"On paper, France would seem one of the least likely places for this branch of Christianity to gain a foothold. For centuries, Protestantism was the embattled minority in a country Catholics liked to call the ''eldest daughter of the church'' because of its strong ties to Rome. That minority still makes up just 3 per cent of the population.....From a postwar population of about 50,000, French evangelicals are now estimated to number 450,000 to 500,000. According to the Evangelical Federation of France, the number of churches has risen from 800 in 1970 to more than 2200 today."
Here's the link to the cited article. If religion was so backward and an impediment for people, you would think that it would be dying out rather than greatly expanding in such an atheistic environment. Atheism is devoid of answers whereas Christianity provides hope and comfort for individuals.
9 comments:
Evangelical Christianity might be growing in France, but is Christianity growing as a whole? Or are evangelical churches simply cannibalising what's left of the old denominations?
is Christianity growing as a whole?
Yes it is. Dinesh D'Souza makes that point in the first chapter of his book What's so Great About Christianity?. I'll post the stats later. The key word is worldwide it's growing rapidly.
Sorry, I didn't phrase that very well. What I meant was, is Christianity growing as a whole in France, in that highly secularised environment?
Regardless, I would like to see those stats.
I am gaining respect and hope for France. In the political realm, just as the United States is rushing headlong into socialism like lemmings to the sea, France is starting to say, "been there, done that, and I have the scars to show for it." It is an irony of ironies that the current French administration is to the right of the current U.S. administration.
More significantly and importantly, French culture and society has been mired too long in secularism, and perhaps in the spirtual as well as the political realm the society as a whole may be scraping botttom and seeing the folly of its ways. God indeed moves in mysterious ways!
You do realize that it's a fallacy to use as a measure of truth, whether a belief makes you feel good or not?
I didnt man it as a measure of truth Reynold. If atheism is such a great philosophy, then maybe you could get together with your co-religionists and try to get them to stop offing themselves at a higher rate than the general population.
True, as researched here. However, JD, read the very last paragraph for the researcher's opinion of what you just did.
OK LX. Instead I'll mention that your divorce rate is noticebly higher.
"Perhaps the seven marriages of the atheist champions Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkins should have been Barna's first clue that his initial conclusions were awry." Link
What can you tell me about life expectancies in general between atheists and Christians? Not that these topics in and of themselves will change people's minds.
I can't tell you anything about comparative life expectancies that you don't already know. You do realise the specific statistic you use doesn't make much difference to how you look, right? You're scanning World Net Daily for more ammo, for crying out loud. If that isn't tangential sensationalism, what is?
Atheism is incomplete as a philosophy or as a religion (despite its American legal status), because it's just a position on one issue. It's not a one-stop guide to life like actual religions claim to be. Therefore atheists have to look farther afield for their comfort and happiness, both of which are major factors in their health, relationships and longevity. Unfortunately, only some of them find what they're after. Those in religions, even if those religions aren't making them happy or healthy, at least have a ready-made community. That's something atheists aren't nearly as good at cultivating yet.
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