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A Flood of Closing Churches
Catholic Culture ^ | 1//5/15 | Dr. Jeff Mirus

Posted on 01/06/2015 9:09:15 AM PST by marshmallow

Church closures have reached flood stage in northern Europe. According to the Wall Street Journal (“Europe’s empty churches go on sale”, unfortunately available only to subscribers), some 515 Catholic churches have been closed in Germany over the last decade and it is estimated that two-thirds of the 1600 Catholic churches in the Netherlands will be closed over the next decade. Seven hundred Protestant churches are also slated to close there over the next four years.

This trend creates obvious pressure to repurpose many large, old, expensive and high-maintenance structures. Churches are being converted to civic cultural uses where possible, such as libraries, art galleries, concert halls and fitness centers. St. Joseph’s Catholic church in Arnheim, Netherlands has become a skateboard hall for kids, and of course churches of all denominations have been converted to shops and restaurants.

Even where I am writing, in Manassas, Virginia, we have one old downtown church (not Catholic) which has been a restaurant for years. I do not know whether it is a judgment that no restaurant has ever prospered there, but different proprietors and chefs keep trying.

In England, an Anglican church, with its nice high ceilings, serves as the circus training school for Circomedia. In Scotland, a Lutheran church has become a Frankenstein-themed bar. The hot new idea is to sell unused churches as homes for rich people who abhor the bourgeois boredom of standard dwellings. Considering the spatial volume, old churches come cheap. But it does take money to convert and maintain them.

(Excerpt) Read more at catholicculture.org ...


TOPICS: Current Events; General Discusssion; Religion & Culture
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1 posted on 01/06/2015 9:09:15 AM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

The Muzzies will buy them and take them over.


2 posted on 01/06/2015 9:11:12 AM PST by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: marshmallow
Here in the USA's big cities, we also have a flood of CLOSING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.
3 posted on 01/06/2015 9:15:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: marshmallow
We also have this problem: U.S. Catholics face shortage of priests
4 posted on 01/06/2015 9:16:39 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: marshmallow

I don’t go to my Catholic church anymore either. Let the illegals they love so much support them.


5 posted on 01/06/2015 9:18:59 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

You are, however, still a Catholic. “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.” — Wasn’t that one of the Commandments?


6 posted on 01/06/2015 9:24:38 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: marshmallow

A big reason for this is that people in Europe just don’t go to church in big numbers anymore. There is simply no need for so many houses of worship if people aren’t going to worship in the first place.

This trend is hitting America too.


7 posted on 01/06/2015 9:25:47 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: marshmallow

In every area of life Western Civilization is collapsing.


8 posted on 01/06/2015 9:35:44 AM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: marshmallow

In every area of life Western Civilization is collapsing.


9 posted on 01/06/2015 9:35:55 AM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: AEMILIUS PAULUS

In every area of life Western Civilization is collapsing.”

And we wonder why, when Western Civilization is all about “I” and “Me”, when we above all others should KNOW it’s about HIM.


10 posted on 01/06/2015 9:51:48 AM PST by BornToBeAmerican (Don't forget love)
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To: Salvation; Oshkalaboomboom
You are, however, still a Catholic. “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.” — Wasn’t that one of the Commandments?

Christians are not under the law...

Rom_11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

You trying to rob this person of God's grace???

11 posted on 01/06/2015 9:55:58 AM PST by Iscool
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To: Iscool
You trying to rob this person of God's grace???

No, she's trying to make them work for it.

12 posted on 01/06/2015 10:06:11 AM PST by dartuser
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To: marshmallow

Its really hard to take churches with rainbow flags pasted to their marquis seriously.


13 posted on 01/06/2015 10:06:15 AM PST by skeeter
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

I too moved to a church that does not support multi-cultural events.

I do not want to be a racist, because in my heart I know it is sinful to be one, but as a honky I feel more at home among honkies. What’s wrong with that?

Poodles prefer to be among poodles, beagles among beagles and dachshunds among their kind.

Besides, why should an American Catholic Church celebrate a Mass where parts are read in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Tagalog?

Then why not in Latin, the official language of the CC, as it used to be?


14 posted on 01/06/2015 10:07:09 AM PST by 353FMG
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To: BornToBeAmerican
Yes, Western Man is totally divided into often squabbling groups; i.e. men vs. women, rich vs. poor, armed vs. disarmed, Christian vs. non Christian etc. etc. Christianity once symbolized a unified people.
15 posted on 01/06/2015 10:08:16 AM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Please don’t walk away from Jesus because of the corruption and fecklessness of the catholic church. You don’t need Mary, the “saints” or priests. You only need to go directly to the Lord.


16 posted on 01/06/2015 10:10:19 AM PST by Dr. Thorne ("Don't be afraid. Just believe." - Mark 5:36)
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To: marshmallow

When you turn off the light the room goes dark.
As the Europeans to away from God, that void will be filled by the death cult of Islam. Europe may cease to exit within the next 50 years........


17 posted on 01/06/2015 10:12:40 AM PST by SECURE AMERICA (I am an American Not a Republican or a Democrat.)
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To: AEMILIUS PAULUS

The West took poison in the late 1950’s, when it allowed to be overrun by non-Westerners without demanding that they accept Western culture.

The poison is now taking effect and neither the West nor its immigrants will profit from this change.

The maxim that “our strength is in our diversity” is nothing but a bunch of liberal BS.

The Greatest Generation proved it.


18 posted on 01/06/2015 10:18:07 AM PST by 353FMG
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To: Dr. Thorne; metmom; Gamecock
Please don’t walk away from Jesus because of the corruption and fecklessness of the catholic church. You don’t need Mary, the “saints” or priests. You only need to go directly to the Lord.

At some point, there's gonna be a Catholic posting that their church, and only their church, is full of feck.

19 posted on 01/06/2015 10:18:40 AM PST by Alex Murphy ("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
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To: Dr. Thorne; Oshkalaboomboom
Please don’t walk away from Jesus because of the corruption and fecklessness of the catholic church. You don’t need Mary, the “saints” or priests. You only need to go directly to the Lord.

I would echo that.

Churchianity has done more damage to the cause of Christ than anything and the Catholic church is not alone in that, sad to say.

Pursue God for Himself. Read His word and ask Him to speak to you through it.

He will NEVER turn away a heart that is seeking after Him.

20 posted on 01/06/2015 10:28:20 AM PST by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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