Christianity is Imploding!

Christianity is breaking down from within. I was always taught that religion and especially Christianity would be attacked by the outside world and would suffer great persecution by non-believers and that this would bring down religion or at least make it very difficult for it to remain out in the open. Those believing would have to “stand strong in the faith.”

Since I have been standing on the outside for a number of years I have seen that this is not what is actually happening. I thought I would put into words what I see happening and you all can contribute what you like.

1. Immorality is taking many members out, so it becomes difficult to maintain the guidelines that many Christian beliefs stand by. This would of course include; pedophilia, homosexuality that is considered debased by Christians, and the very high divorce rate. Addictions also play a big part. Again, it is hard to maintain a righteous standing if one cannot overcome their addictions, and this world is rampant with it. Many though, stay in religion and create a self-righteous façade, and to protect it; do a lot of performance or service work to draw attention away from their; sins under the carpet – behind a closed door behavior.

2. Societal views and influence. It is no longer “cool” in many of the eyes of society to be religious so it casts doubt on the believer.

3. There are countless different Christian views that play a big part in dividing the Christian masses and the adage; “We have the Truth and you are misguided!” I read a lot of books by many scholars and theologians. One particular Christian apologetic by the name of: Hank Hanegraaff wrote, “Christianity in Crisis.” I liked aspects of his discussion on why Christianity is indeed in crisis. He broke down all the reasons he believed this is so, and he blames other Faith theology for it.

“This cancer has been triggered by a steady diet of “fast –food Christianity” – a Christianity long on looks but short on substance.” He also says, “Under the banner “Jesus is Lord,” multitudes are being duped by a gospel of greed and are embracing doctrines straight from the metaphysical cults…Eternal truths from the Word of God are being perverted into bad mythology- and all the while Christianity is hurtling at breakneck speed into a crisis of unparalleled proportions.”

I found there to be some truth in what he said, but as is often the case – he attacked other theologians pointing out the splinter in their eyes but not the rafter in his own! Unfortunately, in reading his book there is the self-righteous and superiority attitude that the religious, and especially its leaders have, and one that won’t allow doubt.

4. Many are leaving religion because of the hypocrisy that one views while as a member. That was certainly my case. The so-called love that Christianity promotes is a counterfeit one. I have to mention; that we can certainly see that here on ATS. How often do we see a thread that starts out as one questioning religion, or controversies with religion, and it turns into a “bait & lure” routine? The OP can be bait to capture interest, while you are lured into the trap of discussing Christianity and its beliefs, and when it makes all the non-believers angry, the Christians scream – “Persecution!” It creates victim situations.

5. Many leave Christianity and other religions for that matter, to search for more accurate truth. Many like me are searching and wanting to learn new information. IMO the apocalypse has been going on for a long time. Apocalypse = a revealing, another words: new light or new information coming out. I have noticed and read many books that have been out the last couple of decades and many that are newer, that reveal contrary information to that of Christianity. Many of these writers are Biblical scholars, and some of them have had to re-adjust their beliefs in light of new discoveries.

Biblical scholar; Bart Ehrman wrote “Misquoting Jesus – The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why.” He started out an evangelical Christian but gained enough insight and information to cause him to question everything he had been taught. Being able to read ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin and also given access to the ancient writings, gave him more than enough to grapple with.

It was quite astounding for him to learn that there were no original manuscripts of the NT! Everything in existence is a copy of a copy of a copy, countless times over, “What we have are copies made later – much later. In most instances, they are copies made many centuries later. And these copies all differ from one another, in many thousands of places…there are more differences among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.” Imagine that! This caused quite a conundrum for him.

Even more so when he discovered that the doctrine he was raised with, the trinity, was added much later to the manuscripts by the theologians living in the 16th century and was a teaching not found in the earliest Greek copies of the NT. A faulty edition would be the foundation of the KJV. He acknowledges that most scholars know this information, but choose to overlook it, or have given up on it. He lists far more in his book, and I recommend all to read it who are interested and those who are not fearful of a challenge!

Add to this: the new understanding of the last couple of decades as to who the actual authors of the Gospels are (or at least 3 of them)! Some of the books in the NT are not written by said authors, and this includes Paul. So many discrepancies are to be found, now, with the Bible.

A last point from him; “I came to think that my earlier views of inspiration were not only irrelevant, they were probably wrong. For the only reason (I came to think) for God to inspire the Bible would be so that his people would have his actual words; but if he really wanted people to have his actual words, surely he would have miraculously preserved those words, just as he had miraculously inspired them in the first place. Given the circumstance that he didn’t preserve the words, the conclusion seemed inescapable to me that he hadn’t gone to the trouble of inspiring them.”

He and I differ on this! I believe that God inspired the Bible but not for the orthodox reasons that we are taught – and that is: to allow the misquoting of words and the dysfunction of its translations to be a tool that would separate the spiritual from the religious and would eventually cause Christianity to implode!

