Utlimately Christianity is doomed.

[Sixtus]

In another thread a member wrote:

Christ established his first, authoritative church through Peter and his apostles, but knew it would ultimately and inevitable be fragmented.

His divine nature made it impossible for him not to know this, as has been pointed out elsewhere.

Christ did not intervene at any point in the history of his universal church when secession threatened and actually occurred

I found that very interesting and have to agree.

An athiest friend of mine argues that irreperable changes occur every 22-generations.

He argues vehemently that 22-generations x 100-1 * ultimately Christianity is doomed to fail as it will become so fragmented, watered down, no one will be able to recall what the original message was, much less so Christ on Whom it was founded.

What do you think?*

 

[Ridgerunner]

What do you think?

I think it’s amazing that a person who believes in some mystical property of “22 generations” would choke on a belief in God. Seems to me believing in God is a lot easier than believing there’s something magical about 22 generations.

 

[Sixtus]

Ridgerunner

Re: Utlimately Christianity is doomed.
Quote:Originally Posted by Sixtus

What do you think?

I think it’s amazing that a person who believes in some mystical property of “22 generations” would choke on a belief in God. Seems to me believing in God is a lot easier than believing there’s something magical about 22 generations

Well, I do not know so I went back to my athiest friend and asked what was magical about 22-generations.

He said 'well it’s like this: The Catholic Church split after roughly 22-generations. Then a futher 22-generations she fragmented into Catholic and Protestant. In another 22-generations the Church will have fragmented again. Take that to the enth degree he argued ‘JW’s and SDA will be the dominant mainstream because the Mainstream will have fragmented into numerous other smaller sects’.

‘The Bible by which time will be less credible than Old Moores Almanac’! I have no idea what Old Moores Almanac is!!

 

[LilyM]

Interesting - there are still more Catholics than all other Christian denominations combined. More than that, there are probably as many Latin Rite Catholics (all essentially holding to the same beliefs, same ritual and same hierarchy, so essentially one organisation) as there are non-Catholic Christians. Still roughly 800 or 900 million Latin Rite Catholics alone, well competitive with any other faith, including Islam.

I don’t see imminent collapse in an organisation that has maintained so much strength and unity for so long.

 

[Genesis315]

Interesting - there are still more Catholics than all other Christian denominations combined. More than that, there are probably as many Latin Rite Catholics (all essentially holding to the same beliefs, same ritual and same hierarchy, so essentially one organisation) as there are non-Catholic Christians. Still roughly 800 or 900 million Latin Rite Catholics alone, well competitive with any other faith, including Islam.

Don’t forget the Islam is a bunch of different independent sects. Catholicism is the largest religion in the world when we take divisions in other religions into account like we do with Christianity.

 

[Kadaveri]

Not really, since regardless of how many sects there are in Islam they’re mostly insignificant in terms of numbers, as 90% of Muslims are Sunni anyway.

 

[Jedda]

Not really, since regardless of how many sects there are in Islam they’re mostly insignificant in terms of numbers, as 90% of Muslims are Sunni anyway.

Accurate percentages are not. The best guess is Shiite 60%, Kurdish 20%, Sunni 15%, other 5%. That is probably within ±5% of the real numbers. 66.51.192.14 03:15, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

about.com

Either way you cannot count all sects as “one” because they have waged war on each other since their prophet has died and will wage war until Jesus returns.

 

[FuzzyBunny116]

In another thread a member wrote:

I found that very interesting and have to agree.

An athiest friend of mine argues that irreperable changes occur every 22-generations.

He argues vehemently that 22-generations x 100-1 * ultimately Christianity is doomed to fail as it will become so fragmented, watered down, no one will be able to recall what the original message was, much less so Christ on Whom it was founded.

What do you think?*

He’s assuming that the world lasts that long, that God or man won’t destroy it. Besides, Christ has promised Hell would not prevail, and if there is any institution which I would trust to be preserved, it is the 2000 year old Church, the longest, still running organization in the world.

 

[kellie]

Catholicism hasn’t changed since Jesus founded it.

Others may branch off and form their own denominations of Christianity, and change teachings, and allow things that Christ didn’t such as divorce, but Catholicism hasn’t.

Protestantism may water down in 60,000 years, but I cannot see how Catholicism will, as we haven’t so far.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Catholicism hasn’t changed since Jesus founded it.

Others may branch off and form their own denominations of Christianity, and change teachings, and allow things that Christ didn’t such as divorce, but Catholicism hasn’t.

Protestantism may water down in 60,000 years, but I cannot see how Catholicism will, as we haven’t so far.

I wouldnt even say Protestantism will water down cause its growing too. (lets not make it a us/them arguement the athiest could care less about denomination, so while what I say next may upset, think about it from a atheist view, we are all the same to them)

Another point is Belief in Christ through different denominations has not slowed down or watered down, it could break into thousands of churches but Christ is the denominator not the specific church. Belief in Christ is not watering down or going away no matter how much wishful thinking a athiest does.

