25,000 Evangelical Christian Youth rally against promiscuity and corporate culture

[CanGal 1]

Evolution is a scientific fact, and it continues to occur. Darwins theories have NEVER been disproved, though many have tried.

Nor has it ever been really Proved, it's still just a theory, a theory that continually changes over time.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

There is a BIG difference in Europe and USA. Not only is church attendance down in Europe, but Atheism especially in Eastern block countries like the old East Germany, Latvia the amount of people who say they are Atheist has skyrocketed. I read some crazy fact and I find it particulary hard to believe and if true very sad that some 70% of old E. Germans are atheist. Is that really possible? How dark and how sad. I pray for them. I know that there are huge missions going to Europe because there has been a huge increase in people immigrating from Africa and the Middle East and they have never heard about Jesus and there is a huge void.

I wouldn't suggest that the decline of people attending organised religious means that there there is less spirituality in Europe, or that Europeans are somehow 'less moral' that Americans.

A lot of people who claim to be atheists are really not - they have religious beliefs, typically private, and almost always based on whatever religion they were brought up with. The difference in Europe, I think is that people are less inclined towards public displays of faith. Religion is a more private affair than it is in the US.

The problem is that they don't relate to organised religion as part of day to day life in the 21st century. Realistically speaking (and again this is a generalization for anyone who might get offended) when people start to desert the church (for example) in droves, it invariably leaves only the elderly and the real fanatics who give the religion a bad name. As a result more and more people end up being driven away...

Church attendance in Britain, for example, has declined over very many years - to the point where the average age of a church attendee is approximately 50 or 60 years old.

That's not to say I think the church is irrelevant, just that it needs to find new ways of reaching people to achieve newfound relevance in what is a very different age. People are (on the whole) more educated and better informed (as so far as the news goes) than any other point in human history. People make moral judgements for themselves, the church needs to find ways of changing with the times, as it has in the past.

Edited June 7, 2006 by Fishdude

[Veiled Princess 1]

Haha, I guess Baptist churches back home aren't as out of control lol ...

OMG, the other day I was picking my kids up from the babysitter's house and I thought I'd fall over and die right there...

She called me at work to make sure I'd be home in time for her to make it to church that night.. (it was Monday and I had no idea she even knew where a church was)...

Anyway, when I got there she came out of the back room dressed in daisey duke shorts and a tank top with her boobs hanging completely OUT! (we have already discussed my displeasure about her dressing that way when my kids are there but that's another post for another day)

I looked at her and asked "are you going to church dressed like that?" Honesly, I thought she was just using this church thing as an excuse for me to come home and not work late that night.

She says "what's wrong with it?"

Me: Umm, you're naked?

Her: It's just bible study.

Me: And you're going to the church dressed like that?

Her: Oh girl, the baptists don't discriminate and if they did I wouldn't go back!

A few things came to mind at once...

1. Since when did the baptists become so lax????

2. It's discrimination now when the religious institution insists that you follow the laws of the book that you're going there to "study"???

[CanGal 1]

"Myself" I would rather believe I was created by a loving God rather than just combusted together and formed from some molecules or something. I'd like to think there is more to life than just that. Everything is too complicated in a creation stand point just to combust and evolve. And if we did evolve from something then why aren't we still seeing humans evolve from whatever it was we evolved frm ni the beginning?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Oh dear - I'm not doing the evolution/creation debate again.

This will be like the 12th time!

[CanGal 1]

OMG, the other day I was picking my kids up from the babysitter's house and I thought I'd fall over and die right there...

She called me at work to make sure I'd be home in time for her to make it to church that night.. (it was Monday and I had no idea she even knew where a church was)...

Anyway, when I got there she came out of the back room dressed in daisey duke shorts and a tank top with her boobs hanging completely OUT!

Oh my! I wouldn't even go out in public like that let alone in a church.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

There is a BIG difference in Europe and USA. Not only is church attendance down in Europe, but Atheism especially in Eastern block countries like the old East Germany, Latvia the amount of people who say they are Atheist has skyrocketed. I read some crazy fact and I find it particulary hard to believe and if true very sad that some 70% of old E. Germans are atheist. Is that really possible? How dark and how sad. I pray for them. I know that there are huge missions going to Europe because there has been a huge increase in people immigrating from Africa and the Middle East and they have never heard about Jesus and there is a huge void.

