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Britain has become a 'Catholic country'
Telegraph.co.uk ^ | 12/23/07 | Jonathan Wynne-Jones

Posted on 12/22/2007 7:56:40 PM PST by melt

Roman Catholics have overtaken Anglicans as the country's dominant religious group. More people attend Mass every Sunday than worship with the Church of England, figures seen by The Sunday Telegraph show.

Blair becomes Catholic in private ceremony The changing face of British Christianity Your view: What can the Church of England do to win back worshippers? This means that the established Church has lost its place as the nation's most popular Christian denomination after more than four centuries of unrivalled influence following the Reformation.

Last night, leading figures gave warning that the Church of England could become a minority faith and that the findings should act as a wake-up call.

The statistics show that attendance at Anglican Sunday services has dropped by 20 per cent since 2000. A survey of 37,000 churches, to be published in the new year, shows the number of people going to Sunday Mass in England last year averaged 861,000, compared with 852,000 Anglicans ­worshipping.

The rise of Catholicism has been bolstered by an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe and Africa, who have packed the pews of Catholic parishes that had previously been dwindling.

It is part of the changing face of churchgoing across Britain in the 21st century which has also seen a boom in the growth of Pentecostal churches, which have surpassed the Methodist Church as the country's third largest Christian denomination.

Worshipping habits have changed dramatically with a significant rise in attendance at mid-week services and at special occasions - the Church of England expects three million people to go to a parish church over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholics; christianity; europeanchristians; fullcircle; islam; londonistan
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To: Maine Mariner

Here is a brief account of what that silly man said on the BBC.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/20/nwise120.xml


101 posted on 12/23/2007 4:53:06 AM PST by ishabibble (ALL-AMERICAN INFIDEL)
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To: GOP Poet

Thank-you, God Bless, have a Blessed Merry CHRISTmas. You said it much better then I could ever do. :) =^..^=


102 posted on 12/23/2007 4:55:49 AM PST by Biggirl (A biggirl with a big heart for God's animal creation, with 4 cats in my life as proof. =^..^=)
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To: ZULU
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Catholics and Protestants are far closer to each other than either is to Islam.

Your pope doesn't believe that...You guys and the muzzilims share a veneration of Mary...That seems to transcend all other differences...

103 posted on 12/23/2007 4:56:44 AM PST by Iscool
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To: Talking_Mouse
No, they won't (but not for lack of trying on their parts) the Lord has promised the gates of hell won't win against His Church, He will preserve her.

Wouldn't you consider that to be pretty solid evidence that the church Jesus spoke about is NOT your church???

104 posted on 12/23/2007 5:01:33 AM PST by Iscool
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To: Iscool

For your gentle correction, Pope Benedict XVI has made it a part of his papacy to pray and work for full Christian unity. On the issue of the Muslims he has been standing up for the need for both reason and faith. The TRUTH is that there is MORE that UNITES Christian believers, regardless of the different churches then divides it. It is a SCANDEL when there is division among the brothers and sisters in the Lord. A Blessed Merry Christmas to you.


105 posted on 12/23/2007 5:04:26 AM PST by Biggirl (A biggirl with a big heart for God's animal creation, with 4 cats in my life as proof. =^..^=)
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To: karnage

The pre-1970 Mass had a one year cycle of readings. The Mass that was promulgated in 1969/1970 has a three year cycle of readings.


106 posted on 12/23/2007 5:04:58 AM PST by ELS (Vivat Benedictus XVI!)
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To: AliVeritas

I agree. What difference does it make whether Catholics outnumber Anglicans or vice-versa, when atheism and Islam are the two dominant forces in the country.


107 posted on 12/23/2007 5:09:48 AM PST by puroresu (Enjoy ASIAN CINEMA? See my Freeper page for recommendations (updated!).)
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To: cothrige
Well, we must define pray here. If you ask your friends to pray for you, are you in fact praying to them?

You never knew St. Augustine and he never knew you...He is not a friend of yours...The only one in Heaven who knows all of His own is Jesus Christ...

And if you keep a statue of your Uncle Hermy dangling from your rear view mirror and pray to the statue or you kneel before the statue of some other dead person, YES, you are praying TO that person as well as worshipping that person...

108 posted on 12/23/2007 5:12:03 AM PST by Iscool
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To: Grizzled Bear
We do ask that Saints and anyone else pray with us to Jesus and God.

