The Demise of Religion

[Skwim]

The Adam and Eve scenario is from God's Word the Bible.
God's Word (Bible ) is our tool -> Psalms 119:105

That ' plethora of denominations ' was spawned by false clergy. - Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30
Jesus also forewarned us so that we would be forearmed when Jesus gave us the illustration or parable about how genuine ' wheat ' Christians would grow together with the fake ' weed/tares ' Christians until the harvest time , or the soon coming ' time of separation ' of Matthew 25:31-32.

The 1st-century teachings of Christ are different from the false clergy teachings - 2 Thessalonians 2:2-8
As in Jesus' day, today clergy often teach church tradition, or church customs, as if Scripture. - Mark 7:1-7,13; Matthew 15:9

This may come as a surprise, but Bible scripture does not impress.

 

[clerick]

Information is killing religion ,maybe not spirituality, since you can go just on-line and Youtube and learn about other religions than yours and Atheism and use your own reason to choose now. In even in the earlier 20th Century information was harder to find and assimilate I remember reading many books to get what I could learn on Youtube in one day. And in the end as rational animals we want things to make sense a thing religion doesn't make sense if one digs into it. Atheists just say we don't know now how or why if that's the case, but we will keep investigating until we do know and that's fine..

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Since judgment starts with the religious ' house of God ' - 1 Peter 4:17 - then it should Not surprise anyone that Christendom (so-called Christianity ) will be the first under attack.

The thing is, having to acknowledge in the political and public sphere that you are not the only religion, you do not have a right to dictate that others follow your religious views, and that you have to share the place with others in a secular society is not being attacked. Telling a child they have to share isn't attacking that child, but acknowledging their are other children.

 

[Bunyip]

All religions die, they are mortal. History is littered with the corpses of countless faiths. The ones that take the longest to die persist by trying to adapt to changing times. This can indeed perpetuate them for a time - but only in forms unrecognisable to the original.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

All religions die, they are mortal. History is littered with the corpses of countless faiths. The ones that take the longest to die persist by trying to adapt to changing times. This can indeed perpetuate them for a time - but only in forms unrecognisable to the original.

Bingo ! You hit a nail on the head because what we see today is religious syncretism. A reconciliation or fusion of differing beliefs or systems of beliefs. 1st-century Christianity is now paganized with pagan paint. Non-biblical teachings being taught as biblical so that its form is unrecognisable to the original, or to the 1st-century teachings of Christ as written in Scripture.

We even have the blending of the secular with the sacred, so to speak. The ' new ' taking on a life or shape of its own. Although the new never fully replaces the old system just trying to flourish as if it is the old or original.

The continuing evolving religious theories or philosophies of men happen because of the rise or fall in popularity with the whims of men and Not because of the standard of Scripture. Now the people have been so long exposed to their religious mirages that they insist on keeping such mirages ( imaginative beliefs )alive even though any modification to the biblical for the sake of ' better ' is still heresy.

All of this does Not make the teachings of Christ as wrong, but makes the false teachers as wrong.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

The thing is, having to acknowledge in the political and public sphere that you are not the only religion, you do not have a right to dictate that others follow your religious views, and that you have to share the place with others in a secular society is not being attacked. Telling a child they have to share isn't attacking that child, but acknowledging their are other children.

Right, Not dictate. However, Christians have the responsibility to proclaim the the good news about God's kingdom government as the solution to mankind's problems - Matthew 24:14. That is Not interfering or dictating but does include the warning of Hebrews 13:4 that God will judge fornicators and adulterers.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Information is killing religion ,maybe not spirituality, since you can go just on-line and Youtube and learn about other religions than yours and Atheism and use your own reason to choose now. In even in the earlier 20th Century information was harder to find and assimilate I remember reading many books to get what I could learn on Youtube in one day. And in the end as rational animals we want things to make sense a thing religion doesn't make sense if one digs into it. Atheists just say we don't know now how or why if that's the case, but we will keep investigating until we do know and that's fine..

Since this country now operates as a free religious marketplace, and the religious landscape changes especially with religious immigration, now people have disengaged from religion to being spiritual. Not affiliated but spiritual as being a new-styled person inside. That has allowed for a broader spectrum of diverse issues to choose from such as health (AIDS, etc.) and environment (air,water,etc. ) which beliefs sounds more like Earth-Day worship replacing God's kingdom government - Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:13-14.

