JV-12
Mayor
From USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-25/religion-god-atheism-so-what/52195274/1?csp=hf
As Christmas Day glides by — all gilt, no substance — for many, clergy and religion experts are dismayed. They fear for souls' salvation and for the common threads of faith snapping in society. Others see no such dire consequences to a more openly secular America as people not only fess up to being faithless but admit they're also skipping out on being “spiritual,” the cool default word of the decade, as well. Researchers have begun asking the kind of nuanced questions that reveal just how big the “So what?” set might be:
•44% told the 2011 Baylor University Religion Survey they spend no time seeking "eternal wisdom," and 19% said "it's useless to search for meaning."
•46% told a 2011 survey by Nashville-based evangelical research agency, LifeWay Research, they never wonder whether they will go to heaven.
•28% told LifeWay "it's not a major priority in my life to find my deeper purpose." And 18% scoffed at the idea that God has a purpose or plan for everyone.
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Now this may not come as to any concern of yours, but I bring it up because for me I am astounded. Why are Americans not taking God seriously? Why are they not taking death and judgment seriously? Why has the concerted effort for prosperity in this life for themselves and their family become their almost sole endeavor? This to me is the main reason our nation, our economy, our government and corporate leadership and our culture are in a free fall.
I also suspect that the majority of those of us who are in favor of serving God are not really all that dedicated or obedient either.
I supplement the survey above with Pope Benedict’s comments this week to American bishops.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI warned visiting U.S. bishops that "radical secularism" threatens the core values of American culture, and he called on the church in America, including politicians and other laypeople, to render "public moral witness" on crucial social issues.
The pope spoke Jan. 19 to a group of U.S. bishops who were in Rome for their periodic "ad limina" visits, which included meetings with the pope and Vatican officials, covering a wide range of pastoral matters.
Opening with a dire assessment of the state of American society, the pope told the bishops that "powerful new cultural currents" have worn away the country's traditional moral consensus, which was originally based on religious faith as well as ethical principles derived from natural law.
Whether they claim the authority of science or democracy, the pope said, militant secularists seek to stifle the church's proclamation of these "unchanging moral truths." Such a movement inevitably leads to the prevalence of "reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society."
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1200227.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-25/religion-god-atheism-so-what/52195274/1?csp=hf
As Christmas Day glides by — all gilt, no substance — for many, clergy and religion experts are dismayed. They fear for souls' salvation and for the common threads of faith snapping in society. Others see no such dire consequences to a more openly secular America as people not only fess up to being faithless but admit they're also skipping out on being “spiritual,” the cool default word of the decade, as well. Researchers have begun asking the kind of nuanced questions that reveal just how big the “So what?” set might be:
•44% told the 2011 Baylor University Religion Survey they spend no time seeking "eternal wisdom," and 19% said "it's useless to search for meaning."
•46% told a 2011 survey by Nashville-based evangelical research agency, LifeWay Research, they never wonder whether they will go to heaven.
•28% told LifeWay "it's not a major priority in my life to find my deeper purpose." And 18% scoffed at the idea that God has a purpose or plan for everyone.
-------------------------------------------------------
Now this may not come as to any concern of yours, but I bring it up because for me I am astounded. Why are Americans not taking God seriously? Why are they not taking death and judgment seriously? Why has the concerted effort for prosperity in this life for themselves and their family become their almost sole endeavor? This to me is the main reason our nation, our economy, our government and corporate leadership and our culture are in a free fall.
I also suspect that the majority of those of us who are in favor of serving God are not really all that dedicated or obedient either.
I supplement the survey above with Pope Benedict’s comments this week to American bishops.
------------------------------------------------------------
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI warned visiting U.S. bishops that "radical secularism" threatens the core values of American culture, and he called on the church in America, including politicians and other laypeople, to render "public moral witness" on crucial social issues.
The pope spoke Jan. 19 to a group of U.S. bishops who were in Rome for their periodic "ad limina" visits, which included meetings with the pope and Vatican officials, covering a wide range of pastoral matters.
Opening with a dire assessment of the state of American society, the pope told the bishops that "powerful new cultural currents" have worn away the country's traditional moral consensus, which was originally based on religious faith as well as ethical principles derived from natural law.
Whether they claim the authority of science or democracy, the pope said, militant secularists seek to stifle the church's proclamation of these "unchanging moral truths." Such a movement inevitably leads to the prevalence of "reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society."
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1200227.htm
