How much longer do you predict Christianity will be taken seriously?

I think what ofNight is trying to express isn't necessarily the seriousness (or lack thereof) of Christianity down the line, I believe he's trying to convey the discussion of how long Christianity will maintain followers. It is to my understanding that I do not take Christianity seriously by the OP's standards simply because I do not adhere to the Bible, nor am I a Christian.


In the traditional sense of the word, serious is synonymous to important. In that case, many non-Christians can and will find Christianity important down the line, as it has been a behemoth aspect of our culture and society for thousands of years. Christianity will never not be important, just as Hellenistic polytheism isn't not important, as that belief system greatly influenced society as we know it today and is still read about in history books.

Anyone who claims to definitively know the ultimate outcome of Christianity is merely speculating, and my speculation is no different. That being said, if Christianity follows suit with the numerous other ancient belief systems, it too will fade into obscurity as society changes to the point in which the belief system is no longer as relevant as it is and has been. Just as how Hellenistic polytheism was once prominent, Christianity very well may follow suit in the grand scheme of mythology.

Even if Christianity loses bounds of followers, I believe it will still be important and well-known. Though there aren't many people who still believe in Zeus, Apollo, Horus, or Mithra, all played an important role in society, and there are those alive today who still believe in these mythological deities. With the expansion of knowledge via the internet, the only way I could see Christianity, or any belief system for that matter, coming to a complete end or, "dying off" is if all record of it was completely destroyed.

So long as people need something bigger and better than themselves to believe in, then religion will be here to stay. At this point people still need religion to guide them because they do not trust themselves or others. It's about hope in better since they have little hope in themselves.

reply to post by MaMaa


That's about as real as it gets.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
I think Christianity has nothing to worry about from people asking things like this. It has over 2 BILLION followers in the world. The second largest is Islam with just over 1.5 BILLION. That's in the neighborhood of half the population of Earth in just those two Faiths.

Those against religion are amusing at times...but always will be a rather pronounced minority in the long run. No one faith is right over another, to my thinking. Not in theology. However, most of the planet does call one faith or another their own. I think those without religion have their right too. Absolutely. It's when it crosses into dumping on those who DO have faith that it gets a bit tacky.

Religions of the World and a General Breakdown

here here

ill be catholic till the day i die

This thread.. LOL.

Originally posted by ofNight
Many people don't take it seriously even today, though there are obviously tons of Christians still alive today.

How long do you think it'll be until Christianity dies down?

My guess? Christianity will greatly die out in the next 100 years. I believe it'll be a sharp decline, considering science, atheism, and rational thought are becoming more and more prevalent, and since the invention of the Internet, information is being spread at a faster rate than ever before.

Christians can answer this too, it's an interesting thought.

This makes no sense, logically. If you want to claim to be more rational than Christians, you must realize how contradictory your entire post is. Christianity is dying off, no one takes it serious anymore, yet nearly 1/3 of the population are professing Christians?

Ooookayyy buddy.

You want the absolute truth? Christianity will die out INSTANTLY if, say, Israel ever, EVER lost a war and was defeated. As it is, it has never happened since Israel became a Nation again in 1948.

And may I be honest? With the state that this WORLD is in, even if God wasn't real, Christianity is fake, whatever - how long will this world go on? If you honestly think another 100, that's really laughable.

Originally posted by Skepticesque
Not much longer, hopefully.

Without it, we would have been far more technologically advanced than we are currently.

Please provide a study done that has shown Christianity has withheld technological advancement within the last 2000 years.

Oh, wait. You can't. Lol.

With how things are going, I don't think it'll be dying at all any time soon. Why? Things are bad, getting worse, and I think that people are going to start clinging to their religion closer.

reply to post by Lionhearte

Please provide a study done that has shown Christianity has withheld technological advancement within the last 2000 years.

Oh, wait. You can't. Lol.

You might find this interesting.

I think contact with an alien civilization would be hard on Christianity and Islam, because Earth and humans are central to these religions. When Earth and humans become a little speck in the universe, then these religions will need to adapt in some way. I don't think they will die, but some clever person will find a new way of being a Christian or Muslim.

I dunno. It is interesting that people haven't questioned certain parts especially where God brags about creating evil, doing evil, repentant for thinking of doing evil.

Fruit that makes one live forever
Fruit that makes you wise to good and evil
Talking serpent that convinces mankind to eat the wise fruit
Living in a whale's stomach
Calling out bears to attack people mocking
Talking donkey
possessed pigs
virgin birth
walking sticks that turn into snakes and eat other walking sticks turned to snakes
flying chariot
Holy box that kills humans deader than RAID.

and on and on.
If I told similar tales about people locally and put in the gray area of ATS would it be believed?

reply to post by ofNight


Whereas in western countries (except maybe the US) religious belief in trending downwards, most of the rest of the world (except China) in moving in the opposite direction. Christianity is going nowhere for a long time.

Christianity will be taken seriously forever because it does not rely on proof it relies on faith.
As we know many people seem to need hope and so have faith-apparently it makes them stronger.

