Christianity is breaking down from within. I was always taught that religion and especially Christianity would be attacked by the outside world and would suffer great persecution by non-believers and that this would bring down religion or at least make it very difficult for it to remain out in the open. Those believing would have to “stand strong in the faith.”

Since I have been standing on the outside for a number of years I have seen that this is not what is actually happening. I thought I would put into words what I see happening and you all can contribute what you like.

1. Immorality is taking many members out, so it becomes difficult to maintain the guidelines that many Christian beliefs stand by. This would of course include; pedophilia, homosexuality that is considered debased by Christians, and the very high divorce rate. Addictions also play a big part. Again, it is hard to maintain a righteous standing if one cannot overcome their addictions, and this world is rampant with it. Many though, stay in religion and create a self-righteous façade, and to protect it; do a lot of performance or service work to draw attention away from their; sins under the carpet – behind a closed door behavior.

2. Societal views and influence. It is no longer “cool” in many of the eyes of society to be religious so it casts doubt on the believer.

3. There are countless different Christian views that play a big part in dividing the Christian masses and the adage; “We have the Truth and you are misguided!” I read a lot of books by many scholars and theologians. One particular Christian apologetic by the name of: Hank Hanegraaff wrote, “Christianity in Crisis.” I liked aspects of his discussion on why Christianity is indeed in crisis. He broke down all the reasons he believed this is so, and he blames other Faith theology for it.

“This cancer has been triggered by a steady diet of “fast –food Christianity” – a Christianity long on looks but short on substance.” He also says, “Under the banner “Jesus is Lord,” multitudes are being duped by a gospel of greed and are embracing doctrines straight from the metaphysical cults…Eternal truths from the Word of God are being perverted into bad mythology- and all the while Christianity is hurtling at breakneck speed into a crisis of unparalleled proportions.”

I found there to be some truth in what he said, but as is often the case – he attacked other theologians pointing out the splinter in their eyes but not the rafter in his own! Unfortunately, in reading his book there is the self-righteous and superiority attitude that the religious, and especially its leaders have, and one that won’t allow doubt.

4. Many are leaving religion because of the hypocrisy that one views while as a member. That was certainly my case. The so-called love that Christianity promotes is a counterfeit one. I have to mention; that we can certainly see that here on ATS. How often do we see a thread that starts out as one questioning religion, or controversies with religion, and it turns into a “bait & lure” routine? The OP can be bait to capture interest, while you are lured into the trap of discussing Christianity and its beliefs, and when it makes all the non-believers angry, the Christians scream – “Persecution!” It creates victim situations.

5. Many leave Christianity and other religions for that matter, to search for more accurate truth. Many like me are searching and wanting to learn new information. IMO the apocalypse has been going on for a long time. Apocalypse = a revealing, another words: new light or new information coming out. I have noticed and read many books that have been out the last couple of decades and many that are newer, that reveal contrary information to that of Christianity. Many of these writers are Biblical scholars, and some of them have had to re-adjust their beliefs in light of new discoveries.

Biblical scholar; Bart Ehrman wrote “Misquoting Jesus – The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why.” He started out an evangelical Christian but gained enough insight and information to cause him to question everything he had been taught. Being able to read ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin and also given access to the ancient writings, gave him more than enough to grapple with.

It was quite astounding for him to learn that there were no original manuscripts of the NT! Everything in existence is a copy of a copy of a copy, countless times over, “What we have are copies made later – much later. In most instances, they are copies made many centuries later. And these copies all differ from one another, in many thousands of places…there are more differences among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.” Imagine that! This caused quite a conundrum for him.

Even more so when he discovered that the doctrine he was raised with, the trinity, was added much later to the manuscripts by the theologians living in the 16th century and was a teaching not found in the earliest Greek copies of the NT. A faulty edition would be the foundation of the KJV. He acknowledges that most scholars know this information, but choose to overlook it, or have given up on it. He lists far more in his book, and I recommend all to read it who are interested and those who are not fearful of a challenge!

Add to this: the new understanding of the last couple of decades as to who the actual authors of the Gospels are (or at least 3 of them)! Some of the books in the NT are not written by said authors, and this includes Paul. So many discrepancies are to be found, now, with the Bible.

A last point from him; “I came to think that my earlier views of inspiration were not only irrelevant, they were probably wrong. For the only reason (I came to think) for God to inspire the Bible would be so that his people would have his actual words; but if he really wanted people to have his actual words, surely he would have miraculously preserved those words, just as he had miraculously inspired them in the first place. Given the circumstance that he didn’t preserve the words, the conclusion seemed inescapable to me that he hadn’t gone to the trouble of inspiring them.”

He and I differ on this! I believe that God inspired the Bible but not for the orthodox reasons that we are taught – and that is: to allow the misquoting of words and the dysfunction of its translations to be a tool that would separate the spiritual from the religious and would eventually cause Christianity to implode!

