Most religious groups in USA have lost ground.....

[Nonno]

Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds - USATODAY.com

"When it comes to religion, the USA is now land of the freelancers.

The percentage. of people who call themselves in some way Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. The faithful have scattered out of their traditional bases: The Bible Belt is less Baptist. The Rust Belt is less Catholic. And everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers — or falling off the faith map completely.

hese dramatic shifts in just 18 years are detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), to be released today. It finds that, despite growth and immigration that has added nearly 50 million adults to the U.S. population, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.

"More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of who they are. They say, 'I'm everything. I'm nothing. I believe in myself,' " says Barry Kosmin, survey co-author.

Among the key findings in the 2008 survey:

• So many Americans claim no religion at all (15%, up from 8% in 1990), that this category now outranks every other major U.S. religious group except Catholics and Baptists. In a nation that has long been mostly Christian, "the challenge to Christianity … does not come from other religions but from a rejection of all forms of organized religion," the report concludes. "

 

[2ndAmendment]

Just as it is prophesied to happen in the last days before the tribulation.

It will be illegal to be a Christian eventually.

 

[MissKitty]

Just as it is prophesied to happen in the last days before the tribulation.

It will be illegal to be a Christian eventually.

Thank God.

 

[This_person]

The Government can not favor one over the other nor can it force it on others.

"Favoring" one over the other is significantly subjective. Is knowing that 80% of your population or so wants Christmas off, and therefore making Christmas a federal holiday "favoring"? It could easily be argued both ways.

However, forcing people to practice Christianity is clearly not allowed. ESTABLISHING a religion is not the same as recognizing religions and/or recoginizing the inherently better ones than others insofar as societal stability goes.

Your a Govt official; you are responsible to all citizens not just the ones that believe as you. You fail to understand that distinction, and feel any instance of a government official pushing his own belief onto others is bad.... unless he believes in your sky pixie. If it was a Muslim trying to get articles of the Q'Uran made into a statue on the Courthouse grounds would you defend him just as much as Roy Moore? (dont worry that was a rhetorical)

If the Koran "article" had historical significance to that particular courthouse, why would it be bad?

 

[Toxick]

ce of a government official pushing his own belief onto others is bad.... unless he believes in your sky pixie. If it was a Muslim trying to get articles of

I oftentimes wish that you believe in something - anything - just so that I could belittle it with a diminutive name like the above.



I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with the fact that you're going to fry in hell for all eternity.

 

[Vince]

A little more religion in our lives and we'd probably have less crime, i.e. murder, rape, etc.

 

[Toxick]

A little more religion in our lives and we'd probably have less crime, i.e. murder, rape, etc.

The can is now open.


The impending worm invasion will begin shortly.

 

[Pandora]

I have more faith in my faceless friend than I have in people! Too bad others don't experience that in their life. What a shame!

 

[Vince]

The can is now open.


The impending worm invasion will begin shortly.

I don't bother with the worms anymore. They're not worth the trouble.

 

[Zguy28]

Just as it is prophesied to happen in the last days before the tribulation.

It will be illegal to be a Christian eventually.

Pre-trib nonsense.

Christianity is growing in other parts of the world (China, Vietnam, Africa, Middle East).

It is a known historical (and biblical) fact that the church grows in places where it is persecuted and stagnates where it is comfortable.

Get your mind outside the USA for a minute.

 

[Toxick]

it wasnt directed at you, you want to take it personal i cant do anything about it.

That's exactly what I mean. I'm aware that it wasn't directed at me, but wherever it happened to be directed, it was a belittling comment about something in which I place value.

So regardless of your intent, it is a disrespectful slap in my face, whether you choose to acknowledge that or not, whether you intended it or not.

Not that you give a ####.


Which is why I said that I often wish you believed in ... anything.

I would non-chalantly say something provocative and demeaning about it, and then when you called me on it, I would blow off your objection, and then act like you were some kind of twerp for taking offense.




I just wish you would stop doing that. Please.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Pre-trib nonsense.

Christianity is growing in other parts of the world (China, Vietnam, Africa, Middle East).

It is a known historical (and biblical) fact that the church grows in places where it is persecuted and stagnates where it is comfortable.