So, what the ' end ' is: is the ' end of all badness on earth ' when Jesus, as Prince of Peace, will usher in global Peace on Earth among men of goodwill. We are nearing the coming ' time of separation ' - Matthew 25:31,32 - when Jesus will take the action of Isaiah 11:3-4; Revelation 19:11; Revelation 19:15 in order to rid the earth of all wickedness - Psalms 92:7.

 

[JoStories]

Which education?
By age 12 Jesus was well educated in the old Hebrew Scriptures to the point that he could intelligently converse with spiritual elders.

Today many are just educated in their church traditions, or their church customs, which often are taught as Scripture although Not really found in Scripture. Because of such myth-religious teachings people have now dried up spiritually. - Mark 7:7,13; Matthew 15:9
People now accumulate religious teachers just to have their ' ears tickled ' - hear what they want to hear - 1st Timothy 4 vs 1-3; 2nd Timothy 4:3

I am curious;..do you have a credible source for the assertion above about Jesus being well educated in Hebrew. He was, after all, if one believes the Bible, a laborer...the son of a carpenter and those people typically were not taught to read. What is your source?

 

[JoStories]

In the mean time, rates of mental illness are on the rise...

... could a contributing factor be a lack of an overarching cultural worldview or tradition that provides people with meaningfulness and a grounded stability (aka, religion)?

This is just my thoughts but I think the rise in mental issues is more related to growing social isolation. At no time in history have we been so completely socially isolated due to technology. We text, we email, we sit at computers but the idea of actually talking face to face is declining badly. People are more and more friendless. That, IMO, is what is causing this increase.

 

[JoStories]

I recall students at Columbia U. in NYC back in the 60's who were going to be professors.
They wanted to use their professorship to turn students against religion or God.
So, counting from the year 1970 how many have used their position to turn students away from God?
Since many students I encountered didn't seem to know the basics of their own religion surely it would be easy to turn them away.

There were many false religious ' traditions ' - Matthew 15:9 - that were being practiced in Jesus' day.
That did Not make the Scriptures as wrong, but made the teaches of ' church tradition ' as being wrong because they often taught their own customs or traditions outside of Scripture as being Scripture.

I can tell you that this professor specializes in advanced practice nursing and spirituality in nursing (FNP, and PhD theology). Not only do I teach about religion and faith, I demand it in my students in their practice settings. And I am from that era.

 

[JoStories]

Right, nothing wrong with good spirits and family, but how did Jesus and his apostles celebrate Christmas and Easter ?
Since such celebrations were already non-biblical customs connected to non-biblical worship, why would they involve themselves with them ?

Since they were Jewish, they practiced neither.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I am curious;..do you have a credible source for the assertion above about Jesus being well educated in Hebrew. He was, after all, if one believes the Bible, a laborer...the son of a carpenter and those people typically were not taught to read. What is your source?

Thank you for your question.

As far as carpenters not taught to read, there would be No way of doing carpentry without the use of measurements.
Notice that the man of Luke 1:63 used a writing table or tablet. Those 1st-century tablets were made of wood coated with a smooth bee's wax surface ( kind of like an early etch-a-sketch) and written on with a writing stylus.

Please notice Luke 2:42-52. Jesus was just 12 years old when Jesus was holding an intelligent conversation with the spiritually older men who were amazed or astounded at his understanding and his answers to their biblical questions.
That continued into his adulthood according to Matthew 7:28; Mark 1:22; John 7:15

Also, what else shows us Jesus knew the old Hebrew Scriptures well is by Jesus often prefacing his statements with the words, " It is written ". For example see: Luke 4:4; Luke 4:8; Luke 4:10; Luke 4:15-20

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I can tell you that this professor specializes in advanced practice nursing and spirituality in nursing (FNP, and PhD theology). Not only do I teach about religion and faith, I demand it in my students in their practice settings. And I am from that era.

Bravo! for You. I wonder if you were the exception.
Back at the end of 1963 a upper classmen had started college that September. We had lunch together and I was told, "Don't go to college because they will make an atheist out of you". That person started college in September and by December No longer believed. When I asked why, the paganized holidays was one reason, but the story of Noah was the other.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Right, Not dictate. However, Christians have the responsibility to proclaim the the good news about God's kingdom government as the solution to mankind's problems - Matthew 24:14. That is Not interfering or dictating but does include the warning of Hebrews 13:4 that God will judge fornicators and adulterers.