If God were to come out of the heavens tomorrow Christians would say "see I told you"
and Scientists and secular thinkers would say "I don't believe you show me the evidence"

Of course God will reply do not doubt me and as fortold he would never do a trick on command of us-which of course means he would lose the argument.

Never mind.

Even if this startling little scenario happened what would be the result?

Christians would continue to have faith and chastise the scientists for doubting and the scientists would search for evidence (so what has changed?)

Precisely nothing.


Even the "Origin of species by means of natural selction" is now part of God's great plan, apparently he knew about it before we did, clever old God.
When I meet him I shall give him a well deserved pat on the back.

reply to post by Lionhearte


I am sorry to say it is widely evidenced that religious or ritualistic societies harm their technical progression by clinging to the rudiments of their faith however impractical that may be-this can clearly be seen in the Middle East and even within orthodox catholicism, eg Greece, Russia.

Evidence based societies that rely less on religion to provide answers search more and find out more they also tend to be outward looking and less given to division and introspection-of course I generalise hugely and their are exceptions from orthodox backgrounds at the pinnacle of modern sciences but taking a broad view of all of written history the evidence is plain to see.

reply to post by HumanCondition


LMAO, well educated, what a pathetic statement. Being a christain is an intellectual aswell as a spritual journey. I doubt you will find any fault with the new testament and how christains should act. It is funny on how nonbelievers spend so much time trying to fight something that is supposedly false. Science as it evolves will prove the Bible correct. In the mean time I will pray for you, funny thing if I am wrong not much changes, if you are wrong Hell will truly suck for you and by the way enjoy the tribulation the time draws near.

reply to post by Ashmedai


The fate of christainity is clearly detailed in the Bible no speculation required. See you on the other side, oops sorry. You won't make it unless you become saved, not being a smart aleck but I pray for those like you and hope you find the way. You can live a good an honest life and that simply won't be enough. What do you have to lose? zYou can believe in science which hasn't really proved much accept alot of formulas and mathmatical equations that a group of self professed geniuses say is true. Easy for me to believe in God as I have seen his works than some scientific theory claiming they know how big the solar system is or how far this is from that, silly men. May you be blessed

Originally posted by DOLCOTT
reply to post by HumanCondition

 

LMAO, well educated, what a pathetic statement. Being a christain is an intellectual aswell as a spritual journey. I doubt you will find any fault with the new testament and how christains should act. It is funny on how nonbelievers spend so much time trying to fight something that is supposedly false. Science as it evolves will prove the Bible correct. In the mean time I will pray for you, funny thing if I am wrong not much changes, if you are wrong Hell will truly suck for you and by the way enjoy the tribulation the time draws near.

Yet a majority of Christians don't even know their own bible and religion as well as a non believer.
Where exactly is this intellectual journey? What are you learning?

The new testament is a fiction book that takes human ideas that have been around for thousands of years and tries to claim them as its own, in other words a fraud.

I have never spent anytime trying to fight the falsity, only asking theists to prove to me its truth; which they cannot do.

How exactly will science do this, what will it discover that proves the bible correct? What branch of science are we talking about here?

I would rather go to hell then go to heaven with a bunch of looney Christians but I don't actually worry about fictional things so your not going to scare me into believing your fairy tales.

Click here for more information.

I like how so many Christians are acting so un-Christlike.

For the Christians who weren't insulted by logical discussion: great job. For those of you who were, welp, you're just giving atheists another reason to be pulled further away from your religion.

*snip*

Jesus Christ (pardon the pun), assumption jumping must be your forte!

Never said Jesus wasn't real. Get a grip.

reply to post by Starchild23


You dont see the hand of religion being tyrannical? The Inquisition is a good example of tyranny when it comes to religious zealots at their climax. How about burkas, chastity belts, subjugation of indigenous mesoamericans and destruction of their culture by religion-based empire? Atahualpa, the last Inca, was presented with a Bible, which he slapped out of his face, and was promptly put in chains. Thus the Bible and sword have gone together as one in the name of tyrannical regimes through history.

How can you also disagree that religion does not follow scientific ignorance? When people cant find a rational answer to most things, in their ignorance, resort to myth and fable. When the myths (ignorance) get out of hand, religion is born.

There are many more examples, but I am not here to convince or do your homework.

You have a lot of zeal. Why dont you put it to good use through reason and logic? Why dont you drop the fixation on woo-woo?

Originally posted by ofNight

Originally posted by knightsofcydonia
LOL

Awarded: most ignorant individual to write a thread. (in all of ats history)

You dont even need to be a christian to see this poor guy for who he really is.

better believe jesus was real.

You simply cannot deny the influence Jesus life had on the course of history. he has permeated so many parts of the world, to say its fake is just plain stupidity.

edit on 1-5-2012 by knightsofcydonia because: (no reason given)

Jesus Christ (pardon the pun), assumption jumping must be your forte!

Never said Jesus wasn't real. Get a grip.

oh sorry it was just that the overall ignorance displayed in thread led me to believe otherwise.

if you do believe in his existence, why are you contradicting yourself by trying to discredit a major Religion based around his teachings?

I am very interested in your perspective on this.