Britain has become a 'Catholic country'

Telegraph.co.uk ^ | 12/23/07 | Jonathan Wynne-Jones

[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

[Antoninus]

Later I discovered Bible based Christianity (without the Missle and the Mass). When I really read God’s Word I felt angry at the Church. After much time and much prayer I let go of my anger and felt a lot of chains fall from my soul.

"Really read God's Word?" You mean you read it in the original Greek/Hebrew? Wow!

What you don't know or never learned is that: 1.) By leaving the Mass behind, you leave behind the oldest and greatest prayer in all of Christianity, practiced since the Last Supper. 2.) When Jesus said, "My flesh is real food, and my blood real drink. He who does not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him," you responded by saying "This is a hard saying. Who can abide it?"

I pray that someday, Christ will reveal himself to you in the Eucharist.

[Antoninus]

Whether it is because they doubt their own religion, I don’t know. Instead of just admitting the problem they call you bigot and prejudice.

Yes, we are well aware that homosexual predators have set up shop within the Catholic Church, particularly in Europe and the US. Yes, we have been acting vigorously to root them out--from Pope Benedict on down. If you followed the Catholic threads in the religion forum, you'd know that.

What you did was the equivalent of pointing out to someone, in normal conversation, that their mother was a whore.

How is making such a statement even close to acting the part of a disciple of Christ?

[LordBridey]

Come all you Catholic haters, this is your third chance in two days to flame Rome!

They're heeeere.

[fish hawk]

Don’t you try to lay the guilt of your Catholic faith on me. Well, I guess you can try but to no avail.

[fish hawk]

Do you think by calling me names you justify your church? No, all you do is show what a thoughtless childish person you are. “kill the messenger” eh?

[Antoninus]

Don’t you try to lay the guilt of your Catholic faith on me. Well, I guess you can try but to no avail.

No idea what you're talking about. If you don't feel shame when you sin, and then ask for forgiveness, how can you claim to be a follower of Christ?