Let’s please keep this discussion civil and understand that we may not agree. I have been a fundamentalist in my past and can appreciate how hard it is to swallow what I researched and wrote. I am not interested in the religious view as I am very familiar with the reasoning and tactics (about 40 years worth). Actually I am interested in those who have similar findings so that it may broaden my perspectives even further. Many of you are very bright and open, and so I appreciate what you may have to say. Thanks for your attention!

I disagree. The dogmatic church is imploding, the teachings of Jesus are becoming more clear.

Jesus lives in the consciousness IMO, and the physical return will be the anti-christ.

You are witnessing the apostasy, the "great falling away" talked about. Are you surprised? You shouldn't have been. That is, if your church had actually preached from the bible.

Dude... the bible ends in the apocalypse, wouldn't Christians be used to things going to crap by now?

Just look for the divinity within yourself. The biggest con of most organised religions is the belief imprint that people are subjects to god, when in reality they are part of him. Her. It. God is the underlying energy matrix that supports consciousness and indeed physics, imho.

I do however agree that society is becoming demoralised, and people need to learn to reconnect with each other, and live that basic rule of moral coexistence: do unto others as you would have done unto you. There is a certain selfishness in modern society that won't work for it.

Originally posted by JimBeam

Didn't really read your post but just responding on the title.

And this is exactly why so many people blindly follow the church and its leaders...

Mainstream ‘Christianity’ as an institution is not imploding, indeed it’s exploding. Just look at the development of the mega-churches over the last couple of decades. The problem is that these churches do not teach true Christianity at all, but new age self help BS with Christian labels attached. Rather like how the church of Rome attached Christian labels to pagan beliefs. Fear not though, the remnant is ever with us, just don’t expect the masses to follow the truth, but rather their itching ears.

Sorry it's here to stay. God controls all Governments Including the U.S.A, If we keep God in mind in everyday life. He will lead us to truth, And save us from the collapes of the U.S.A. Those who do not seek his wisdom and understanding will stay blind. The blind are the people like the A.C.L.U Join them if you think God if a lie. See where they take you (Child predators Should have all the rights you do) pillage and plunder. If you can come up with a better answer then Gods law, spill your guts. But If you read and tried to understand Gods point of view, you would see We all need him. If we gave our lives for the good of mankind like the bible actually leads us to... this world would be a beautiful peaceful helping place.
Thats just part of chrisianity, I know of no other religious group that instructs its followers to do that. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
flee from evil (your own evil heart inside you) forgive them they know not what they do ( because they don't understand the light). He is the only God who can reveal himself to you If you seek absolute truth ask God to reveal himself. And be listening to that still small voice, He is in the deepest part of your heart telling you what is right and wrong....But the blind will not understand or see it. If you want it you have to first belive (faith) is a quantum state we may never understand that is why we are saved by faith thru grace... If God appeard as a being now and did miracles, you wouldn't need faith you would know he is their. so how could you be saved? you would need no faith. thats why you are saved thru faith by grace. God is awsome look into the sky at night or into the sub atomic level. everything is perfect. there has to and is an allmighty.
He made a miracle by allowing you to be here alive and read this, but you reject the fack that a supreme being has made all this, would you rather him made you a rock, because its posable you may be that in heaven if you don't look for the meaning of live and take it as the most serious aspect in your life. of coarse he is here, just beyond visable light and spacetime. I mean think about it Im just one human among maybe a trillion over our existance, me being ignorant to all things before god would help in all ways possable to help any life i could make myself, how much more would he at the minimum show us how to be to keep our humanity going in the right direction If there is no God I would want it to all collapse in on itself.

Originally posted by WatchNLearn

And this is exactly why so many people blindly follow the church and its leaders...

I Already knew where he was going to go with the title which is why I gave my little rant first.

All paths eventually lead to the same place.

Christianity, just like must religion, is simply a tool used to control people of those in power. Most thinking people in the westerized world ultimately come to understand this.

I will offer my perspective as one who is highly spiritual but entirely a-religious.

What I see around me is a parting. On the one side, there are the dogmatists, the religious ones who claim things like "My God is better than your god" (or something similar, like, "You will go to hell if you don't believe as I do").

But spirituality is bursting out, and some embrace it with a Christian perspective, allowing others to have differing approaches without judging or condemning them. Because of this, the dogmatists see it as Christianity crumbling.

Personally, I believe that Spirituality is far more in line with the message Jesus was trying to convey and that dogma was of little importance. The reason I believe this is so is because Spirituality is the waters of love flowing from inside outward, whereas... The past views and interpretations that have created dogma consider that the God-love begins outside of oneself and flow inward.

But if you read the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus suggests that we look inward to find the wellspring of Love/God/Heaven...

As for God... I am of the opinion that those who are dogmatists are like unto the blind men; God would be that elephant. And each, touching God with the dogma they have learned, see God in different ways.

Me... I see Consciousness as God. God, the Ultimate Experiencer. I am God, and so are you. All matter is merely different levels of conscious complexity.

But I guess my Spiritual views are rather off topic. [smile]

[edit on 8/24/2008 by Amaterasu]