Let’s please keep this discussion civil and understand that we may not agree. I have been a fundamentalist in my past and can appreciate how hard it is to swallow what I researched and wrote. I am not interested in the religious view as I am very familiar with the reasoning and tactics (about 40 years worth). Actually I am interested in those who have similar findings so that it may broaden my perspectives even further. Many of you are very bright and open, and so I appreciate what you may have to say. Thanks for your attention!

I disagree. The dogmatic church is imploding, the teachings of Jesus are becoming more clear.

Jesus lives in the consciousness IMO, and the physical return will be the anti-christ.

You are witnessing the apostasy, the "great falling away" talked about. Are you surprised? You shouldn't have been. That is, if your church had actually preached from the bible.

reply to post by MatrixProphet


Very interesting post! Thank you very much for all your input, and the quoted texts from other authors, very interesting and insightful.

As a Christian, I witness many of the problems you have outlined. The church has become diluted, where we accept everything for fear of prosecution. Yes, the church is about accepting of those with sin, because we are all sinners, but once we give our life to Christ, our love for him will make us want to turn from our sin and repent. Yes, we may continue to sin because we are human in a sinful world, but that is what his grace is for, SINCERE repentance.

The church being full of hypocrisy is another good point. We say how much we love, and turn around and judge. It is a problem that needs to be dealt with if we want to be the real church of Christ, but unfortunately, many Christians get a "holier than thou" mentality, and think that they are without sin, thus can cast the first stone. WRONG. Essentially, Jesus was the only one who could cast the first stone, but instead, he told her "I neither will condemn you. Go, and sin no more."

But that brings me to my next point. This is where I have to disagree with you, civilly of course.
I made a post like this not to long ago.Christianity is about faith in God, and Jesus, his son who was sent to die for us, sinful humans as means for us to be with God and develop a relationship (not religion) with him. I believe that he gave us his word, through the inspiration of men writing the texts down, making what we now know as the "Bible". People often think that because we are all sinners, and imperfect, and since the bible was written by man, it must of been imperfect. Now, I am no Bible scholar, but I believe that the bible was written exactly how God wanted it. Someone who claims that the bible is false, twisted and wrong, yet claims to believe in God is heresy IMO. That is a complete lack of faith in God to begin with. God inspired the bible to be written, and it says that we need to trust in the Bible and what it says if we want to live like a Christian. The God that created us has all the power of the world in his hands, and could have complete control over any situation if he deems it suitable, and the English bible is no exception. Thousands of English reading people use to bible as one of their most powerful growing resources in Christ, I don't think a God so great would let it go flawed, and so many people that are devoted to him, would let them perish because the bible was wrong. It isn't.

But that is just my opinion. God is too great for him to let our second best learning tool aside from our relationship with him, to be altered during translation and by various other means, to completely set us along the wrong course, thinking that our relationship with him is real, when really it isn't.

Anyways, thank you again for the post. Great thread. I hope this turns out to be a good discussion we can all learn from!

reply to post by MatrixProphet


No, Christianity is not imploding, although I wish it would. It has stood strong for 2,000 years through various persecutions, scandals, even debunkings. So do not expect it to implode.

What is more likely is that it will continue to break into factions which each group will put forth new interpretations of the bible.

Religions are like cancer. They breed somewhere and start to grow and continue to grow and will continue to grow until something stops it. Whatever it is that stops them, I wish I knew. Maybe alien landings will stop them lol. Maybe even that won't stop religions from continuing.

Dude... the bible ends in the apocalypse, wouldn't Christians be used to things going to crap by now?

Just look for the divinity within yourself. The biggest con of most organised religions is the belief imprint that people are subjects to god, when in reality they are part of him. Her. It. God is the underlying energy matrix that supports consciousness and indeed physics, imho.

I do however agree that society is becoming demoralised, and people need to learn to reconnect with each other, and live that basic rule of moral coexistence: do unto others as you would have done unto you. There is a certain selfishness in modern society that won't work for it.

reply to post by MatrixProphet


Didn't really read your post but just responding on the title.

Christianity is dead(or on it's way out) just because, in general, no one follows "their savior Jesus'" teachings.

I guess because Jesus died for their sins they no longer have to be sinless. Just read the bible, for the must part, puts you into a dilema in following Jesus Christ, ie CHRISTIANITY! Do you follow the madness. They are "followers of christ" yet 99.999% do not follow him.

To anyone that actually can think on their own, present die hard christians are the most bizarre and confused people on this planet at present time.

It's just too ridiculous to even talk to so called "Christians" anymore. It's even more ridiculous to even discuss the topic. Most people are fearful cowards that are only capable of following. "Christians" are too ignorant to understand the duality of any type of christ-like figure. Cowardly people that would rather lean towards a fear inducing book(the bible), than inspiration from a completely fearless individual that was/is neither afraid to die or fearful from ANYTHING this world's superpowers has it in for them. Their SAVIOR they call him, but they are such cowards that they will basically say "I'm glad that guy died for MY SINS, now I can do whatever the hell I please".

Christians, generally speaking, are the biggest hypocrites this planet has ever seen.

Originally posted by JimBeam

Didn't really read your post but just responding on the title.

And this is exactly why so many people blindly follow the church and its leaders...