Am 13.03.2012 14:30, schrieb Alan Ferris:
> On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:45:56 +0100, Daniel Hoehr
> <
daniel...@gmx.net> wrote:
>
>>> Christianity is falling of in the UK as well. In the last decade
>>> there has been a fall in attendance of 19% for CofE and 25% for
>>> catholic.
>>
>> This bar chart shows the average number of people attending Mass from
>> 1950 to 2010 (in millions) in Germany. It needs no further explanation....
>>
>>
http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/2637/umfrage/anzahl-der-katholischen-gottesdienstbesucher-seit-1950/
>
> I think the 20-25% fall is about average for most of the old churches,
> some of the new evangelical style churches have short bursts of
> increases, but they do not seem to last that long before they
> disappear. I think people are finding it harder and harder to accept
> people telling what is right and wrong when they are capable of
> thinking for themselves.
I don't think that's the main reason. The massive fall in the RCC
happened after the 'Council' and all those wonderful 'reforms' (such as
the introduction of the Novus Ordo). In my opinion, that was the first
but most important step for the Church in the process of demolishing
itself....
Another reason is certainly the 1960's zeitgeist. People have not become
independent thinkers and never will be. They rather listen to other
people telling them what is good for them than to the Church because
there are new ideas now and more comfortable messages. Heaven and hell,
sin and salvation, you know all those big topics do not fit into the
'modern world'. The idea that many are called but few are chosen
contradicts the all-inclusive world we live in and the Church is not
even trying to sell those fundamental ideas of its teaching anymore.
Where the Mass used to be the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of Christ
on the cross, it has generally become a 'supper'. The sacrament of
penance has more or less been abolished, at least in my part of the
world. The RCC is being more and more protestantised. The dogma (!)
'extra ecclesiam nulla salus' has been more and more modified since the
'council' and doesn't seem to be part of Catholic doctrine anymore and
people hope to find salvation elsewhere (if they still believe that they
have an immortal soul).
Christianity has become 'unfashionable' and the Church has contributed
to that. The Catholic communities that are indeed attracting young
people and where young men still join seminaries are the traditionalist
groups such as the SSPX.
> Our only growing faith appears to be the Muslim faith, they have quite
> a large conversion rate from other religions.
This is true. 70+ virgins are certainly more attractive than sitting on
a cloud and singing 'halleluja' for all eternity ;-)
DH