Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

I laughed

They should do what some other satire sites do -- just have the joke as the headline of a linked article that doesn't go anywhere. It's a good one punch joke and doesn't need any text.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

People like to downplay the Catholic Church as being irrelevant, but if you ever see the numbers of people at Mass on a given weekend you'd see that there is still plenty of influence there. One of the three parishes in Oakdale, MN, pulls in 1500 bodies any given weekend, more than double that during the big events. While I disagree with much of what they say, I can tell you that a very large number of people there truly believe what they're told each and every week. And there's a resurgence of the conservative ethos/view of the Bible bubbling up from within itself. It's a shame they can't turn that resurgence into love for all rather than the chosen few.

IIRC, Catholics also do a better job of retaining young people than mainline Protestant denominations do (though I'm sure Joe will dispute this ).

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

People like to downplay the Catholic Church as being irrelevant, but if you ever see the numbers of people at Mass on a given weekend you'd see that there is still plenty of influence there. One of the three parishes in Oakdale, MN, pulls in 1500 bodies any given weekend, more than double that during the big events. While I disagree with much of what they say, I can tell you that a very large number of people there truly believe what they're told each and every week. And there's a resurgence of the conservative ethos/view of the Bible bubbling up from within itself. It's a shame they can't turn that resurgence into love for all rather than the chosen few.

Wait, do you live in GDO?

 

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

IIRC, Catholics also do a better job of retaining young people than mainline Protestant denominations do (though I'm sure Joe will dispute this ).

Doubt it. Go to Sunday mass sometime. It's the early show at the Assisted Living facility.

When the local black church lets out it's all families and a great distribution of all ages (and my god they dress to the nines). When the (all white) Catholic church lets out it's ice floe time.

Also the blacks all look joyous while the whites all look like just took castor oil.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

That may be true in the US and western Europe, but I don't think that's the case in Latin America.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

Wait, do you live in GDO?

No. My wife used to work at Transfiguration Catholic Church there. She still has many friends and contacts there and will attend Mass there from time to time.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

That may be true in the US and western Europe, but I don't think that's the case in Latin America.

Latin America had a Catholic boom in the 80s and 90s but the Vatican is terrified now that they are losing market share to evangelicals.

Latin America remains home to an estimated 40 percent of the world’s Catholic population. But the survey finds that 19 percent of Latin Americans now describe themselves as Protestants. And Protestant churches in Latin America are filled with former Catholics — in Colombia, 84 percent of Protestants say they were baptized as Catholics.

Latin Americans who converted from Catholicism to Protestantism most often said they did so because they were seeking a more personal connection with God.

IINM the big Catholic growth area now is Africa, which is good but also bad because the Catholics coming from there believe women are Satan's minions and we should snip off their pleasure bits. Vatican 3 is likely to make Ross Douthat looks liberal.

The Whore of Babylon missed her chance. Holy Mother Church could have made a huge difference in the Third World in the 20th century but they wasted it first playing Italian politics and then burying their head in JP2's neoconservative sand. It'll get another chance someday but for the present it's a dead letter. All the cool kids these days are Muzzies.

 

[joecct]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

Headline from The Independent. Joel Osteen??

Pope Francis claims US televangelist performed miracle, paving way for sainthood

I would not call Fulton J. Sheen a televangelist.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

I would not call Filton J. Sheen a televangelist.

More of a Catholic Davey and Goliath.

 

[joecct]

More of a Catholic Davey and Goliath.

One of my favorites as a kid. Got the DVDs for the grandkids.

And nobody did/does theology like Bishop Sheen.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

One of my favorites as a kid. Got the DVDs for the grandkids.

And nobody did/does theology like Bishop Sheen.

Soren Kierkegaard called.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

No. My wife used to work at Transfiguration Catholic Church there. She still has many friends and contacts there and will attend Mass there from time to time.

Transfiguration, guardian angels...what’s the third? St. Peter’s is not oakdale nor is nativity

 

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Transfiguration, guardian angels...what’s the third? St. Peter’s is not oakdale nor is nativity

Google says only 2...

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

Why are you concerned with where St. Clown's wife goes to Mass?

I'm more concerned that she sometimes goes to Mass at other parishes!?!?

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Why are you concerned with where St. Clown's wife goes to Mass?

I'm more concerned that she sometimes goes to Mass at other parishes!?!?

I also grew up near GDO and was a catholic

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

Transfiguration, guardian angels...what’s the third? St. Peter’s is not oakdale nor is nativity

I was thinking of Blessed Sacrament, which is in Maplewood, based upon a map from the MSP Archdiocese's site. Meh, it's all "out east" to me.

 

[joecct]

Doubt it. Go to Sunday mass sometime. It's the early show at the Assisted Living facility.

When the local black church lets out it's all families and a great distribution of all ages (and my god they dress to the nines). When the (all white) Catholic church lets out it's ice floe time.

Also the blacks all look joyous while the whites all look like just took castor oil.

Depends. If you're going to a V2 bang the drums and smash the tambourine along with Marty Haugen and Dan Schutte Service (oops, Mass), you'll see an older crowd.

Traddy parishes and Anglican Ordnariate Masses trend younger. My oldest attends an Ordnariate parish in Baltimore and it's a younger crowd with kids. The music is traddy in the High Church tradition.

I don't go to Mass to be entertained. I go for an encounter with Christ and his priest. If I run into a rock concert, I'm outta there. The sermon should be instructive not an 10 minute stand up.

 

[unofan]

Depends. If you're going to a V2 bang the drums and smash the tambourine along with Marty Haugen and Dan Schutte Service (oops, Mass), you'll see an older crowd.

Traddy parishes and Anglican Ordnariate Masses trend younger. My oldest attends an Ordnariate parish in Baltimore and it's a younger crowd with kids. The music is traddy in the High Church tradition.

I don't go to Mass to be entertained. I go for an encounter with Christ and his priest. If I run into a rock concert, I'm outta there. The sermon should be instructive not an 10 minute stand up.

And you wore an onion on your belt, as was the style at the time.

FWIW, back when I went to mass I would've agreed with you. But you're also kidding yourself if you think traditional services are what will bring the youth back into the fold. That ship sailed a long time ago for a multitude of reasons. Immigrants are the only growing demographic for the church in this country, and that will only last for a couple of generations.

 

[joecct]

And you wore an onion on your belt, as was the style at the time.

FWIW, back when I went to mass I would've agreed with you. But you're also kidding yourself if you think traditional services are what will bring the youth back into the fold. That ship sailed a long time ago for a multitude of reasons. Immigrants are the only growing demographic for the church in this country, and that will only last for a couple of generations.

Kep - check out pictures from traddy parishes. They're younger and prolific.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: We Could Say a Prayer

Kep - check out pictures from traddy parishes. They're younger and prolific.

I... guess?

But you know the cognitive bias of looking at who comes. You miss 100% of those who don't come.

I see no evidence that there is an uptick in religiosity among educated Americans, and the future is always education. Insofar as Christianity has been holding its own it has been because we keep shipping in people who are even more ignorant and superstitious than the ignorant who are already here. And the Christianity that is thriving here is the kind of pernicious Pentacostal nonsense that's always one step ahead of a financial and/or sex crime investigation.

White America is already Europe. There are pockets that have been Left Behind -- look at Dump; aren't there just? But as more and more women go to school and aspire to be more than baby machines, the magic is dying. Christianity is no longer an adequate solution for people who have grown out of the old superstitions and are faced with new, real problems. America has come up with organic spiritual solutions before and I have no doubt it will again. Jesus may even be involved, but it's about time for Jesus to move past Christianity. He's been keeping some really bad company.