Cry Christians
By Thomas D. Segel
February 26, 2007
Christians across the United States could very well be shedding tears of sadness over the denigration of their faith if current attitudes and movements across the country continue throughout the remainder of the century.
Depending upon the pole numbers you select, 89% to 92% of Americans claim to believe in God. Along with that primary belief, 85% believe in heaven and 82% believe in miracles. Even belief in Satan has increased, with 71% believing the devil is real today, as compared with only 63% in 1997.
According to the latest demographics, 76.5% of the American population claim to be Christians, less than 2% claim the Jewish faith, only 0.2% Muslim and the remainder of those who profess a belief in God show no particular religious preference. So, if the vast majority of Americans are followers of specific faiths and almost all believe in God, why should there be any Christian concern?
According to author and journalist Sean Scallon, writing last month in the Canadian Free Press, there are two movements that may alter several faiths inside the United States during the 21st Century. His contention is, "Those trends are from Catholic to Orthodox and from nominal Christian to Islam." He charges that within the Catholic Church repeated charges of molestation, combined with the draining of church treasuries through litigation will result in closure of church schools, selling off of church property and even fewer men and women seeking to become priests and nuns. He further sees the church's colleges and hospitals becoming completely secularized within the next 20 years. With all of these deep-rooted problems Scallon sees a movement away from the Roman Catholic faith to the European Orthodox Catholic Church.
The movement of nominal Christians to Islam and the growth of Muslims in America is seen by Scallon as being triggered by an increase in Black Muslim followers, increased immigration from Islamic countries and Christian conversion.
In the September 2005 Harper's Magazine Bill McKibben wrote about the inattention of Christians to their faith. He pointed out that only 40% of Americans could name more than four of the Ten Commandments, while barely 50% can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Added to that, only 36% regularly attend church services.
We claim that America is a Christian nation, yet according to Harper's "The Christian Paradox" article, "Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline..." the article further points out that "three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that 'God helps those who help themselves.' That is three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture."
These observations only touch the fringe of Christian concern. Battles rage throughout American churches on everything from politics to homosexual ordination to display of the Ten Commandments. There is even debate on "what" Ten Commandments should be displayed with few people realizing there are three primary English language versions of the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament.
>> Continued -- Page 1 2 3
| 
