Quote: (04-13-2019 01:37 PM)NoMoreTO Wrote:
^^ Interesting how mainline protestant saw the largest drop. I am guessing its the female involvement in the clergy, openness to gay sex among many of these sects.
That is exactly correct. You can see the evangelical protestant population rising from 5 to 23 percent, while the mainline protestant population dropped from 28 to 11 percent. Normal well-adjusted people want the truth (the Word of God) and people with real problems want something that works (e.g., the time-tested principles enshrined in the Holy Bible).
Many people attend a "church" that is nothing more than an echo-chamber social club that reinforces the erroneous beliefs of man, rather than the timeless truth of God. I once heard a pastor (who I really respect) say that if you go to a new church and listen to a sermon that fails to repeatedly mention Jesus, sin, and hell -- run away.
If I had to choose only one Bible verse that explains most of the societal problems that mankind now experiences it is this one: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25 (KJV)
The historical context of the verse is very important. Until this time, Israel was not ruled by a king. It was ruled by a loose cadre of judges (wise elders guided by God). Israel did not need a king, because God was its King (through the elders). But the people of Israel demanded a king, because all the other kingdoms had a king. In essence, the people of Israel turned their back on their true king (God) in exchange for weak vain human kings. By turning their back on God, the people of Israel became untethered from God and His law -- and "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Sound familiar?
Judges 21:25 is the very last verse of the Book of Judges. The next book is the Book of Kings, which documents the folly of relying on man (kings) instead of relying on God. History simply repeats itself in cycles of enlightened peace or abject horror, depending upon whether mankind listens to God.