Reflections on the Latest Pew Survey Documenting “Religious Decline” – Not So Fast

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 05-13-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Video

[Salvation]

Monsignor Pope Ping!

[NYer]

Ping!

[annalex]

Some in the Catholic Church think we should imitate the “give the people what they want” mentality of the mainline Protestants. This statistic shows that they are doing even worse than Catholics and Evangelicals, who toe a stricter biblical line on moral issues.

This is the takeaway for us. That the numbers will be shrinking for all is not surprising, because we are an army in war. That setting up the Church to please cafeteria catholics is foolishness -- should be clear to all.

[NorthMountain]

Barack Hussein Soetoro Odinga Dogeater Soebarkah 0bama was re-elected by a comfortable majority of those who could be bothered to vote.

Large numbers of self-proclaimed Christians voted for him. Large numbers of self-proclaimed Christians nominated (and then voted for) his distasteful Republican opponents McCain and Romney.

Christianity may not be dead or dying, but is it doing a spectacularly poor job of motivating self-proclaimed believers to vote according to the principles their various Churches proclaim.

[Biggirl]

Obama also got back in because of massive voter fraud.

[Biggirl]

Keep a close eye on the southern nations. Those nations will be the ones sending in the Christian missionaries to the USA and west.

[NorthMountain]

Obama also got back in because of massive voter fraud.

That was certainly part of the equation, but not all of it. And regardless of fraud, large numbers of living, US Citizen, non-felon self-proclaimed Christians did vote for the bastard.

[Salvation]

Yet we ought not simply ignore surveys like these either. Perhaps we can evangelize more effectively; perhaps we can be clearer or more aware of ways to reach this secular world.

[Biggirl]

But you cannot deny that it was a BIG FACTOR, the voter fraud. Remember the Dems will go to the places where the dead are buried.

[Biggirl]

That is why we can learn from the southern nations when it comes to witnessing.

[NorthMountain]

I'm well aware of voter fraud. I spent more than a decade living in the Peoples' Republic of Maryland ... I got to watch the antics of the Voting Dead in Baltimordor more than once. I saw the 1994 gubernatorial election turned (to the demonicrats, of course) by fairly obvious voter fraud. I'm certain there was heavy fraud in both 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections. Maybe even enough to turn one or more critical States.

That's not the point.

Regardless of fraud, a huge fraction of the population, self-proclaimed Christians, voted for 0bama. Twice.

A huge fraction of the population, self-proclaimed Christians, nominated 0bama, McCain, and Romney.

I suggest for your consideration that if the Churches (and I cut nobody a break, here) were really doing their job, NONE of those men would have appeared on the November ballot.

[Biggirl]

Got to remember that if those same churches were NOT worried about losing their tax exempt status, or such a thing was not invented, these same churches would do a much, much better job.

[NorthMountain]

A church, a pastor, need not worry about tax exemption to teach that socialism is wrong, that abortion is wrong, that sodomy is wrong, that Jesus Christ (not government) is Lord, that helping the poor is a personal responsibility, that raising a family is a personal responsibility, that putting full faith and trust in JESUS (not government) is of highest importance.

A church, a pastor, that routinely preaches on the Scriptures and routinely teaches the congregation to apply those Scriptures to their daily lives will have a congregation that does not support the totalitarian leviathan that our government has become.

[ravenwolf]

I believe it is easy to see that religion is not dying out any where, but the fact that so many of our great professors do not even know the difference between religion and Christianity show that believers may be going back under ground.

[Biggirl]

But it would HELP to get rid of the “tax exempt status” and that such preaching you have mention would be done all the time.

[NorthMountain]

But it would HELP to get rid of the “tax exempt status”

I agree that the tax-exempt thing should be done away with. But ...

The tax-exempt thing doesn't restrict Churches and Pastors nearly as much as too many Churches and Pastors pretend it does. NOTHING I have spoken of is in any way restricted by the tax-exempt thing, because NONE of it is in any way partisan.

The tax-exempt thing provides cover for cowards who don't want to preach on difficult topics for fear of "dividing the congregation".

Jesus had a number of things to say about that ...

[Biggirl]

Let us just agree to disagree, okay?

[Salvation]

Catholic priests or deacons can always preach about an issue during a sermon.

They will, however, lose the tax-exempt status if they endorse any individual candidate.

Catholics are very careful about this, but I have read of other ministers speaking of individual endorsements.

In some cases, I wonder if they were tracked down for those endorsements?

[NorthMountain]

In some cases, I wonder if they were tracked down for those endorsements?

If they're black, and urban, and endorse demonicrats ... it's all OK. Heck, if they're black and urban they can let demonicrats give sermons stump speeches from their pulpits.