Every tounge will confess I am Lord, but quoteing scripture with atheists generally gets a negative response, you have to state answers in your own words.

 

[theAuthor]

Catholicism hasn’t changed since Jesus founded it.

Others may branch off and form their own denominations of Christianity, and change teachings, and allow things that Christ didn’t such as divorce, but Catholicism hasn’t.

Protestantism may water down in 60,000 years, but I cannot see how Catholicism will, as we haven’t so far.

Ahem? So there has been no development of doctrine? No new laws have been made by the Magesterium and then revoked over time? Do you still eat no meat every friday? Jesus never said to Peter, “I will give you the name Pope and you will be the Bishop of Rome, and Rome shall be the centre of Christianity.” There was no Bible for hundreds of years. Of course the Catholic Church has changed and developed over 2000 years. Further, older Catholics were all taught creationism, and are now rideculed for believing in it. Things have and do change. The same with allowing laymen to read the Bible post Vatican II.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Accurate percentages are not. The best guess is Shiite 60%, Kurdish 20%, Sunni 15%, other 5%. That is probably within ±5% of the real numbers. 66.51.192.14 03:15, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

about.com

Either way you cannot count all sects as “one” because they have waged war on each other since their prophet has died and will wage war until Jesus returns.

I have to say this these statistics are next to useless. I say this because the margin of error is ±5% and one of the stats falls totally within this margin of error, that is other is listed as 5%. So this study is saying that other might actually be 0% which we know is false.

Also, Kurdish is not a sect of Islam, it is an ethnic distinction.

 

[puzzleannie]

In An athiest friend of mine argues that irreperable changes occur every 22-generations.

HeWhat do you think?

changes in what? DNA? climate cycles? what on earth is he talking about and what does it have to do with passage quoted? And what does any of it have to do with the survival of the Catholic Church?

Christ guaranteed the survival of the Catholic Church by sending his HOly Spirit. Naturally an atheist would have no problem with the proposition that Christ is a rogue and/or a liar, but certainly no one on a Christian forum would entertain such a notion for an instant.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Ahem? So there … Bible post Vatican II.

Some things change in the Catholic Church.

Other things do not change in the Catholic Church.

Truth does not change in the Catholic Church.

The expression that that Truth may find specific to history and culture may change in the Catholic Church.

Has reason changed? Hint: no.
Faith cannot be unreasonable.
Therefore Faith cannot change.

The Deposit of the Faith was to the Catholic Church.
Therefore if the Catholic Church survives, then Christianity is not doomed.

Jesus promised us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.
Therefore Christianity is not doomed.

As for the 22 generation theory. Perhaps folks will have a major disagreement every 22 generations. But does this mean that the Truth is watered down? Hint: no.

 

[Verisimilitude]

An athiest friend of mine argues that irreperable changes occur every 22-generations.

He argues vehemently that 22-generations x 100-1 * ultimately Christianity is doomed to fail as it will become so fragmented, watered down, no one will be able to recall what the original message was, much less so Christ on Whom it was founded.

What do you think?*

I think we stilll have free-will that must always be considered and as a result we have such challanges to the church. I will trust it’s care to the Holy Spirit.

Since we have completed only 2000 of his 60,000 years time frame, I say we meet up in another 58k years to see who was correct.

(That reminds me of Frank Herbert’s Dune series)

 

[faelpsanfeel]

ultimately Christianity is doomed to fail as it will become so fragmented, watered down, no one will be able to recall what the original message was, much less so Christ on Whom it was founded.

What do you think?

I think we might be about half way there already.

 

[Kadaveri]

Accurate percentages are not. The best guess is Shiite 60%, Kurdish 20%, Sunni 15%, other 5%. That is probably within ±5% of the real numbers. 66.51.192.14 03:15, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

about.com

Those statistics are for Iraq, not worldwide (in which Sunni represent about 90% of Muslims). And they’re wrong anyway since Kurds aren’t a religious sect they’re an ethnic group, the vast majority of which are Sunni.

 

[CCM08]

Okay, if 22 generations equals the year 1054 AD from the year 2-3 AD then how is the 16th century (just 500 years) another 22 generations?

 

[mark_a]

In another thread a member wrote:

I found that very interesting and have to agree.

An athiest friend of mine argues that irreperable changes occur every 22-generations.

He argues vehemently that 22-generations x 100-1 * ultimately Christianity is doomed to fail as it will become so fragmented, watered down, no one will be able to recall what the original message was, much less so Christ on Whom it was founded.

What do you think?*
The CCC states that true Christianity will nearly disappear as the second coming approaches.

And there will be mass conversion of the Jews to Christianity.

The first is already happening.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

The CCC states that true Christianity will nearly disappear as the second coming approaches.

Can you give us the link please? Thank you.