Americans not losing their religion, but changing it often
I came across this CNN article, Americans not losing their religion, but changing it often, and it was interesting reading.
A few observations:
1 - "I began to see there were some things I wasn't able to get on board with fully. I don't like the traditional Episcopalian focus on the afterlife."
Notice the criteria for this change; not I investigated or studied the Bible and came to a different conclusion, but rather..."I didn't like it." as if it was Butter Pecan ice cream vs. Mocha Almond Fudge. Truth is not a flavor of ice cream. But many people treat religion like it is.
2 - "More than four in 10 American adults are no longer members of the religion they were brought up in, while about one in 10 changed religion, then went back to the one they left, the study found. Just under five in 10 -- 47 percent -- have never changed faith."
Change is not necessarily bad of course, but the reasons are what is important here. And if it is simply people being too busy and drifiting or not liking something...those aren't good foundations to build a worldview and way of life on.
Christianity works becasue it is true; it is not true because it works.
A few observations:
1 - "I began to see there were some things I wasn't able to get on board with fully. I don't like the traditional Episcopalian focus on the afterlife."
Notice the criteria for this change; not I investigated or studied the Bible and came to a different conclusion, but rather..."I didn't like it." as if it was Butter Pecan ice cream vs. Mocha Almond Fudge. Truth is not a flavor of ice cream. But many people treat religion like it is.
2 - "More than four in 10 American adults are no longer members of the religion they were brought up in, while about one in 10 changed religion, then went back to the one they left, the study found. Just under five in 10 -- 47 percent -- have never changed faith."
Change is not necessarily bad of course, but the reasons are what is important here. And if it is simply people being too busy and drifiting or not liking something...those aren't good foundations to build a worldview and way of life on.
Christianity works becasue it is true; it is not true because it works.
Labels: Cultural Observations, Current Events, Pop Culture, Spiritual Formation, Thinking Christianly
posted by Jonathan Morrow at
1:01 PM
6 Comments:
"I didn't like it." as if it was Butter Pecan ice cream vs. Mocha Almond Fudge. Truth is not a flavor of ice cream. But many people treat religion like it is.Curious, Jonathan: Do you handle snakes? What is your stance on blood transfusions for one of your children?
Do you like you hymns with or without music?
Which verison of "truth" is true?
You know where I'm going wiht this, of course. Christians often assert (as you are asserting here) that THEIR version of "the truth" is the ONLY truth.
Soem people, liek me, finally came to the realization that all religions can't be true. Since no single one of them can be labeled "most true" then it stands to reason that perhaps all of them are false.
Perhaps the only correct stance is atheism or perhaps even deism. But "Christianity" above all others? I think not
Hello frank, you are conflating core issues (like Jesus, the cross, resurrection, the Trinity etc.) with tertiary matters...
BTW - your attempt at lumping historic Christianity in with Jehovah's witnesses (who do not affirm he Trinity and are therefore not Christian) and snake handlers (based on a dubious reading of Mark 16:9-20 - which most likely was not part of the ending of Mark)...is not applicable.
Is there a passage of Scripture which mandates hymns or no hymns? then it is irrelevant which I prefer. (in the interest of full disclosure I like them both!)
No what we are claiming is that the core teachings of Jesus are true. Their can be many disagreements on secondary issues--and this is not arbitrary, it is based in the text.
Your discussion about religions was curious to me...why can't all be true? (I agree that they cant because they make fundamentally different claims) and you don't strike me as a relativist.
you obviously think you have the truth--and Christians don't. Isn't that being intolerant and narrow minded?
Why do you think atheism is true? what is your argument for that?
"Christianity works because it is true; it is not true because it works."
I would disagree and say that Christianity is nothing but nonsense.
1. You are a sinner and deserve to go to "hell".
2. If you believe in "magic man in the sky" then he will forgive your sins and send you to heaven.
The big "elephant in the room" that few people seem to see is that it provides the poison AND the antidote in one convenient package. That should ring the alarm bells in the search for truth.
The sooner the human race gives up these ancient myths and childish fantasies, the better.
BTW - your attempt at lumping historic Christianity in with Jehovah's witnesses (who do not affirm he Trinity and are therefore not Christian) and snake handlers (based on a dubious reading of Mark 16:9-20 - which most likely was not part of the ending of Mark)...is not applicable.Hello Jonathan.
Not applicable? Says who? Millions of followers would disagree with you so vehemently that they would even lay down their lives. By what authority do you simply deem the belief systems of millions of people "N/A"?
you obviously think you have the truth--and Christians don't. Isn't that being intolerant and narrow minded? Well, I certainly think so but I would never claim to "know" so. Yes, I have pondered the question often and deeply and find the evidence for god exactly as persuasive as the evidence for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. ;)
Why do you think atheism is true? what is your argument for that?Do you believe in Thor (the coolest and the baddest of all gods!)? How about Zeus? Yahweh had a wife, you know. Do you believe that?
I suppose you don't. When you understand why you do not believe in those gods, you will understand why I don't believe in your God.
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Show me one example of someone in modern times being convinced that Thor exists after years of not believing in him.
With Christ, that happens all the time. A large portion of Christians were not always Christians, they found something so profound and extraordinary that it completely changed their lives.
I can provide plenty of examples of lives changed by Christ, not including my own. If God is no different than Thor, then please provide a modern example of one life changed by Thor.
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