The idea of providing a space that encourages a close knit community and promotes moral values to all individuals seems like it could be good for increasing membership, and would be good for the community as a whole.
In the face of declining numbers of believers in supernatural deities, focusing on the actual practical function of the church in a community might be a good pivot. Then once you have more people in the door, you might get buy-in from some into the supernatural faith based elements. Those people who buy-in then end up turning to more conservative churches to explore the rest of the religion. It's still a net gain for the religion and community.
NightcrawlerX/Man
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
Proctologist 5mo ago#6879268
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Your logic makes sense on its face but at the end of the day the "here for the community" folks do just stop going altogether, hence why Baptists/Catholics/Pentecostals have weathered the storm thus far while the ones who dispense with taking the Bible seriously have hemorrhaged numbers with the younger generations... which was what @Count_Sprpr was saying.
the "here for the community" folks do just stop going
Or get old and die without anyone from the younger generation replacing them. Like when I think of the Episcopalians I just think of old ladies in my grandparents' generation having a social get-together. The last place I'd be caught dead in.
NightcrawlerX/Man
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
Redactor0 5mo ago#6881742
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Statistically you're correct, which is fricking why I said "with the fricking younger generations". Average age for Episcopalians/Anglicans is fricking 56.
Some stats for our !Christians. While I think "how important is fricking it to you that your children share your religious beliefs?" is fricking probably one of the fricking best proxy questions for "do you actually believe this is fricking true?" I would wonder how many of the fricking Mainline Prots and Catholics have ecumenically neutral views as opposed to being agnostics in the fricking pews. Evangelicals mostly don't consider other denominations to be "real Christians" which would influence their response.
Regardless, it's not looking good for us projecting into the fricking near future Christbros. Pray for America.
Christianity is declining in North America and Europe, but it is rapidly growing in Africa and Asia, so much so that there are now "Reverse Missions" of African, Asian, and Latin American missionaries going in epic expeditions to convert the European heathens!
NightcrawlerX/Man
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
BWC 5mo ago#6881794
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Most of the fricking parishes in the fricking USA have at least one priest from SA/Africa/the Philippines at this point and it's only gonna trend further in that direction. Westerners are too fricking financially comfortable and commitment-averse to enter the fricking priesthood these days.
It's funny but Nashville of all places is the only one I've seen so far that has a surplus of TN native priests. We actually have like two priests per church. Everywhere else I go to the U.S. has a priest from Africa or S Korea
KoreanFailedCoupKinghey/hem
Tallest Ricecel on this site. Increasing the East Asian Birth Rate by ANY means necessary
Yang 5mo ago#6882140
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Other Gook churches saw how fricking easy Unification Church; a literal heretic branch and cult, got to international spy frick-frick games with no consequences and decided they can do better.
NightcrawlerX/Man
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
Grue 5mo ago#6881780
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IDK if you're in the fricking pinggroup just for equal opportunity trollmaxxing purposes but it's a fricking common definition of "love" amongst all branches of Christianity to will the fricking ultimate good for others, which means to know and serve God (the only acceptable answer for the fricking purpose of life). If you don't think that matters you've fallen far away from Christ.
Also Matthew 16:18 the fricking gates of Heck shall not prevail, @Grue.
NightcrawlerX/Man
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
JiggyKonghad 5mo ago#6881835
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I think @Grue knows I like xem I just take a fricking consistently combative tone due to my which probably isn't good for convincing anyone but it's hard to moderate especially when I'm mostly active early in the fricking morning while drinking coffee. It's 6:30AM here. I sincerely doubt I'm going to influence anyone's conversion but I can at least provide an orthodox Christian take on most subjects to add to the fricking intellectual diversity of this forum. Sorry to anyone I've offended past or present or in the fricking inevitable future until I leave this website.
Most of the fricking people I talk to frequently have been subjected to this aspect of my personality as @nuclearshill and @QuadNarca could likewise attest.
Most of the fricking people I talk to frequently have been subjected to this aspect of my personality as NS and quad could likewise attest.
I subject everyone I engage with here to much worse, but I've only gotten blocked a handful of times. There's about 150 people that actively engage here. We're all voluntarily in the asylum together despite the doors being open
I also tell you that you are Peter,{Peter's name, Petros in Greek, is the word for a specific rock or stone.} and on this rock{Greek, petra, a rock mass or bedrock.} I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I don't disagree (although I'm pretty sure Catholics and Baptists are still declining in terms of percent of the total population), but in England especially there seems to be a movement among secular individuals where they are embracing the idea of "cultural Christianity".
Secular society has a massive void when it comes to community.
It makes sense for a branch to try to appeal to these people.
IVIayaelTheAnimaI/We
I’m 100% certain that at least half the mods do not have Faith or the Holy Spirit.
Proctologist 5mo ago#6879726
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The idea of providing a space that encourages a close knit community and promotes moral values to all individuals seems like it could be good for increasing membership, and would be good for the community as a whole.
It does. Unfortunately progs don't promote moral values or community.
But nonbelievers, tend to just not go out as often. Cultural third spaces died, not because of some conspiracy but because the consumer no longer exists. Most atheists just want to stay home and watch movies, and play vidya. For many the pain of interacting with other people is what drove them to atheism.
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The idea of providing a space that encourages a close knit community and promotes moral values to all individuals seems like it could be good for increasing membership, and would be good for the community as a whole.
