Posted on 03/26/2009 10:18:20 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Could some Catholics be losing faith in their religion? According to a new report released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Affairs, Catholicism in America is shedding more members than any other traditional faith. The numbers are alarming. The Official Catholic Directory of 2008 reports there are over 67.1 million Catholics in the US, a decrease of nearly a half a million in the span of a year. The result has been the shuttering of parishes throughout much of the country.
Parts of Ohio, including Cleveland, have been hit especially hard, but closures have effected perishes throughout the US, including Allentown, Pennsylvania, Camden, New Jersey and New York City. As many as a third of those in the survey raised as Roman Catholics no longer attend the church.
The cause of the migration away from Catholicism is said to be rooted in money. "Too many bishops are treating parishes as if they were Starbucks franchises," Sister Christine Schenk, a Cleveland-area nun opined. "It's about more than money. It's about mission to the people," she said. "This isn't what Jesus would do."
The Catholic church has been faced with a number of image problems in recent years, as a result of internal strife and mounting scandal. The most prominent scandal involved accusation of sexual misconduct between Catholic priests and under-age minors, usually young boys. Some priests were ultimately defrocked, while others served time in jail.
We have 9 Masses and they’re all full except for the 7am Mass which is half full.
It is what it is Campion....you won’t change it and neither can I. Guess history does repeat itself doesn’t it?
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
Fascinating.
For correct historical purposes...quote
The Jewish Wars began in 66 A.D. and they were a direct revolt by the Jews against Rome’s authority. Titus with his Roman legions arrived at the outermost northern Wall of Jerusalem, the Passover of 70 A.D. The Romans built embankments of earthenwork, they placed battering rams and the siege began.
The Roman army numbered 30,000; while the Jewish army numbered 24,000. According to Tacitus they were 600,000 visitors crowding the streets of Jerusalem for the Passover.
After five months the walls were battered down, the great Temple was burned down, and the city was left ruined and desolate, except for Herod’s three great towers at the northwest corner of the city. These served as a memorial of the massive strength of Jerusalem’s fortifications which Titus of Rome had brought to rubble.
The legions of Rome brought the captives to Caesarea and after over one million Jews were killed, 95,000 captives were taken as prisoners, and among them was Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian. According to Eusebius, the Christians saw the might of the Roman army and through prophetic warning, fled to Pella.
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The only whore burnt was the religious Temple...NOT the city. Birth Pangs Campion...these were the beginning pangs...now take it world wide when we reach the end of the story.
I understand birth pangs...they are pretty much repetitive...they just get harder and worse.
NINE masses? Wow! Anything more than 6 or 7 is amazing.
Typical “full” slate of masses: Sat. Evening, Sunday early morning (7 AMish), Sunday early morning, Sunday late morning, Sunday early afternoon in Spanish, Sunday evening.
Some colleges I’ve known to have multiple Sunday evening masses. (Georgetown has three) But these churches (usually, they are technically oratories) usually don’t have as many earlier in the day.
Does your church have a crypt level, or masses all afternoon? The only churches I’ve ever known with more than six masses had crypt levels so they could have a crypt-level mass starting before the upper level cleared out.
(For lurkers: “Crypt-level” masses are so named from cathedrals and other massive, old churches built over many decades, which would often build a below ground sanctuary to conduct masses in while the upper sanctuary was being constructed. Being underground, they were on the same level as the crypt. In some instances, to deal with large crowds, churches which serve as pilgrimages will continue having crypt-level masses after the main level is completed. I’ve even known some shrinking congregations to move to the crypt-level for smaller, daily masses to scrimp on heating costs!)
>> The only whore burnt was the religious Temple...NOT the city. <<
From Wikipedia:
“By the summer of 70, the Romans had breached the walls of Jerusalem, ransacking and burning nearly the entire city.... According to Josephus, the Roman soldiers grew furious with Jewish attacks and tactics and, against Titus’ orders, set fire to an apartment adjacent to the Temple, which soon spread all throughout.”
Also: You’re not familiar with Nero, whose name in Hebrew letters (Qsr Nrn) adds up to 666, without having to skip over non-numerical letters, and who was known throughout the world as “the beast”, and who burnt down the city of Rome so as to persecute the local Christians?
sigh....you’re gonna look like a deer in the head lights right before you get hit. Well maybe you might remember some of what I have said, when it all gets so obvious you can’t miss it. I’m not gonna strain on a knat and swallow a camel....sorry...:)
Sigh... you’ve made some incredibly ignorant and amazingly simply refuted arguments, and you know nothing else to say so you talk about how obvious your points are.
LOL...I told you..you don’t understand...try reforming a democrat!! That is the only example I can give you although not a good one I guess.
More history..
The Temple in Jerusalem was originally built by Solomon. The Temple has been destroyed twice. The first destruction by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the rebuilding after 70 years is very well recorded in the Bible.
The second destruction was after all the Bible had been written, therefore it is not recorded there. But there is a very good record of it in the writings of Flavius Josephus.
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Well shoot...that is twice it has been destroyed..wonder what happens when it goes for 3 times only it is world-wide?
And it is just Religion in general while the believers WHO LISTENED are not in it.
Birth Pang #3????
p.s. That’s ok dangus...I still like you even if we don’t agree. I’m not so insecure in my beliefs that I get angry if I can’t convince someone else of what I’m talking about.
I just try...it is what it is...I’m sure we will both be wrong on some points.
But I bet I’m righter than you...;)
>> The second destruction was after all the Bible had been written, therefore it is not recorded there. <<
The temple was destroyed in 70 AD; you’ll have a hard time finding a source to argue that Revelations or the gospel of John was written before that. In fact, the gospel of John actually explains why people had the notion which had proven false that Peter would live to see the second coming. You’ll also notice that the destruction of the Temple is written in the past tense. John is prophetically interpreting events his audience is familiar with, writing for their consolation and building of their faith in times of present adversity.
>> LOL...I told you..you don’t understand...try reforming a democrat!! <<
You can try to laugh through the complete destruction of your arguments all you want. I plainly see where you’re heading with your arguments, but I don’t agree with your conclusions because all of your premises are wrong.
>> But I bet I’m righter than you...;) <<
Ha! Gambling! I knew you were a sinner! That means my doctrine is right and yours is wrong!
(betcha I had you going there for a second. Oh, drats. nevermind.)
ROFLOL!!!!!
Dang...dangus...I looked at your home page. My head can’t hold that much information....but I will have to read the male only services.
No wonder you can’t see my points..I’m a female!!! roflol
WHAT could a woman possibly know!! lol
I read it and busted a gut laughing. Neat sense of humor you have!! roflol
Interesting - thanks!
I knew who posted this before I even clicked on it. LOL!
Actually, most women on FR are capable of engaging in logical discussion and defense of ideas on an equal level with men.
And??? Just because you can’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong. People thought Noah was not logical. Appears he was. Most thought the prophets wrong and killed them..appears they weren’t wrong. I believe there were a couple of guys who thought they could fly...weren’t the Wright Bros. completely off base? Good thing none of these people listened to those around them. Ya think??
Nice family...where do you find time to be on here??? I had 3 and that was a handful!! Oh by the way...every cardiologist on the East Coast tried to abort my children, said my heart couldn’t stand up to a pregnacy, that I would die. Same story with all 3 children. God told me I wouldn’t die and not to listen to them, so I didn’t. I will lay my life on the line for what I believe He tells me. Excuse me if I don’t listen to what most believe, or that I don’t choose to follow the crowd when He said, there is only a remnant. :)
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