Church of England crisis as it loses 1.7m followers and Islam gains 900,000

Of course Islam grew by nearly a million. Immigration and home grown adherents are likely the reasons their numbers grew by that much. But the way the article is headlined you`d think that all the new Muslims were former members of the Church of England which likely isn't anywhere near the truth.

The Church has been in steady decline since the 60`s so these numbers shouldn`t come as much of a shock to anyone especially considering that the time to take urgent action was back in the 70`s now since it`s probably to late.

Religion in society has been replaced with movements like Environmentalism, Capitalism, Socialism and good old self entitled Narcissism which means that people just don't have the time to spend going to church and interacting with others of a like mind because, there's money to be made, planets to be saved, social justice to be dispensed and overly long bouts of whining that the world accept all our views as gospel and supply us with all our wants to be carried out.

Or maybe they just got tired of the hypocrisy, the politics and the bullshit that goes in Churches all over Canada.

Perhaps they just found other activities that were more rewarding with others of a like mind.

Or maybe they just got tired of the hypocrisy, the politics and the bullshit that goes in Churches all over Canada.

Perhaps they just found other activities that were more rewarding with others of a like mind.

^^ That!

Or maybe they just got tired of the hypocrisy, the politics and the bullshit that goes in Churches all over Canada.

Perhaps they just found other activities that were more rewarding with others of a like mind.

^^ That!

Mostly denominations like CoE didn't give people any real experience with connection to something higher. Charismatic, Evangelical Christianity is growing otoh. As is Islam, which provides certainty and demands a lot of it's followers, it's full engagement.

Too bad, because despite the hypocrisy, mainstream churches, I think, still had a moderating effect on society, it did reduce me-ism to some extent, and gave some common values. Plus the church isn't bent too badly on pushing into everyday life the way Fundie Christian and Islam groups are, trying to enforce their beliefs in laws and push them on everybody.

It's just too bad that some peaceful, non proselytizing and non-sectarian belief system hasn't taken over in society. One that recognizes that the paths to "God" are many and we each have to walk our own, but still provides people with a sense of the transcendent. Buddhism seems to come closest.

^^ That!

Mostly denominations like CoE didn't give people any real experience with connection to something higher. Charismatic, Evangelical Christianity is growing otoh. As is Islam, which provides certainty and demands a lot of it's followers, it's full engagement.

Too bad, because despite the hypocrisy, mainstream churches, I think, still had a moderating effect on society, it did reduce me-ism to some extent, and gave some common values. Plus the church isn't bent too badly on pushing into everyday life the way Fundie Christian and Islam groups are, trying to enforce their beliefs in laws and push them on everybody.

The morality that people got from the church is still there, even if they don't attend. People like me just got tired of the hypocrisy.



It has taken over society. It's called 'society'. It's the belief of most Canadians to 'not be a dick'. When people break that rule, we reprimand or ostracize them. Take for instance the latest backlash from 'FHRITP' movement. Someone got caught being a dick, they were reprimanded and ostracized.

Not being a dick seems to be producing more dicks than the old way did. MOre selfishness, less connection between people. I think in older times, people had more of sense of the meaning of their lives. It wasn't a thought out or articulated one, just something they felt. I think the church played a role here. Materialism is a poor substitute.

The Church of England, like all too many denominations that have been taken over by socialists and other deviants are little more than fronts for various leftist political causes such as abortion, lesbianism, homosexuality, socialism, and etc.

They evidence almost no sincere belief in God and some of them even ostracize members who declare themselves to hold a sincere belief in God.

And what good is a church that doesn't believe in anything? Who needs to go to church when the church itself preaches that Christianity and Christian values are outdated, repressive, and ignorant?

Good riddance to the CoE.

Doesn't every generation say this? "Kids these days"......

Different times and a different world.

The church played a big role in determining the moral standing of society. But like Bart points out, they lost their right to continue doing so when they started being hypocritical and breaking their own moral code.

It's one thing to, for example, see and support homosexuals to have the same rights and freedoms as the rest of us. It's quite another to go against the teachings of the Bible and allow practicing homosexuals into the church congregation.

The Enlightenment produced great positive changes in our society. But you can see how few people can handle it, by the number who choose fundamentalism instead. Like the guy who found a 600 million y o fish fossil in he basement in Calgary recently, who insists it's only 6000 years old. Like the fact that young people searching for meaning are drawn to an absolutist religion like Islam is in many cases.

It's lonely without daddy. Buddhism too, can feel kind of cold, because there's nobody to pray to, it's really all up to you and a cause and effect universe with no divine intervention.

Speaking of socialist lesbians taking over Christian churches....

current-events-f59/calls-to-refer-to-god-as-a-woman-as-female-bishops-take-up-p-t112681.html

I think that is just because some people are unable to question their faith. There are plenty of Scientists who are religious, because they know the difference between reality and dogma and it doesn't affect either their rationality or spirituality. They can see the morality of the bible, and see it's obvious contradictions but still believe in a divine creator.



It's also scary when people can't look at a list and say "If I do these things, and only these things then I am Saved! Halleluiah!" People get scared when they have to use their own morality to make the hard judgements as to what is right and wrong. That's why we see so many Priests or Evangelist ministers who are actually closet homosexuals or just plain thieving con men, when their faith tells them that it's forbidden.

Community and family cohesion has disappeared in the industrialized countries.