Christianity is rapidly declining in Europe. The fastest growing religion in Europe and North America is wiccan and various forms of paganism.
Over 1500 years ago Christianity was forced on the peoples of Europe when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire. For centuries that religion was made mandatory by the church and its allies, enforced with great violence and oppression, the sword, torture, burning at the stake, etc.
In the 21st century Christianity is losing it's hold on the West. Now that the church no longer has access to armed force the peoples of Europe are returning to their ancient religions of the pre-Christian period; Celtic paganism, Norse, Germanic, Hellenistic and others. It is exciting to think where it will be in 100 years, and 500 years from now.
@badminton Whatever people choose, at least they can now choose without persecution.
SW-User
@badminton Fundamentally Christianity (in any Conservative form) is not able to withstand the scrutiny of modern scholarship. It seeks to be built upon historical realities of space and time but is not able to bear the weight of the claims that have been made.
My own view is that no one educated in the findings and revelations of the past 100 years or so of scholarship on the formation of the Bible and of the historical events it records can possibly subscribe to Christianity in any conservative form of the Faith.
Please show me the Bible verse where its OK for government to mandate Christian religious practices. Just because this King Olaf got it wrong does not make it all wrong. Jesus said, give to God what is God's, give to Caesar (the emperor) what is Caesar's. Go ahead - I'll wait for you to come up with the Bible verse where government mandates baptisms.
@Ceinwyn Old Testament. Not seeing a single word about baptism here. The Old Testament is obsoleted by the New Testament. Go ahead - don't believe in Christ. Your call. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Corinthians 13: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
@BritishFailedAesthetic You come here and mock the memory of the thousands, if not millions of people killed by the church, then complain of "trolls" on your post about persecuted Christians?
SW-User
Well, the usual claim is that while Islam is being true to itself when indulging in violence, "true christians" would never be violent.
If people understand that much of the Bible is governed by the 'person's decision to get his/her life on track based on God's promise of purpose and higher fulfillment, then it is not a rules-kinda-religion. There are some folks who have understood that the Bible and Christianity provide answers, and solace in the Broken world. Okay I get that there are strong implications of things like judgment, which is what Christians believe is gonna happen to the world at the end... but if the world is so broken by evil, then wouldn't this way of spirituality also be the way that the life (as it were) is governed, and will end?
The world started abruptly with a bang, so science says, but when it ends, Id rather be saved than end up in the flames. I may be still learning to defend the Christian view of things, but if these ideas were to be believed then Christianity is not a despotic religion.
And truth be told, no one was forced to go to church ever unless they were less than 18. Its kinda nice in my view when people respect the spirituality of their youth and don't go seeking it elsewhere. But they don't. And no one ever stops them. Unless they themselves wanted to.
if you think "Pagan folk" in Norway were peaceful before converting to Christianity, you really need to do some research. Most at the time only converted for financial gain and not because they actually believed in it
It was also a very different time period where violence and death were the norm.
I am not a fan of Christianity and Abrahamic religions but using this as some attempt of a gotcha moment, im sorry was a fail
SW-User
As I see it, it is us - humanity - that is violent.
There have been individuals who have lived peaceful lives - and these have been of every Faith and sometimes of no Faith at all.
I leave it to the "true christians" to salvage something from the wreckage.
Christianity is actually a war - a war between good and evil - call it poisonous if you like that is your right.
Christianity is judgment that one day will be fall all the human inhabitants of the Earth of past and present.
Jesus said he comes not to bring peace but to bring a sword - and the closer we get to the end of days the more violent people become.
And the Bible warns us *there will be no peace* until he who this planet rightfully belongs to comes back and takes it and ultimately destroys it. But judgment must be rendered first.
The Bible, like everything else, is a type of Rorschach test. What you see is what you get, or as the zen master Dogen says:- "We are what we understand"
