religion is slowly dying?

[Guy Threepwood]

No it isn't. Only a minute fraction of Chinese are Christian. The state established a Church a few years ago and it is a teeny tiny minority. So to say that it is booming in China is hopelessly optimistic. Stalin by the way founded the Russian Orthodox Church, he opened 25,000 of them.
Russia by the way is a basket case, the economy is a total disaster.

In recent years, the number of Chinese Christians has increased significantly, particularly since the easing of restrictions on religious activity during economic reforms in the late 1970s; Christians were 4 million before 1949 (3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants), and are in the tens of millions today
(Wiki)

China isn't exactly ideal either, but there is little debate that both countries are in ascendency in economy and faith from their socialist/atheist lows a few decades ago-

 

[Bunyip]

In recent years, the number of Chinese Christians has increased significantly, particularly since the easing of restrictions on religious activity during economic reforms in the late 1970s; Christians were 4 million before 1949 (3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants), and are in the tens of millions today
(Wiki)

Yes it has increased significantly - from nothing to a minute fraction of the Chinese population is significant I guess. It is still a miniscule minority as I said. Ten million out of 2 billion is a tiny proportion. Even 30 or 40 million is still a minute fringe minority.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Yes it has increased significantly - from nothing to a minute fraction of the Chinese population is significant I guess. It is still a miniscule minority as I said. Ten million out of 2 billion is a tiny proportion. Even 30 or 40 million is still a minute fringe minority.

So it's in ascendency along with the economy was the point, 10s of millions is quite remarkable considering how much Christianity is still oppressed, lift this further and China could become the world's largest Christian nation quite quickly

 

[Bunyip]

So it's in ascendency along with the economy was the point, 10s of millions is quite remarkable considering how much Christianity is still oppressed, lift this further and China could become the world's largest Christian nation quite quickly

LOL Don't hold your breath - you are not even at one percent yet.

 

[Cephus]

In recent years, the number of Chinese Christians has increased significantly, particularly since the easing of restrictions on religious activity during economic reforms in the late 1970s; Christians were 4 million before 1949 (3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants), and are in the tens of millions today
(Wiki)

China isn't exactly ideal either, but there is little debate that both countries are in ascendency in economy and faith from their socialist/atheist lows a few decades ago-

Of course, you're arguing a straw man as usual. China's population in 1955, which is the closest I could easily find to 1949, was 600,995,113. Today, it is 1,401,586,609. It has more than doubled in that time. According to Pew Research, that meant that only 5% of Chinese were Christian in 2010, making up just 3.1% of the world's Christian population. That's a sad minority by any measure.

 

[Sapiens]

I think it depends on how the world goes. If things get better religion will wither and things will be even better, if things get worse religion will strengthen and things will be even worse.

 

[Bunyip]

Of course, you're arguing a straw man as usual. China's population in 1955, which is the closest I could easily find to 1949, was 600,995,113. Today, it is 1,401,586,609. It has more than doubled in that time. According to Pew Research, that meant that only 5% of Chinese were Christian in 2010, making up just 3.1% of the world's Christian population. That's a sad minority by any measure.

I think that the growth of Christianity in China and Africa is taken by many Christians as a sign of the ascendancy of Christianity across the world, however the African and Chinese churches are very different creatures from the Western Churches. In Africa in some places you can pay the local bishop to sacrifice a child for the benefit of your business ventures and in China the newly established people's Churches are a unique Chinese creation, not at all linked to the global Church.

Rather like say, democracy. England has a democracy, and China will be more democratic - but it will be a unique Chinese incarnation, sharing with English democracy only the name.

 

[Cephus]

I think that the growth of Christianity in China and Africa is taken by many Christians as a sign of the ascendancy of Christianity across the world, however the African and Chinese churches are very different creatures from the Western Churches. In Africa in some places you can pay the local bishop to sacrifice a child for the benefit of your business ventures and in China the newly established people's Churches are a unique Chinese creation, not at all linked to the global Church.

Rather like say, democracy. England has a democracy, and China will be more democratic - but it will be a unique Chinese incarnation, sharing with English democracy only the name.

In Africa in particular, Christianity has been melded with local witchcraft beliefs and the clergy performs all kinds of magic rituals. Ethiopia and surrounding countries have a long-lasting problem with the religious murdering albino children for their organs so they can do ceremonies with them. What a lot of American Christians call Christianity would be utterly foreign to Christians in much of sub-Saharan Africa and I suspect the same will be true in China.

 

[Muffled]

I can't remember where i read this, or perhaps heard it.. but i've heard/read that religions are slowl declining in favour of science.. would you say this is true? in 200 years from now might there be no religion ? your opinion I'm not sure, so I have no answer I guess..

I don't beleive we have 200 years but it is difficult to be sure of that. My religious tendencies carried over from my previous life so I believe my religious tendencies will carry over into my next life and therefore religion will never completely go away.

 

[Muffled]

If I was Christian, I would have said that too.

I believe it is like Groucho Marx saying "say the secret word." And what do you get for a prize? Eternal life of course.

 

[Muffled]

I think its great that some of religion is dying , it needs to be relevant for today and not for the past that was full of ignorance and superstations, out of its death I think a more personal religion will arise, we will find our own inner being, or own connection to the Cosmos, the word god will be no longer needed, for it only kept us away from ever discovering our own inner connection. This realization is already happening throughout the world, to me its the second coming of the Christ Consciousness.

We don't burn witches any more but then our witches probably can't turn a person into a frog anyway.