Is organised religion on the way out??

I was curious as to what my fellow ATSers think about recent trends in american religious affiliation. For those who haven't heard... Wicca and non-affiliation are the fastest growing "religions" in America. Yes, a neo-pagan religion and no religion at all. though organized religion still firmly holds the lead, it seems to be slipping. does anyone have an opinion as to why?

reply to post by Aggamemnon


the arguement here negates itself. it's a circular conundrum.

all religions, faiths, spirituallities, etc ....
exist and reflect the promotion of organizing.

the arguement is a moot point from my perspective.

religion against organizing ideas/thoughts from chaos .... into words

friends, fear ends
it takes courage to cure rage
few tour the future
as seek writ is to secret

Well I can only speak for New Zealand you have to understand . At the last census those who are religious presumable some form of Christianity still hold a slight majority . I have found that the exact figure varies according to source . IF current trend were to continue then in my life time the majority will become a minority . An actual belief in the existence of god isnt diminishing its just that people are moving away from the church to there own set of beliefs . Atheists such as myself still make up a smallish minority .

According to Bible prophecy, the answer to your question is YES.

But exactly which religions will be done away with?

Answer: all religions that have defiled themselves by holding on to "babylonish" beliefs, contrary to Bible truths, will be held accountable.

Read Revelation chapters 16 and 17

also read this interesting article:

The end of false religion is near?

Hope you find the information useful

We will all be praying to the same god when the good old mother earth decides to cleanse herself and wipes a majority of us off its surface.

It is a natural process to remove parasites and that is what we have become.

Historical evidence has proven this. Call it what you want.

I believe some of those turning to other beliefs is disenchantment with the main stream religions which cater to the faithfuls money or is ran by pedophiles.

I know it did for me.

You don't have to attend a church to have a belief in a higher power.

As people grow and get smarter....as the planet is filled with less and less sheeple...certainly there would be a trend toward non-religion. There can still be faith without religion. Faith without religion is True Faith...not religious bullcrap that people believe because that is what their "church" TELLS them to do or believe.

Organized religion is a power thing, a political thing. It has NEVER been a faith thing. NEVER!

The Vatican is in complete panic mode. Priests are falling in number like never before, I guess pedophiles are still signing up in droves but that's another topic. The internet is likely to blame due to it's inherent ability to spread knowledge and increase awareness about the world we live in. Religions grasp has always been about isolating those in the flock and keeping their blinders firmly on. Now a $50 hand held device can shatter that in one fell swoop. People are starting to wake up and wise up to the 'corporate' machine that is organized religion. However there are no shortage of people who need that crutch.. for whatever reason they can't quite endure reality so place theirs in the hands of something else. Unfortunately we could be stuck with religion for at least 500 more years.

The stage is already being set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled on this subject....

Watch this video!!!!!!!


and these:





[edit on 21-9-2009 by holywar]

Originally posted by Aggamemnon
I was curious as to what my fellow ATSers think about recent trends in american religious affiliation. For those who haven't heard... Wicca and non-affiliation are the fastest growing "religions" in America. Yes, a neo-pagan religion and no religion at all. though organized religion still firmly holds the lead, it seems to be slipping. does anyone have an opinion as to why?

Why? Because the Lord said thre would be a "great falling away" in the last days.

I agree, it's happening every day.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


It also says that it will happen within the generation that was alive at the time.


Personally, I think it's pretty sad that you see god as religion, and equate religions losing influence as being God losing influence.

So it wasn't a falling away when the Catholic Church decided to kill people who didn't go along with their version of things? Even when they tortured people and burned them alive in public to instill that fear in them - that wasn't a falling away?

But now today, because people are rejecting organizes religion, that however is a falling away?

Christianity is the anti-christ religion and the people of this planet feel away years before any of us were born. Now people are just starting to realize it.


[edit on 9/22/2009 by badmedia]

reply to post by badmedia
That's a mis-quote, Jesus says the generation that sees Israel become a nation will be the generation to see the end of days.

That is the quote from Christ you are thinking of.

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by badmedia

 

That's a mis-quote, Jesus says the generation that sees Israel become a nation will be the generation to see the end of days.

That is the quote from Christ you are thinking of.

No it's not, you are just trying to rationalize it away because you don't understand.

If you look at Samuel 10, then you will see that it is when they asked for a king and to be like the nations is when they rejected god.

