Africa; 74% in Asia; 49% in Oceania; 45% in the Americas; and 5% in Europe.

Yet, the percentage of Catholics as a share of world population dropped. In 1978, 17.99% of the world’s inhabitants were Catholic; in 1990, the tally was 17.68%; and in 2002, 17.2%.
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Frederick, anyone can use statistics to lie. The fact of the matter is that non-Catholic Christians also lost “marketshare” and it was very slightly greater than that of the Catholics. Unfortunately, the lack of “share” is driven by the growth in population is coming in Muslim countries and areas of Africa and Asia that are neither Christian or Muslim but Pagan. Rather than celebrating the loss of “Catholic share” as Fredericks and Allis seem to be doing, all of us Christians should realize that our missionary work in Africa and Asia is becoming even more important.
 
We are “forced” to play with the numbers game because someone has the temerity to cast doubt on, and intentionally or unintentionally degrade, the known and much appreciated sacrifices and valiant efforts of our missionaries.

Yes, numbers do not confirm the TRUTH as believers constitute merely a third of all humanity! But THAT remaining 2/3, progressively increasing by the minute, must be reached and to them the TRUTH contained in the Gospels preached as Our Lord has commanded!

We, Catholics, courtesy of thousands of religious and lay missionaries throughout the world, have carried out the MO assidiously since 2,000 years ago!

It deeply hurts when certain people are ignorant or worse, feign ignorance, of so much evangelization efforts that are daily exerted by Catholic missionaries and then the fruits are ripped off by pretenders!
 
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montanaman:
You know, guys, the whole numbers debate is just as pointless as the scandal score debate. The number of warm bodies in a Catholic Church has about as much bearing on the truthfulness or the falsehood of its teachings as the number of people who, acting in the Church’s name, added a couple of extra inches to heretics’ heights on the rack.

It may someday be a GOOD thing that the Church is down to a few people in someone’s basement.
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I agree, not to be flippant, but because I also do not think that it matters how many adherents something has. Yes, Cafeteria Catholics hurt the cause of Christ just like bad Protestants hurt the cause of Christ. I agree. Make no mistake, if it is a matter of Islam’s growth or Catholicism, I would be in a confirmation class tomorrow!
 
Well !, that was a fun thread. So answer one more question,.overall Is Christianity on the raise or on the decline.
This is not just about the Baptist faith.

forever Baptist
allischalmers
 
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allischalmers:
Well !, that was a fun thread. So answer one more question,.overall Is Christianity on the raise or on the decline.
This is not just about the Baptist faith.

forever Baptist
allischalmers
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Why isn’t it just about the Baptist faith? Don’t you want to show us how Baptist numbers are rising?
 
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Fredricks:
I agree, not to be flippant, but because I also do not think that it matters how many adherents something has. Yes, Cafeteria Catholics hurt the cause of Christ** just like bad Protestants hurt the cause of Christ.** I agree. Make no mistake, if it is a matter of Islam’s growth or Catholicism, I would be in a confirmation class tomorrow!
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Perhaps the only good protestant is a bad Catholic.😉
 
I found this:

The largest number of Baptists are in North America (77 percent), followed by Asia (9 percent), Africa (8 percent), South America (3 percent), Europe (2 percent), and Central America and the Caribbean Islands (1 percent).

www.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559750/Baptists.html

“Even though their membership grew last year to a record 16.3 million — higher than any group except Roman Catholics — Southern Baptist leaders say they worry about another statistic: baptisms have declined in each of the past four years, to 377,357 in 2003 from 419,342 in 1999.”

www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/06/28ky/B1-pres0628-10219.html
 
Make no mistake, if it is a matter of Islam’s growth or Catholicism, I would be in a confirmation class tomorrow!
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Fredricks, as a matter of fact, it is!

Islam, combined, has outpaced Catholicism: 1.2 billion vs. 1.1 billion (but not Christianity, yet!).

The Catholic Church is being hampered in her evangleization efforts in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and in the rest of South Asia and Southwest Asia, where almost 90% of Muslims are.

Certainly, you must know that evangelization efforts in the Middle East, Asia Minor, and in Northern Africa are severely restricted by the Islamic governments!

And we must NOT forget the Muslim “invasion” of Western Europe! A reverse Crusade, if you ask me.

This is factual, not a numbers game!
 
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Eden:
I found this:

The largest number of Baptists are in North America (77 percent), followed by Asia (9 percent), Africa (8 percent), South America (3 percent), Europe (2 percent), and Central America and the Caribbean Islands (1 percent).

www.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761559750/Baptists.html

“Even though their membership grew last year to a record 16.3 million — higher than any group except Roman Catholics — Southern Baptist leaders say they worry about another statistic: baptisms have declined in each of the past four years, to 377,357 in 2003 from 419,342 in 1999.”

www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/06/28ky/B1-pres0628-10219.html
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first they don’t believe in infant baptism… perhaps now they have no time for any baptism.
 
I know that the number of Baptists are declining and some Baptist are changing the names. The reasons why are many. But they have the right to be wrong too. But that is for another thread. But as for me I am complete in Christ, I have the fullness of the faith and and my salvation is secure and that is all that matters.

forever Baptist
allischalmers
 
Whereas, the USCCB figures say there are more than 1 million INFANT baptisms in the U.S. alone yearly, over and above the 150,00 or so converts and about 90,000 adult baptisms.

Go figure which is fading!
 
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allischalmers:
I know that the number of Baptists are declining and some Baptist are changing the names. The reasons why are many. But they have the right to be wrong too. But that is for another thread. But as for me I am complete in Christ, I have the fullness of the faith and and my salvation is secure and that is all that matters.

forever Baptist
allischalmers
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perhaps that is why Baptists are declining… as they begin to understand that even Paul prayed that his faith not fail.
 
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allischalmers:
I know that the number of Baptists are declining and some Baptist are changing the names. The reasons why are many. But they have the right to be wrong too.
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Then why wasn’t your thread entitled “Is the Baptist faith fading away”?
 
But as for me I am complete in Christ, I have the fullness of the faith and and my salvation is secure and that is all that matters.
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Hallelujah!

Ditto for us Catholics, except for the third! We are continually striving for our salvation, by faith **and **works, and THIS really matters! 😉
 
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Elzee:
I’m confused - if baptism is only symbolic, why does it matter if baptisms are declining?
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Baptism “symbolizes” membership, I think.
 
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