Does someone have a link to the story that does not involve signing up for WSJ?
Posted on 01/03/2015 4:57:59 AM PST by KeyLargo
Europe News Europe’s Empty Churches Go on Sale
Hundreds of Churches Have Closed or Are Threatened by Plunging Membership, Posing Question: What to Do With Unused Buildings?
By Naftali Bendavid
Jan. 2, 2015 7:36 p.m. ET
ARNHEM, Netherlands—Two dozen scruffy skateboarders launched perilous jumps in a soaring old church building here on a recent night, watched over by a mosaic likeness of Jesus and a solemn array of stone saints.
This is the Arnhem Skate Hall, an uneasy reincarnation of the Church of St. Joseph, which once rang with the prayers of nearly 1,000 worshipers.
It is one of hundreds of churches, closed or threatened by plunging membership, that pose a question for communities, and even governments, across Western Europe: What to do with once-holy, now-empty buildings that increasingly mark the countryside from Britain to Denmark?
The Skate Hall may not last long. The once-stately church is streaked with water damage and badly needs repair; the city sends the skaters tax bills; and the Roman Catholic Church, which still owns the building, is trying to sell it at a price they can’t afford.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
The number of Muslims in Europe grew from about 4.1% of the total European population in 1990 to about 6% in 2010, and it is projected to reach 8%, or 58 million people, by 2030, according to Washington’s Pew Research Center."
Sad. We need a Second Reformation.
And in other news..
ISIS Targets 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Nineveh Walls in Iraq
I’m sure the Saudi government will be floating purchase offers soon.
More denominations won’t help. Look how much they’ve helped so far. We don’t need a second reformation. We need to undo the first. One chuch, one voice in a spirit of humility and community. Only a united brotherhood of Christ believers can stand against the twin evils of Islam and secular humanist progressivism.
CC
Not to worry. The Muslims will buy them from these atheists.
But the average European isn’t all that much to blame.
This Pope, the Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Presbyterian Chunch and others seem more interested in pandering to Muslims and promoting socialist agendas and redistributionalist justice than promoting the Bible and Christ’s message.
No, we need a SR. The churches as a whole, from all three main branches of Christianity have drifted away from Christ and the Scripture.
I believe there is an invisible church within all branches, and that is where the Awakening must begin.
We need a reformation of the clergy; we need priest who believe in Hell (and don’t mind saying so) and who believe Christ is present in the Eucharist. When so many of them don’t believe, why would anyone else?
In some ways I really liked the old priests who were unflinching in their descriptions of hell and Satan. “the wages of sin is death” is not a phrase any clergy should be uncomfortable with. Sorry, kids it’s in the book.
CC
The real story here is the failure of religion when government involved itself. Government can no more manage religion than it can most other things.
Had government stayed out of religion, what Europe would be experiencing right now is what religions in America are experiencing. Schism, between those people in the religion who want it to “lose God and replace it with leftism”, who are masters at subversion; and those people of genuine faith, who cannot abide the corruption and destruction of that faith.
As such, America is in a better position, because the leftist part of the schisms will wither and fade away, while the conservative side of the schisms will prosper.
But in Europe, there is only the “faith of government”, allocated by government, and for the government. There is no God there.
Sure; once they gave people we’re all going to Heaven there wasn’t much point in going to Sunday Mass (never mind financially supporting a parish or diocese).
Here in NJ it appears the Church is undergoing a slow liquidation, moving from selling vacant schools to selling vacant churches. Once they gave up the former, it was inevitable they’d be closing the latter.
They - and we - will be sorry.
meanwhile, the Vatican is putting forward it’s growth program by flooding America with hordes from the south.
While Europe may be lost, America will be gained
“This Pope, the Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Presbyterian Chunch and others seem more interested in pandering to Muslims and promoting socialist agendas and redistributionalist justice than promoting the Bible and Christ’s message.”
AUDIO: Lenin’s pope now an expert on climate change
Click here to listen
http://www.michaelsavage.wnd.com/2015/01/audio-lenins-pope-now-an-expert-on-climate-change/
The Orthodox folks would argue which is the ‘One’ church. Just saying.
Does someone have a link to the story that does not involve signing up for WSJ?
Yeah, with the Pope busy talking about Global Warming, that’s the ticket.
He is a catastrophe..
Muslims are spiritually dead as well, but their fervor for their demonic religion pushes them forward in conquest. The only thing pushing most Europeans forward is comfort, and almost nobody wants to risk their lives merely for that. They want to keep it, not lose it.
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