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What is most responsible for Christianity's failure in the West?

See above.

  • The conspiratorial view

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • The progressive view

    Votes: 15 57.7%

  • The perspectivist view

    Votes: 8 30.8%

  • The economic view

    Votes: 1 3.8%
  • Total voters
    26
perhaps science is winning after all ...that would be a relief ...
 
RGacky3 said:
That isn't exactly true, the social democratic movement happened right after WW2, and prior to that the socialist culture was extremely strong.

The baby boomers grew up in the 50s and 60s, but were adults in the 1970s, they got into the economy, the late 1970s was the begining of the neo-liberal revolution, and I would argue that that is the time when securalism started to grow.
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Which supports my timeline, the baby boomers grew up Christian in general, and left it at the age when it is most common to change religion, if one is going to change. It was the first generation in which the social welfare state was in full effect when they became adults
You have to look at this as "the western world" not just the US, it includes europe. I would say you're religious background is something you adopt from your parents, but your religious identity is formed around the teens and 20s.
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I agree]

I don't think you can simply look at it from a standpoint of "welfare" vrs "church charity" you have to look at the whole of society, for example, before the university wasn't to make professionals, it was more authentically a place for just higher learning, back then buisinesses were seen as servants of society, nowerdays it's almost the other way around, even though there wasn't an advanced welfare system, there was the real concept of "the commons" that existed and was stripped away with teh neo-liberal revolution.[/QUOTE]

I was not saying social welfare was the only cause, but a significant one, along with the ideas CC posted. It cut down on the need for the church to be part of peoples lives
 
How is Christianity "failing"? It's about people, not governments. I live in a heavily Catholic area and I see it's influence in the lives of people all over.
 
X Factor said:
How is Christianity "failing"? It's about people, not governments. I live in a heavily Catholic area and I see it's influence in the lives of people all over.
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This apparent stability, however, masks a momentous shift. Although Europe and the Americas still are home to a majority of the world’s Christians (63%), that share is much lower than it was in 1910 (93%). And the proportion of Europeans and Americans who are Christian has dropped from 95% in 1910 to 76% in 2010 in Europe as a whole, and from 96% to 86% in the Americas as a whole.

Global Christianity - A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World' s Christian Population- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
 
Christianity failed at the Council of Nicea. It's just taken us 1700 years to realize it.
 
Christianity hasn't failed in the west. It is an integral part of western culture and defined it, shaped it and helped it grow.

the fact that western society is more than just its religious component doesn't mean that Christianity failed. It means that Christianity has succeeded in its purpose of being a helpful element in the development of mankind.

It is all the other religions in the world, which have oppressed their people and kept them back that have failed. Hinduism, islam, Buddhism, all religions that have taken too much space in the cultural life of a society, impeding it from growing and developing.
 
The media and freedom of speech. But I think the word should be "declined in the West," not "failure."
 
Captain Adverse said:
I provided a cause as I saw it, but found no poll response that met my position, although Option Three “the Nietzscheite option: Christianity has failed because it is inherently flawed,” came closest.

I rejected that poll option because I don’t believe it is “innately” flawed, just that most practitioners fail to actually adhere to its ideals. This provides such a poor example to outside observers that they are turning away from it for more Humanist/secular ideals.
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Yours is similar to my position. It's not religion that's innately flawed; it's people.

Most people are bastards. They just don't have what it takes to understand the core message of a religion, or religious values. In order for a religion to "succeed" (ie as the OP has defined success) it must accept a lot of bastards as its' members. As it continues to "succeed", the ration of bastards to non-bastards tips towards the bastards until eventually, the bastards take over

And that's when the successful religion starts protecting pedophiles, or banning music, etc which makes people turn away.
 
Einzige said:
But, you see, that isn't true of Christianity. It professes to speak for the weak and the wounded - it is the spiritual equivalent of socialism. Thus my contempt for it.
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You hate the weak and the wounded?

And, since when has Christianity failed?
 
apdst said:
You hate the weak and the wounded?

And, since when has Christianity failed?
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We can't go down the road where we ask ourselves "Who are the Christians amongst us ?" because that's where things get really ugly.....................
 
I don't really like the words "Most Responsible" because it assumes that the most obvious influence would be as effective as it is in the absence of the other causes. The dynamic feedback of the several causes makes this difficult to untangle.

I think it is options 2, 3 and 4.
 
Bonzai said:
We can't go down the road where we ask ourselves "Who are the Christians amongst us ?" because that's where things get really ugly.....................
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But, it's ok to go down the road where we ask, "who are the politically correct among is?". yes?

