Christians, What Do You Make Of The Decline Of Your Religion?

[Miles]

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Or doesn't it matter?

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[TRANSPONDER]

It is not hard to select statistics to fit a particular view. I recall that I mentioned before that religious increase may be in population numbers rather than demographic percentages. It is worth reading the Wiki entry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian ... ion_growth

Possibly JWs are not one of the ones under the lam. We shall have to see, but as regards Christianity, despite the efforts put in with evangelism, -rpoaganda and efforts to exert control

"The decline of Christianity in the Western world is the decreasing Christian affiliation in the Western world. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies. While Christianity is currently the predominant religion in Latin America,[1] Europe,[2] Canada[3][4] and the United States,[5] the religion is declining in many of these areas, including Western Europe,[6][7] North America,[8] and Oceania. A decline in Christianity among countries in Latin America's Southern Cone has also contributed to a rise in irreligion in Latin America.[9]" (Wiki)

While an onlne query shows JW activitry, control and recruitment...

"Jehovah's Witnesses have a low retention rate relative to other U.S. religious groups. Among all U.S. adults who were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group.26 Apr 2016"

You may fool them once, but they wise up.

[Miles]

2012! boy, eleven years ago! That's pretty dated material you're citing here. There must be something more recent, like stats no more than one or two years old?

Yes. The most recent figures available figures are as follows ....


Source: https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/202 ... Worldwide/

So the meaningful figure you highlighted---the most recent grand totals---isn't 1.85 percent, but rather a 0.4% increase for 2022 from the previous year. Okay, And just as a point of interest . . . .


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................ Source: (year) Jehovah's Witnesses Grand Totals

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[JehovahsWitness]

2012! boy, eleven years ago! That's pretty dated material you're citing here. There must be something more recent, like stats no more than one or two years old?

Yes. The most recent figures available figures are as follows ....


Source: https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/202 ... Worldwide/

So the meaningful figure you highlighted---the most recent grand totals---isn't 1.85 percent, but rather a 0.4% increase for 2022 from the previous year.

Yes. My point being you asked about decline* and I see no decline amongst my people. How do I feel about any arguable non-JW decline? Couldn't care less.


[ * ] I took "decline" to refer to a reduction in the total, ie there are less members of your religion this year than in previous years/ a breakdown or a degradation of my religion. Please clarify if by using the word "decline" you actually meant a slower rate of INCREASE.

[TRANSPONDER]

Well that's a good post. I suspect it is selecting the stats a bit and certainly ignored the post about people maybe being bullied into signing but but massively dropping away. And while I see JW's as about fifth on my list of Christian churches we could do without, I do care about overall denominations, not just yours, because they all have US votes, you see. I suppose JW's do vote?

[Miles]

2012! boy, eleven years ago! That's pretty dated material you're citing here. There must be something more recent, like stats no more than one or two years old?

Yes. The most recent figures available figures are as follows ....


Source: https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/202 ... Worldwide/

So the meaningful figure you highlighted---the most recent grand totals---isn't 1.85 percent, but rather a 0.4% increase for 2022 from the previous year.

Yes. My point being you asked about decline* and I see no decline amongst my people. How do I feel about any arguable non-JW decline? Couldn't care less.


[ * ] I took "decline" to refer to a reduction in the total, ie there are less members of your religion this year than in previous years/ a breakdown or a degradation of my religion. Please clarify if by using the word "decline" you actually meant a slower rate of INCREASE.

In this case the "decline" in the thread's title refers to the decreasing share of adults who identify as Christians, and the decreasing share of Christians who attend religious services once a month or more.

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[JehovahsWitness]

In this case the "decline" in the thread's title refers to the decreasing share of adults who identify as Christians, and the decreasing share of Christians who attend religious services once a month or more.

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Okay well in that case I've pretty answered the question. See post #44 and #53.

[boatsnguitars]

Faith and belief are similar, but Belief implies thinking a thing is so for good reasons, while Faith implies believing it in spite of good reasons not to.

Why do you think belief means thinking? Many atheist seems to believe everything scientists say, without thinking.

I think you idea about faith is not Biblical. But, I don't blame you. I think it is because many "Christians" explain it like that. If we look what Bible teaches about it, we can notice it is not believing without good reasons. For example the case of Noah. God told him what would happen, and then Noah was loyal/faithful to God and acted by that knowledge.

But the whole thing about Righteousness hinges on what that is. You should know better than to think that it means Good Works.

I am sorry, if I too unclear for you. I don't claim righteousness means good works. I claim righteousness means wisdom of the just, right understanding. And if person has that right understanding, it comes visible in his words and actions.

That counts for nothing. Jesusfaith counts for everything.

It is sad that many seems to think so, even though Jesus says:

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; "depart from Me, those working lawlessness!" Then everyone who hears these words from Me, and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;
Matt. 7:21-24

In the Bible faith is not just an empty word, without any meaning.

To be fair..
Most people think Christian faith is thoughtless because they see the actions of Christians: by their acts they are known.
Denial of round Earth, Climate Change, Evolution, Old Earth, etc.

Christians have a long, stories history of ignoring the very discoveries of our Universe, as if God has created a big joke to contradict the claims of the Bible

[TRANSPONDER]

That's true, that Christianity while originally having a big part in the preservation and teaching of science, began to be hostile to it when it started tgo find that it undermined the Bible. Galileo famously ran into trouble because the Heliocentric system contradicted the geocentric system, which the Church, having elected to give Aristotle almost Prophetic status, originally opposed.

Newton had no problem with religion (though he might have done if they'd found out he was doing Alchemy) - it was God's mechanisms.

But of course it was Darwin really upset the Bible fundamentals, even though evolution had been known to science for some time. It was the natural mechanism proposed that annoyed so many churchmen of the time.

Mind, it is not true that the Church taught a flat earth. or at least they didn't resist the science when it was teaching a round earth. Similarly not every Christian is a science denier. Some seem to have no problem in the option of Metaphor rather than literal Bible denial of science. But that the slippery slope to agnosticism, folks.

[1213]

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Most people think Christian faith is thoughtless because they see the actions of Christians: by their acts they are known.
Denial of round Earth, Climate Change, Evolution, Old Earth, etc.

That is like priest telling, you are in denial, if you don't accept that God exists.

[JehovahsWitness]

To be fair..
Most people think Christian faith is thoughtless because they see the actions of Christians: by their acts they are known.
Denial of round Earth, Climate Change, ..., Old Earth, etc.

I dont know any Christians that object to any of the above. Junk science and unproven theories aside, the bible supports true science which is simply the study of the natural world around us, harmonizes with Christian beliefs.



JEHOVAH'S WITNESS