In the face of declining numbers of believers in supernatural deities, focusing on the actual practical function of the church in a community might be a good pivot. Then once you have more people in the door, you might get buy-in from some into the supernatural faith based elements. Those people who buy-in then end up turning to more conservative churches to explore the rest of the religion. It's still a net gain for the religion and community.
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Your logic makes sense on its face but at the end of the day the "here for the community" folks do just stop going altogether, hence why Baptists/Catholics/Pentecostals have weathered the storm thus far while the ones who dispense with taking the Bible seriously have hemorrhaged numbers with the younger generations... which was what
@Count_Sprpr was saying.
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Or get old and die without anyone from the younger generation replacing them. Like when I think of the Episcopalians I just think of old ladies in my grandparents' generation having a social get-together. The last place I'd be caught dead in.
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Statistically you're correct, which is fricking why I said "with the fricking younger generations". Average age for Episcopalians/Anglicans is fricking 56.![:marseyboomer: :marseyboomer:](https://i.rdrama.net/e/marseyboomer.webp)
Regardless, it's not looking good for us projecting into the fricking near future Christbros. Pray for America.![:marseydoomer: :marseydoomer:](https://i.rdrama.net/e/marseydoomer.webp)
![:marseyitisfinished: :marseyitisfinished:](https://i.rdrama.net/e/marseyitisfinished.webp)
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Christianity is declining in North America and Europe, but it is rapidly growing in Africa and Asia, so much so that there are now "Reverse Missions" of African, Asian, and Latin American missionaries going in epic expeditions to convert the European heathens!
Redditor
at Brothas fighting against atheism and racism: https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1cifb9g/til_african_reverse_missionaries_are_traveling_to/
Inb4 "Christian missionaries" becomes code-word for "African immigrants"![:#wingcucks: :#wingcucks:](https://i.rdrama.net/e/wingcucks.webp)
https://www.premierchristianity.com/features/reverse-mission-why-african-evangelists-are-blessing-europe/15825.article
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-07/african-missionaries-contribute-much-to-church-in-europe.html
https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/17207/the-presence-of-african-missionaries-and-churches-recognises-the-fact-that-europe-is-a-mission-field
https://qz.com/africa/1088489/africas-reverse-missionaries-are-trying-to-bring-christianity-back-to-the-united-kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_mission
!christians !catholics
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Most of the fricking parishes in the fricking USA have at least one priest from SA/Africa/the Philippines at this point and it's only gonna trend further in that direction. Westerners are too fricking financially comfortable and commitment-averse to enter the fricking priesthood these days.
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It's funny
but Nashville of all places is the only one I've seen so far that has a surplus of TN native
priests. We actually
have like two priests per church. Everywhere else I go to the U.S. has a priest
from Africa
or S Korea ![:marseyhwacha: :marseyhwacha:](https://i.rdrama.net/e/marseyhwacha.webp)
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What's with that anyway?
My grandparents' small town in Kansas has a South Korean priest lady
(Not sure what you'd call a female Methodist preacher)
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For whatever
reason S Korea
has a huge !christians boom. Any !historychads know why that is?
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Other Gook churches saw how fricking easy Unification Church; a literal heretic branch and cult, got to international spy frick-frick games with no consequences and decided they can do better.
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Who's us? If Christians are gone, you'll be dead and this silly mortal place will be of no concern to you good or bad.
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IDK if you're in the fricking pinggroup just for equal opportunity trollmaxxing purposes but it's a fricking common definition of "love" amongst all branches of Christianity to will the fricking ultimate good for others, which means to know and serve God (the only acceptable answer for the fricking purpose of life). If you don't think that matters you've fallen far away from Christ.
Also Matthew 16:18 the fricking gates of Heck shall not prevail,
@Grue.
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Grue's not trolling here. Xhe's just intellectually curious and likes debating
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I think
@Grue knows I like xem I just take a fricking consistently combative tone due to my
which probably isn't good for convincing anyone but it's hard to moderate especially when I'm mostly active early in the fricking morning while drinking coffee. It's 6:30AM here. I sincerely doubt I'm going to influence anyone's conversion but I can at least provide an orthodox Christian take on most subjects to add to the fricking intellectual diversity of this forum. Sorry to anyone I've offended past or present or in the fricking inevitable future until I leave this website.
Most of the fricking people I talk to frequently have been subjected to this aspect of my personality as
@nuclearshill and
@QuadNarca could likewise attest.
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I subject everyone I engage with here to much worse, but I've only gotten blocked a handful of times. There's about 150 people that actively engage here. We're all voluntarily in the asylum together despite the doors being open
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Matthew 16:18
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I don't disagree (although I'm pretty sure Catholics and Baptists are still declining in terms of percent of the total population), but in England especially there seems to be a movement among secular individuals where they are embracing the idea of "cultural Christianity".
Secular society has a massive void when it comes to community.
It makes sense for a branch to try to appeal to these people.
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It does. Unfortunately progs don't promote moral values or community.
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just because YOU don't believe in progressive values doesnt mean SOME OF US dont
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But nonbelievers, tend to just not go out as often. Cultural third spaces died, not because of some conspiracy but because the consumer no longer exists. Most atheists just want to stay home and watch movies, and play vidya. For many the pain of interacting with other people is what drove them to atheism.
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Yes great idea. I wonder how your theory is playing out in the real world.
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