Get your mind outside the USA for a minute.

If you say so. But I am certainly not the only one thinking what I posted. It is absolutely true that Christ's body (the church) grows in persecution.

The prophesy of the apostasy is in the Bible and it must happen before Jesus returns. And whether He returns today or 10,000 years from now, each day is another day closer to His return.

No man knows the hour or day, but we are to be observant of the signs.

 

[MissKitty]

If you say so. But I am certainly not the only one thinking what I posted. It is absolutely true that Christ's body (the church) grows in persecution.

The prophesy of the apostasy is in the Bible and it must happen before Jesus returns. And whether He returns today or 10,000 years from now, each day is another day closer to His return.

No man knows the hour or day, but we are to be observant of the signs.

 

[pixiegirl]

and your the type of person the Founding Fathers wanted to protect other Citizens of this country (who are not Christian) from.

There is no war on Christianity, there is no effort to outlaw it, but the Government can not favor one over the other nor can it force it on others.

Your a Govt official; you are responsible to all citizens not just the ones that believe as you. You fail to understand that distinction, and feel any instance of a government official pushing his own belief onto others is bad.... unless he believes in your sky pixie. If it was a Muslim trying to get articles of the Q'Uran made into a statue on the Courthouse grounds would you defend him just as much as Roy Moore? (dont worry that was a rhetorical)

Stop saying "sky pixie" or start addressing me as "My Lord".

 

[pixiegirl]

A little more religion in our lives and we'd probably have less crime, i.e. murder, rape, etc.

Faith would be a better choice of words than religion. I have plenty of faith but don't care for religion at all.

 

[thatguy]

If you say so. But I am certainly not the only one thinking what I posted. It is absolutely true that Christ's body (the church) grows in persecution.

The prophesy of the apostasy is in the Bible and it must happen before Jesus returns. And whether He returns today or 10,000 years from now, each day is another day closer to His return.

No man knows the hour or day, but we are to be observant of the signs.

well tht seals the deal then. the end is upon us, give or take 10000 years

 

[Zguy28]

If you say so. But I am certainly not the only one thinking what I posted.

Obviously. There are a lot of deceived people out there who believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture.

It is absolutely true that Christ's body (the church) grows in persecution.

Yep. That's why its shrinking here in the US. We are too comfortable.

The prophesy of the apostasy is in the Bible and it must happen before Jesus returns. And whether He returns today or 10,000 years from now, each day is another day closer to His return.

What you are seeing today isn't apostasy. Lots of folks just used to pay lip-service to God and nothing else. Now that their faith is challenged and the church leaders have no faith, they fall away like the seed cast in the rocks or along the path.

No man knows the hour or day, but we are to be observant of the signs.

If you believe in Pre-Trib, then you are Premillenial also. This means that the Millennial kingdom must come to pass in which everybody will be Christians for 1000 years and then there will be a great apostasy and only then will Christ return in His glory.

So, for you, don't worry about apostasy, you haven't seen the 1000 year reign yet.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Obviously. There are a lot of deceived people out there who believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture.

Yep. That's why its shrinking here in the US. We are too comfortable.

What you are seeing today isn't apostasy. Lots of folks just used to pay lip-service to God and nothing else. Now that their faith is challenged and the church leaders have no faith, they fall away like the seed cast in the rocks or along the path.

If you believe in Pre-Trib, then you are Premillenial also. This means that the Millennial kingdom must come to pass in which everybody will be Christians for 1000 years and then there will be a great apostasy and only then will Christ return in His glory.

So, for you, don't worry about apostasy, you haven't seen the 1000 year reign yet.

Only time will tell if this is the apostasy.

Where did you get the idea that I believe in pre-tribulation rapture? Quite the opposite. I think belief in a pre-tribulation rapture requires a contortion of scripture out of context. I know that Jesus taught that even the very elect might be lost if the days of the tribulation were not shortened (Matthew 24).

But pre-trib or post-trib is not of consequence and argument over something that no man knows the hour or day (Matthew 24:36) is not something Christians should be doing (1 Timothy 1, Titus 3:9-11) since it detracts from our God given purpose of spreading the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15).

We should be about our Father's business rather than discussing meaningless controversies, especially in public.