It did happen in the time of the generation of Jesus, his name was Paul.

reply to post by badmedia
I just read Samuel 10, no where in that chapter is the word 'generation'. If you wish I can post the verse where Jesus himself says the generation that sees Israel gathered together again into it's own nation will be the generation that shall witness the end of days.

Did you mean the 10th chapter of 2nd Samuel??

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by badmedia

 

I just read Samuel 10, no where in that chapter is the word 'generation'. If you wish I can post the verse where Jesus himself says the generation that sees Israel gathered together again into it's own nation will be the generation that shall witness the end of days.

Did you mean the 10th chapter of 2nd Samuel??

There are 3 places in which Jesus speaks of the generation. I'm guessing you are going to quote Matthew 10.

Yes, sorry - 2 Samuel 10. But it's not about "generations", it's about the people choosing to want a king like the nations do, and how they reject god in doing so.

Edit: Actually, maybe that is not the right one I'm thinking of, I will have to go find it again.






[edit on 9/22/2009 by badmedia]

Ok, found it. It's 1 Samuel 10, not 2nd.

1 Samuel 10

18And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:

19And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

And then it goes on and talks about the manner in which they will be ruled and so forth.

reply to post by badmedia


I know about that one though, God's people didn't want to look towards God any longer for provisions they screamed for a king so Samuel prophesied against the people saying God was angry and would give them the king they desired. And Saul was not a Godly man, well was at first. But Saul stopped listening to God and he lost a great battle.

I'll find the verse where Jesus prophesies about that generation and the great apostacy in the end days. However the great aostacy happens after the antichrist is evealed so it must be sometime during the tribulation 7 year period.

Now, I'm not sure about America itself, but Christianity worldwide is the 2nd fastest growing religion after Islam. I'm certian there will be a great falling away from the organized Christian faith, but there are certian prophecies that need to take place first, most notably the revelation of the antichrist. I think the apostacy will be triggered by his robust persecution of the Jews and Christians.

Check out 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul is telling the Thesselonians in his letter that they should NOT be decieved, that the "Day of the Lord" is NOT ye at hand. And that no one should be decieved, that that day will not come until first the antichrist is revealed and then he must first set himself up in the temple and claim to be God and demand worship as God.

Those Christians believed they were at that time in the "Day of the Lord", Paul also mentions that there will be a great falling away first, so this will happen sometime during the latter half of the tribulation, or better put during the "Great tribulation", the last 3 1/2 years.


(Still researching jesus's prophecy about the 'generation'....)

But now today, because people are rejecting organizes religion, that however is a falling away?

Christianity is the anti-christ religion and the people of this planet feel away years before any of us were born. Now people are just starting to realize it.



Badmedia. Hypocrites are not christians, so those killers in our church I don't believe were from God... Christianity is not the antichirst religion, that's insanity considering it's just a word that scripture itself uses.


Gods teachings are very simple. Love... whoever doesn't go by that is not living like a christian. Now as for fall aways..

yes people fall away and make excuses to denounce God, so many of them use the hypocrites as a cop out to a selfish lifestyle without God IMO>. They only mention the bad not the true fruits like St gemma and teresa...

Only my opinion..



and what is happening is the gathering of the world into one...

think about all the songs like the beatles.

" we can be as one "

Look at all the commercials talking about a oneness.. of the world. We are being prepared for a global order.

yea it sounds all find and dandy right? All the world joins, peace, and love, and a one world beleif in an unknown thing...

but the fact is that, Christ gets erased in that order... and is no longer welcome, and not only that, but an order baised on communism and it's ideals..


and so while it looks good, it truly is the very end.

that's why God said.

" everything will be peace, and then the end will come as a theif in the night "


peace.

After describing His return, in Matthew 24:32-34, Jesus says this:

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all theses things have happened.”

Most agree that this says that the generation of people who witness the fig tree bearing leaves (Israel becoming a nation) will not pass away until the Son of Man returns. Israel is often refered to as the 'fig tree'.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


Well, IMO Paul is the false prophet that introduces the anti-christ, and the "mystery religion", and that religion is Christianity, anti-christ are those who try to gain power and hide the truth from people/decieve.

And they do that in the name of Jesus/Christ.

Christianity is a religion in the name of Christ.
It gained it's worldy power through political appeal - the book of Romans/Paul and the gentiles.
Once given this power, it then went around and killed anyone who didn't go along with them. Even burning people in public to instill fear into the people.
And it won't be happy until it is the 1 world religion, and the church is the 1 world government.

So the way I see it, such a falling away happened long before we were born.

In order for their to be a falling away now, at which point were things not fallen away?