The Bible Will Cease to Exist in 100 years!

[Kenny]

Or so Voltaire thought:

“One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.”

However, 50 years later his printing press was pouring out the Bible and his room was a repository for Biblical material.

Times never change.



And the effort goes on, and on, and on.

Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth? Further Evidence of Verification

 

[danieldemol]

Or so Voltaire thought:

“One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.”

Your long winded rambling article couldn't source this quote to Voltaire.

Not only that even if Voltaire did make this quote it is a non-sequitur to jump from this pseudo prediction of the Bible's downfall within a hundred years to the Bible being inspired by God just because there were people dogmatically clinging to it a hundred years later.

In my opinion.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Or so Voltaire thought:

“One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.”

However, 50 years later his printing press was pouring out the Bible and his room was a repository for Biblical material.

Times never change.



And the effort goes on, and on, and on.

Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth? Further Evidence of Verification

Voltaire is required reading in many countries, particularly in France and previous colonies of France. I have been advised by another Christian to read it for myself. He is supposedly a very powerful thinker and good writer. I don't know much more about it, and I haven't gotten around to reading him yet.

 

[Kenny]

Your long winded rambling article couldn't source this quote to Voltaire.

Not only that even if Voltaire did make this quote it is a non-sequitur to jump from this pseudo prediction of the Bible's downfall within a hundred years to the Bible being inspired by God just because there were people dogmatically clinging to it a hundred years later.

In my opinion.

I think you have your years mixed up. And I prefer to say that I hold onto a truth derived from deep thought and intellectual consideration.

But you can hold on to Voltaires erroneous conclusions.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Or so Voltaire thought:

“One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.”

However, 50 years later his printing press was pouring out the Bible and his room was a repository for Biblical material.

Times never change.



And the effort goes on, and on, and on.

Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth? Further Evidence of Verification

The I ching is far far older than the Bible, and still in circulation today.

The book is a wonderful invention isn't it?

 

[Ashoka]

Christians want so bad to believe that they are not quickly losing relevancy lol.

 

[ChristineM]

Or so Voltaire thought:

“One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible on earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.”

However, 50 years later his printing press was pouring out the Bible and his room was a repository for Biblical material.

Times never change.



And the effort goes on, and on, and on.

Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth? Further Evidence of Verification

It seems Voltaire didn't say that nor were there any bibles ever printed in any of his homes.

According to The Open Society, Vol. 77 (Autumn 2004) Voltaire's House and The Bible Society http://www.nzarh.org.nz/journal/2004v77n1aut.pdf, p. 14: "The myth seems to have originated from an 1849 Annual Report of the American Bible Society where the relevant section reads: Voltaire... predicted that in the nineteenth century the Bible would be known only as a relic of antiquity. He could say, while on this topic, that the Hotel Gibbon (so-called from that celebrated infidel) is now become the very depository of the Bible Society, and the individual who superintends the building is an agent for the sale and receipt of the books. The very ground this illustrious scoffer often paced, has now become the scene of the operation and success of an institution established for the diffusion of the very book against which his efforts were directed."

Sidney Collett, in The Scripture of Truth (1905), apparently misrepresents this report by stating: "Voltaire, the noted French infidel who died in 1778, said that in one hundred years from his time Christianity would be swept into history. But what has happened? Only twenty-five years after his death the [British & Foreign Bible] Society was founded. His printing press, with which he printed his infidel literature, has since been used to print copies of the Word of God; and the very house in which he lived has been stacked with Bibles of the Geneva Bible Society." Regarding Bible-printing in Voltaire's homes, Theodore Besterman (former director of the "Institut et Muse Voltaire" in Geneva) stated, "None of Voltaire's homes is or ever has been connected in any way with any Bible Society. This applies to all Voltaire's homes, whether in France, Germany, Switzerland, or anywhere else". http://www.nzarh.org.nz/journal/2004v77n1aut.pdf.

Misattributed

Source: One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in…​

 

[RestlessSoul]

The I ching is far far older than the Bible, and still in circulation today.

The book is a wonderful invention isn't it?

If only more people would actually read them.

 

[Kenny]

Christians want so bad to believe that they are not quickly losing relevancy lol.

And yet it was so relevant in my life as it is in the lives of millions in today's living.

 

[Kenny]

It seems Voltaire didn't say that nor were there any bibles ever printed in any of his homes.

According to The Open Society, Vol. 77 (Autumn 2004) Voltaire's House and The Bible Society http://www.nzarh.org.nz/journal/2004v77n1aut.pdf, p. 14: "The myth seems to have originated from an 1849 Annual Report of the American Bible Society where the relevant section reads: Voltaire... predicted that in the nineteenth century the Bible would be known only as a relic of antiquity. He could say, while on this topic, that the Hotel Gibbon (so-called from that celebrated infidel) is now become the very depository of the Bible Society, and the individual who superintends the building is an agent for the sale and receipt of the books. The very ground this illustrious scoffer often paced, has now become the scene of the operation and success of an institution established for the diffusion of the very book against which his efforts were directed."