You're is a bigoted mindset the likes of which the Ku Klux Klowns represents.

Before you say, "nuh-uh! liar, liar pants on fire!", don't forget this thread--this bigoted thread--targets Christianity and not religion as a whole.
 
apdst said:
But, it's ok to go down the road where we ask, "who are the politically correct among is?". yes?

You're is a bigoted mindset the likes of which the Ku Klux Klowns represents.

Before you say, "nuh-uh! liar, liar pants on fire!", don't forget this thread--this bigoted thread--targets Christianity and not religion as a whole.
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Christians are reaping exactly what they have sown.......................
 
Bonzai said:
Christians are reaping exactly what they have sown.......................
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Never mind other religions. Right?

Nevermind the historical fact that Christians have sown much less than the other religions. Right?

The historical ignorance that breeds hatred for Christianity isn't at all surprising. It's the usual historical ignorance that Libbos display.
 
IMO as science progresses fewer and fewer things could be attributed to a deity. The god of the gaps has been marginalized, there is no more reason to believe in him.
 
apdst said:
But, it's ok to go down the road where we ask, "who are the politically correct among is?". yes?

You're is a bigoted mindset the likes of which the Ku Klux Klowns represents.

Before you say, "nuh-uh! liar, liar pants on fire!", don't forget this thread--this bigoted thread--targets Christianity and not religion as a whole.
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You mean the christian organization. Ku Klux Klan
 
Einzige said:
small group of secularizing elites promoting atheism and amorality
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Wait a minute, I thought this was about the fall of Christianity. What does "promoting amorality" have to do with anything? Are you saying that any morals other than Christian morals simply aren't morals at all?
 
apdst said:
Never mind other religions. Right?

Nevermind the historical fact that Christians have sown much less than the other religions. Right?

The historical ignorance that breeds hatred for Christianity isn't at all surprising. It's the usual historical ignorance that Libbos display.
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Wrong,. Don't get me started on Islam and Judaism.....................
 
Bonzai said:
Wrong,. Don't get me started on Islam and Judaism.....................
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Well, git after it, then. Why is this thread about Christianity and not about religion, as a whole?

The answer: because religionists, like all Libbos only go after groups that aren't protected by political correctness. Hence, the stupidity of Liberalism, in general.

It blows me away how rational thinking people can go along with political correctness.
 
99percenter said:
You mean the christian organization. Ku Klux Klan
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That's not a Christian orginizatin. It's an organization that is made up of Christians. What about the Muslims? Why aren't you trading about them?
 
apdst said:
Well, git after it, then. Why is this thread about Christianity and not about religion, as a whole?

The answer: because religionists, like all Libbos only go after groups that aren't protected by political correctness. Hence, the stupidity of Liberalism, in general.

It blows me away how rational thinking people can go along with political correctness.
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It blows me away that fully grown adults buy into the one god pile of stinking fetid garbage, whether it's known as the "we be just poor widdo" Chistianity, the aforementioned Eeeeeslaaam, or the spiritually bald Judaism...................
 
Bonzai said:
It blows me away that fully grown adults buy into the one god pile of stinking fetid garbage, whether it's known as the "we be just poor widdo" Chistianity, the aforementioned Eeeeeslaaam, or the spiritually bald Judaism...................
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At least you're not being a hypocrite any longer. I'm proud of you, sir.
 
99percenter said:
Religion is a form of oppression. People in power want to keep people below them stupid and religion is the easiest way to do that. Religion is also a tool to incite violence. Bad people become hero's because they are doing god's work.
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You haven't put a lot of thought and effort into this post, have you.
 
CaptainCourtesy said:
The option I would choose is not there. I think that the lessening impact of the church in the West is caused by two factors:

1) Alternatives to social/information gathering. 100 years ago and earlier, the church was the social and informational hub of many towns and locales. With the advent and common usage and access of communication technology and transportation technology. the church is no longer the center of either socializing or gathering information, either locally or beyond.

2) Media presentation of religious extremists. From "televangelists" to news stories of the behavior or religious extremists, the media saturation of the religious who are outside of the mainstream has impacted the overall perception of many in the West. Most folks are NOT extremists, including people who are religious, but when extremism is packaged with the religious name, it is easy to make too close of an association of the two.

I don't see Christianity as "failing" in the West, but I do see it's influence as falling.
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Christianity operates on two levels and neither is 'failing'.
 
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