I wouldn't suggest that the decline of people attending organised religious means that there there is less spirituality in Europe, or that Europeans are somehow 'less moral' that Americans.

A lot of people who claim to be atheists are really not - they have religious beliefs, typically private, and almost always based on whatever religion they were brought up with. The difference in Europe, I think is that people are less inclined towards public displays of faith. Religion is a more private affair than it is in the US.

Exactly!

[*Robert* 2]

"Myself" I would rather believe I was created by a loving God rather than just combusted together and formed from some molecules or something. I'd like to think there is more to life than just that. Everything is too complicated in a creation stand point just to combust and evolve. And if we did evolve from something then why aren't we still seeing humans evolve from whatever it was we evolved frm ni the beginning?

It's the same thing as a tree. You have the trunk, and then the branches. The branches do not grow back into a trunk! Once a branch begins, it changes for good. As to what we evolved from, those fossil remains are continually being found.

Chimps and other mammals took separate branches; we did NOT evolve from apes!!!

CanGal, you must be getting tired!!! "evolved frm ni the"!!!

[CanGal 1]

Oh dear - I'm not doing the evolution/creation debate again.

This will be like the 12th time!

Then we won't, i wasn't really wanting too, just curious so i thought i'd ask a question, thats all.

CanGal, you must be getting tired!!! "evolved frm ni the"!!!

Tired? who me? I don't ever get tired lol :-p .... I am warm though, this room feels like an oven. I think this is the most decent conversation I've had in a day or two lol, gets lonely when you can't go anywhere and your hubby works all day ...

[anya-D 8]

oh dear..

I'm hungry.. gonna make some din din now.. it's a good read this thread..

Robert - i'm making a Pad-Thai .. want some?

Yak di!!! I just had Paneng Kung for lunch, but I think I still have room for some Pad Thai!!!

Tonight, since Chutima has her aerobics class at 6, I'm going to make Nam Tok Gai!!!

Ao mai?

เอาคะ

[CanGal 1]

hmmm

[Veiled Princess 1]

How do explain all the archeological finds? Even now they have fossil remains predating Neanderthal man.

Evolution is a scientific fact, and it continues to occur. Darwins theories have NEVER been disproved, though many have tried.

As to how man truly evolved, that's another missing piece of the scientific puzzle.

I have no problem with science. I have mentioned this before but scientists have been wrong in the past and continue to be wrong to this day. The problem with men trying to explain God is that men can't understand God so how can they possibly explain Him?

God sent down books to explain what He wanted us to know or what we are capable of understanding. There are many things in the Quran that were explained or mentioned there over 1400 years ago that your scientists have just come to realize now which is my "scientific proof" that the Quran is God's words. I'll take God's explaination over some man's any day.

[CanGal 1]

The problem with men trying to explain God is that men can't understand God so how can they possibly explain Him?

Exactly .... I bet sometimes it amuses God by watching us trying to understand him and possibly explain him with our little minds.

[Veiled Princess 1]

There is a BIG difference in Europe and USA. Not only is church attendance down in Europe, but Atheism especially in Eastern block countries like the old East Germany, Latvia the amount of people who say they are Atheist has skyrocketed. I read some crazy fact and I find it particulary hard to believe and if true very sad that some 70% of old E. Germans are atheist. Is that really possible? How dark and how sad. I pray for them. I know that there are huge missions going to Europe because there has been a huge increase in people immigrating from Africa and the Middle East and they have never heard about Jesus and there is a huge void.

I don't know where this post originally came from I just noticed it in your post...

Who says people from the Middle East haven't heard about Jesus???? That's either a lie or a misunderstanding.

[CanGal 1]

I guess there's always that thought too that if you live your life like there is a God and he exists and in the end you find out he doesn't, you lose nothing but if you live your life claiming there is no God then find out there is, you could lose everything ....