Sidney Collett, in The Scripture of Truth (1905), apparently misrepresents this report by stating: "Voltaire, the noted French infidel who died in 1778, said that in one hundred years from his time Christianity would be swept into history. But what has happened? Only twenty-five years after his death the [British & Foreign Bible] Society was founded. His printing press, with which he printed his infidel literature, has since been used to print copies of the Word of God; and the very house in which he lived has been stacked with Bibles of the Geneva Bible Society." Regarding Bible-printing in Voltaire's homes, Theodore Besterman (former director of the "Institut et Muse Voltaire" in Geneva) stated, "None of Voltaire's homes is or ever has been connected in any way with any Bible Society. This applies to all Voltaire's homes, whether in France, Germany, Switzerland, or anywhere else". http://www.nzarh.org.nz/journal/2004v77n1aut.pdf.

Misattributed

Source: One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in…​

If you read the article - the printing was in one place and not in his home (I didn't say the printing press was in his home). The house was simply where Bible and other printed materials were stored.

It also addresses other points.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

The I ching is far far older than the Bible, and still in circulation today.

The book is a wonderful invention isn't it?

And the Epic of Gilgamesh, written about 2100 BCE, is still in circulation, and still a wonderful read, especially if you get a superior translation (perhaps Stephen Mitchell's 2004 version, which is not his own translation, but a rendering into beautiful English from 7 other translations).

 

[ChristineM]

If you read the article - the printing was in one place and not in his home (I didn't say the printing press was in his home). The house was simply where Bible and other printed materials were stored.

It also addresses other points.

Actually it doesn't address the the misattributed comment which actually sems to be the work of an American Christian apologetic.

As for bible printing

There is an apocryphal story that his home at Ferney was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society and used for printing Bibles, but this appears to be due to a misunderstanding of the 1849 annual report of the American Bible Society. Voltaire's chateau is now owned and administered by the French Ministry of Culture.​

If you consider the purchase of Voltaire's home and the it's subsequent use to print/store bibles as Voltaire's work??? Anyway is an unsubstantiated story anyway

 

[Wildswanderer]

Christians want so bad to believe that they are not quickly losing relevancy lol.

Well seeing as we are still the most prominent religion on earth, I don't see how we could be.

 

[Rival]

Christians want so bad to believe that they are not quickly losing relevancy lol.

Tbf they're not.

Christianity is still one of the fastest growing religions; especially in places like China and various African nations; the RCC and AC are huge in Africa. It's overtaking atheism outside the West,

"China has seen a huge religious revival in recent years and some predict it will have the world’s largest Christian population by 2030. The number of Chinese Protestants has grown by an average of 10 % annually since 1979, to between 93 million and 115 million, according to one estimate. There are reckoned to be another 10-12 million Catholics."

Religion: why faith is becoming more and more popular | Religion | The Guardian

Christianity is on the rise in African countries despite the harsh religious environment on the continent that is characterized by persecution of Christians and lack of government support of churches, a new study has revealed.

The study, which was carried out in 166 countries globally to examine the correlation between the growth of Christianity and the support given to it by the respective governments has placed 10 African countries on top of the list of countries where there has been immense growth.

The 10 African countries in the study are Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Madagascar, Liberia, Kenya, DR Congo and Angola. In these countries, only Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia enjoy some form of State support while the rest have been left to their devices.

African Countries Register Highest Growth in Christianity Globally amid Persecution (aciafrica.org)

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

we are still the most prominent religion on earth, I don't see how we could be.

That's not relevant to the claim that Christianity is diminishing in relevance in the West, by which I mean western Europe and the anglophone countries. It may be gaining in popularity in parts of the world where life is becoming more uncertain, but wherever the fruits of humanism and the Enlightenment can be found and life is longer, safer, more comfortable, easier, etc., Christianity loses market share.

Here's the data from one of the first surveys showing significant declines, and which demonstrates the difference between absolute and relative numbers. It compares the numbers of people who self-identify as Christians in 1990 to 2008. As you can see, the number of people calling themselves Christian rose from about 151 million to about 173 million while the total population went from 175 million to 228 million, which was a relative decline for Christianity from 86.2% of the total to 76.0%:

American Religious Identification Survey
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/documents/aris030609.pdf

Adult population, total
1990: 175,440,000
2008: 228,182,000

Total Christian
1990: 151,225,000 (86.2%)
2008: 173,402,000 (76.0%)

None/ No religion, total
1990: 14,331,000 (8.2%)
2008: 34,169,000 (15.0%)​

And there are more of these surveys from Gallop and Pew showing further progression of this trend. People self-identifying as Christians fell further from 76.0% to 70.6% by 2014 http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

Here's a bit more of what we have:

From Pew: "One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation" Oct 9, 2012: "In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated have increased from just over 15% to just under 20% of all U.S. adults. Their ranks now include more than 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics (nearly 6% of the U.S. public), as well as nearly 33 million people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (14%)." http://www.pewforum.org/unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

2015| "Pew Survey Predicts Rise In Atheism In US, Europe Despite Growing Religiosity Worldwide" http://www.ibtimes.com/pew-survey-predicts-rise-atheism-us-europe-despite-growing-religiosity-worldwide-1869696

From 2021: U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time (gallup.com)​

This should be of no concern to any Christian whose religion is private. It shouldn't matter how many other Christians there are if there are enough to congregate with, assuming he or she wants to do that. Either way, the Christian is free to study his Bible, pray, say grace over meals, listen to sermons and sing hymns, marry and baptize in the religion, wear and display religious iconography on their bodies, bumper stickers, homes and businesses, etc..

That ought to be enough for any sincere supplicant. Those who want more, such as those who favor injecting school-led prayer or creationism back into public schools, or imposing their religious beliefs on others who resent them for it, will be disappointed as they find public religion and the majority status of Christianity dissipating, and see Christianity take its proper place in a secular society and eventually join every other religion in Western culture such as the Sikhs, Jains, and Druids, who are largely invisible to those not looking for them.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Well seeing as we are still the most prominent religion on earth, I don't see how we could be.

Actually your not.

Worldwide, according to Pew, Christianity only takes up 36.1% of the population. That's fairly small.


https://www.reference.com/world-view/percentage-world-christian-4baefda21d3bfcfd

 

[Wildswanderer]

Actually your not.

Worldwide, according to Pew, Christianity only takes up 36.1% of the population. That's fairly small.


https://www.reference.com/world-view/percentage-world-christian-4baefda21d3bfcfd

It's still the most prominent religion.

 

[Wildswanderer]

That's not relevant to the claim that Christianity is diminishing in relevance in the West, by which I mean western Europe and the anglophone countries. It may be gaining in popularity in parts of the world where life is becoming more uncertain, but wherever the fruits of humanism and the Enlightenment can be found and life is longer, safer, more comfortable, easier, etc., Christianity loses market share.

Here's the data from one of the first surveys showing significant declines, demonstrates the difference between absolute and relative numbers. It compares the numbers of people who self-identify as Christians in 1990 to 2008. As you can see, the number of people calling themselves Christian rose from about 151 million to about 173 million while the total population went from 175 million to 228 million, which was a relative decline for Christianity from 86.2% of the total to 76.0%:

American Religious Identification Survey
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/documents/aris030609.pdf

Adult population, total
1990: 175,440,000
2008: 228,182,000

Total Christian
1990: 151,225,000 (86.2%)
2008: 173,402,000 (76.0%)

None/ No religion, total
1990: 14,331,000 (8.2%)
2008: 34,169,000 (15.0%)​

And there are more of these surveys from Gallop and Pew showing further progression of this trend. People self-identifying as Christians fell further from 76.0% to 70.6% by 2014 http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

Here's a bit more of what we have:

From Pew: "One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation" Oct 9, 2012: "In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated have increased from just over 15% to just under 20% of all U.S. adults. Their ranks now include more than 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics (nearly 6% of the U.S. public), as well as nearly 33 million people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (14%)." http://www.pewforum.org/unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

2015| "Pew Survey Predicts Rise In Atheism In US, Europe Despite Growing Religiosity Worldwide" http://www.ibtimes.com/pew-survey-predicts-rise-atheism-us-europe-despite-growing-religiosity-worldwide-1869696

From 2021: U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time (gallup.com)​

This should be of no concern to any Christian whose religion is private. It shouldn't matter how many other Christians there are if there enough to congregate with, assuming he or she wants to do that. Either way, the Christian is free to study his Bible, pray, say grace, listen to sermons and sing hymns, marry and baptize in the religion, wear and display religious iconography of their bodies, bumper stickers, homes and businesses, etc..

That ought to be enough for any sincere supplicant. Those who want more, such as injecting school-led prayer or creationism back into public schools, or imposing their religious beliefs on others who resent them for it, will be disappointed as they find public religion and the majority status of Christianity dissipating, and see Christianity take its proper place in a secular society and eventually join every other religion in Western culture such as the Sikhs, Jains, and Druids, who are largely invisible to those not looking for them.

This is just a blip on the radar of history. Christianity wanes in one area and rises in another as it always has, and it will happen again if God allows the world to continue on. As the western world is steadily deteriorating due to secular thinking I expect more to return to their senses and embrace God.

 

[Twilight Hue]

It's still the most prominent religion.

For now. Christianity however is in rapid decline.

In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace

 

[Wildswanderer]

For now. Christianity however is in rapid decline.

In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace

In the West. Not world wide. Christianity is growing in South America and China and Africa.