But that does not give you the right to force others to adhere to your religious beliefs. You can "warn" people all you want, but no religion has the right to make non-adherents observant to religious laws.

 

[JoStories]

Thank you for your question.

As far as carpenters not taught to read, there would be No way of doing carpentry without the use of measurements.
Notice that the man of Luke 1:63 used a writing table or tablet. Those 1st-century tablets were made of wood coated with a smooth bee's wax surface ( kind of like an early etch-a-sketch) and written on with a writing stylus.

Please notice Luke 2:42-52. Jesus was just 12 years old when Jesus was holding an intelligent conversation with the spiritually older men who were amazed or astounded at his understanding and his answers to their biblical questions.
That continued into his adulthood according to Matthew 7:28; Mark 1:22; John 7:15

Also, what else shows us Jesus knew the old Hebrew Scriptures well is by Jesus often prefacing his statements with the words, " It is written ". For example see: Luke 4:4; Luke 4:8; Luke 4:10; Luke 4:15-20

I'm sorry but that is not proof. Measurements are mathematics and by no means indicates reading, nor does have conversations, or his understanding of issues. Jews know the old Hebrew scriptures, using your terms but that does not mean he did not learn them in Shul. It is written could simply mean that he knew things were written in Torah because Rabbi's read from it to him.

 

[JoStories]

Bravo! for You. I wonder if you were the exception.
Back at the end of 1963 a upper classmen had started college that September. We had lunch together and I was told, "Don't go to college because they will make an atheist out of you". That person started college in September and by December No longer believed. When I asked why, the paganized holidays was one reason, but the story of Noah was the other.

My situation was very different. I had forward thinking parents who encouraged my exploring all faiths. They tried to expose me to all they could find, including Christianity, atheism (obviously not a faith), Quakerism, Judaism, and my own Native American spirituality, which do honor pagan holidays. I consider myself to have been very lucky.

 

[LASTINGLIGHT]

Which education?
By age 12 Jesus was well educated in the old Hebrew Scriptures to the point that he could intelligently converse with spiritual elders.

Today many are just educated in their church traditions, or their church customs, which often are taught as Scripture although Not really found in Scripture. Because of such myth-religious teachings people have now dried up spiritually. - Mark 7:7,13; Matthew 15:9
People now accumulate religious teachers just to have their ' ears tickled ' - hear what they want to hear - 1st Timothy 4 vs 1-3; 2nd Timothy 4:3

Jesus was a Hellenized Jew. All his quotes from the 4 Gospels came from the Septuagint instead of the Hebrew Bible. Only a few passages in Mathew are from the Hebrew Text. Most likely because Mathew was translated into Hebrew from Greek early on. A Hebrew Jew would use the Hebrew text and would never use the Septuagint.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

But that does not give you the right to force others to adhere to your religious beliefs. You can "warn" people all you want, but no religion has the right to make non-adherents observant to religious laws.

Absolutely right ^above ^.
Even starting in the account about Adam and Eve they were Not made/forced to observe religious law " Do Not eat........... ".
To force someone, or try to force someone, would just make a person a bully.
God was Not a Bully forcing either angelic creation or human creation to love and serve Him.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I'm sorry but that is not proof. Measurements are mathematics and by no means indicates reading, nor does have conversations, or his understanding of issues. Jews know the old Hebrew scriptures, using your terms but that does not mean he did not learn them in Shul. It is written could simply mean that he knew things were written in Torah because Rabbi's read from it to him.

The Constitution of the Mosaic Law was to read. It was not written so as Not to be read.
Jesus supported his teachings with a reference to Scripture
What was Jesus' message about the written word at Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 ?
Didn't Jesus himself find or locate the place where it was written in the 61st chapter of Isaiah at Luke 4:17 ?
Their lives were built or centered around the Gamla Synagogues where they all read Scripture.
How were those synagogues built without being able to read ?
Windows, doors, furniture, etc. would have been made of wood.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

My situation was very different. I had forward thinking parents who encouraged my exploring all faiths. They tried to expose me to all they could find, including Christianity, atheism (obviously not a faith), Quakerism, Judaism, and my own Native American spirituality, which do honor pagan holidays. I consider myself to have been very lucky.

Even today many Navajo Native Americans have embraced Christianity. People of all cultures, or from cultural bias, have taken up being part of the ' spiritual nation ' of 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9. A spiritual nation not found or located on any map. People in all countries and nations have taken up following Jesus leaving their former beliefs behind.