Actually if one were to go to Mass everyday for three years, the entire Bible would be covered. It is on a three year cycle.

It's always a tricky thing to take scripture out of context. Cherry picking something and putting your own spin on it is not what it's about.

109 posted on 12/23/2007 5:16:26 AM PST by defconw (Pray for Snow!)
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To: Biggirl
A Blessed Merry Christmas to you.

And Merry Christmas to you, as well as all FReepers...

May we all keep our eyes on Jesus during this exciting season of the year...

110 posted on 12/23/2007 5:18:31 AM PST by Iscool
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To: karnage
It does. Some fallen away Catholics were just poorly catechized and they think they know what we believe when they do not.
111 posted on 12/23/2007 5:19:16 AM PST by defconw (Pray for Snow!)
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To: antinomian

The decoration on Bishop Sweetie’s robe looks like the wallpaper in my front bathroom. Different color but the floral vine..


112 posted on 12/23/2007 5:26:32 AM PST by Vinnie (You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Jihads You)
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To: ZULU

Catholics and Protestants believe in:

The Bible

the Trinity

Jesus Christ as a personal saviour and Son of God

Heaven and hell

A Last Judgement

A Resurrection of the dead

The Nicene Creed...

The Apostles Creed

Everything else is inconsequential
( coming from a Protestant)


113 posted on 12/23/2007 5:31:33 AM PST by Vinnie (You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Jihads You)
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To: melt; Revolting cat!; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; ...
Catholic Ping List
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


114 posted on 12/23/2007 5:45:43 AM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: Iscool
Wouldn't you consider that to be pretty solid evidence that the church Jesus spoke about is NOT your church???

I see that verse as evidence that the fight is going to be very bad, that is will look like the Church is going to lose several times, or why be preserved from the gates of hell? To answer your question, no, I see it as rather solid evidence that the Lord was speaking about my Church.
115 posted on 12/23/2007 5:49:37 AM PST by Talking_Mouse (O Lord, destroy Islam by converting the Muslims to Christianity.)
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To: Maine Mariner
Maybe people have left the Church of England because it has become a left-wing PC organization. Did not the Archbishop of Canterbury question the whole idea of the nativity a few days ago?

I would tend to agree.

116 posted on 12/23/2007 5:54:48 AM PST by ContraryMary (New Jersey -- Superfund cleanup capital of the U.S.A.)
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To: doc1019; bagadonutz
The world didn’t need the catholic church to preserve the bible. How arrogant. God would have preserved His Word with or without the Popes church.

On the contrary, the Bible as a whole was not compiled until the late 4th century and then it was compiled by a Catholic saint (St. Jerome) at the request of a Catholic pope (St. Damasus I).

Christ stated that the Church, not Scripture should be the final authority:  "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." (Matthew 18:17 )  Christ did not state to refer to or consult Scripture for disputes and correction.  He said to go to the Church as It is the final authority in Christianity. 

In addition, St. Paul states that the Church, not Scripture is "THE pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)  Since the Church alone is mentioned as the pillar of truth, then It alone has the right to discern the truth and interpret Scripture.  For if individuals could correctly interpret Scripture, then all interpretations would be exactly the same as there can only be one Spiritual Truth for the plural of the word "truth" never appears in Scripture.  The Church is Christ's bride (Ephesians 5:29) and has "no spot, wrinkle or blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).  Christ also stated that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18).

117 posted on 12/23/2007 5:56:35 AM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: marshmallow
Britain has become a pagan country.

The return of the Druids. It's good that Stonehenge is still there.

118 posted on 12/23/2007 5:59:18 AM PST by reg45
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To: doc1019; Revolting cat!
As an evangelical, I don’t hate Catholics … I just think they are wrong in their theology and pray for them daily.

Thank you for those prayers! Rest assured that Catholics pray for our Evangelical brothers and sisters as well.

As to Catholic theology, where do you find error?

119 posted on 12/23/2007 5:59:50 AM PST by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: Iscool; NYer; Salvation; Biggirl; All
A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to all FReepers and their families. I will try to post again from my parents house, later today, however if flesh and blood people get in the way of the online people in my life, I wish all of you and yours a wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ and a much closer walk with Him.
120 posted on 12/23/2007 6:00:54 AM PST by Talking_Mouse (O Lord, destroy Islam by converting the Muslims to Christianity.)
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