"if the truth be told and the catholic church had its way no one would be permitted to think, speak or write against it in any way"
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The printing press changed everything. It's obvious that once people were able to read scripture for themselves that they quickly realized how far off track the Roman Church had fallen.
It's interesting that the churches experiencing the greatest growth are evangelical in approach and place a emphasis on Bible study and the RC churches have largely become museum's.
People were reading the Bible for over one thousand years before the printing press. What on earth are you talking about?
It's interesting that the churches experiencing the greatest growth are evangelical in approach and place a emphasis on Bible study and the RC churches have largely become museum's.
Again, what on earth are you talking about? We have people standing in the back of our church on Sundays, it is so full. Maybe you should actually get out and go to Mass and see for yourself if the Catholic Churches are "museums" before you pronounce us dead!
Regards
"It's interesting that the churches experiencing the greatest growth are evangelical in approach and place a emphasis on Bible study and the RC churches have largely become museum's"
Well, Protestant churches in Europe are even more moribund, as a rule. The Scandinavian countries are sure hotbeds of Christian fervor these days, I'm sure!
Your argument approaches the truth a little more closely here in the US, I suppose, since evangelical growth rates (conglomerating all of the different varieties of evangelicalism together) are, in fact, larger than Catholic rates. But so what? To equate the worldwide, relative health of Catholicism with its current state here in the US is highly parochial and shortsighted. The West in general is feeling the self-inflicted spiritual wounds of modernism, relativism and mediocrity. The REAL growth of the Church is in the Third world, particularly in Africa and Asia. We're more than holding our own there, I assure you!
Meanwhile, don't be too smug about evangelical growth here in the US. That growth is built largely on the foundation of Rapture Fever. When you guys find out that the Rapture, as you understand it, is NOT going to buy you a free trip out of the Tribulation, when it comes, I fear very much for the spiritual stamina of its adherents. Those whose faith is "brave" because there is an expectation that it won't need to be sorely tested will be in for a very rude awakening. Scripture speaks of a Great Apostasy. I have no doubt that there will be many Catholics involved in it. But I suspect the proportion of non-Catholics feeling betrayed by Rapture fever will apostatize in much higher proportion.