Daily Mail: The Church is facing extinction

[Marx]

Carey has been saying this for years as a rallying cry but no-one took much notice. Now it is becoming reality. The Anglican Church has itself to blame for much of its woes. It still won't allow Gay people to get cosy with their partners, (staff of leity) and it has totally failed on representing Women. It is a couple of hundred years ahead of Catholicism and a century or so on Islam but there is no wonder 21% of young people feel it has a negative impact on society.

[Jmack]

Carey has been saying this for years as a rallying cry but no-one took much notice. Now it is becoming reality. The Anglican Church has itself to blame for much of its woes. It still won't allow Gay people to get cosy with their partners, (staff of leity) and it has totally failed on representing Women. It is a couple of hundred years ahead of Catholicism and a century or so on Islam but there is no wonder 21% of young people feel it has a negative impact on society.

 

A fantastic asssement and as a anglican a couldn't agree more, however what I don't get is the evangelical church's who are horrid to gay people are growing in big numbers, also the Catholic Church seems to holding its own a lot better than the Anglican Church. Also Islam is the worlds and the UK's fastest growing religion. I personally believe that the C of E needs a vast liberalisation to survive however a lot of the more conservative faiths are flourishing.

[milquetoast1]

Carey has been saying this for years as a rallying cry but no-one took much notice. Now it is becoming reality.

 

Carey is part of the problem. I might have said that the CofE is "mostly harmless" earlier, but Carey is responsible for some of the most nasty rhetoric.

 

---------- Post added 20-11-2013 at 19:38 ----------

 

what I don't get is the evangelical church's who are horrid to gay people are growing in big numbers, also the Catholic Church seems to holding its own a lot better than the Anglican Church.

 

What is Alpha if it's not hardline evangelism via coffee and cake? Scary stuff, for regular churchgoers just as much as for "militant atheists" like me.

 

You did make me laugh with that one btw. Darn those "militant atheists" and their views that the Church of England is harmless. Just as bad as those militant Islamists.

[Zamo]

A fantastic asssement and as a anglican a couldn't agree more, however what I don't get is the evangelical church's who are horrid to gay people are growing in big numbers, also the Catholic Church seems to holding its own a lot better than the Anglican Church. Also Islam is the worlds and the UK's fastest growing religion. I personally believe that the C of E needs a vast liberalisation to survive however a lot of the more conservative faiths are flourishing.

 

Going by the success of Islam and Catholicism perhaps it isn't liberalisation that the Ce of E needs but a bit of old fashioned deity sanctioned hate?

 

And the grow of Islam is more a matter of immigration and people from Muslim cultures breeding faster. We'll have to find a way of putting something in the water.

[JFKvsNixon]

Maybe the Christian churches need to encourage more immigration. All the regular church goers I know of are all immigrants.

[LeMaquis]

Daily Mail sales - about 2 million.

 

CoE attendance - about 1 million.

 

I'm just happy that at least 1 million Mail readers are facing a future of "meaninglessness, anxiety and despair".

[milquetoast1]

Maybe the Christian churches need to encourage more immigration. All the regular church goers I know of are all immigrants.

They need to target a younger demographic. Maybe some youth oriented services with musicians and artists? Perhaps later in the evening, nine o'clock perhaps?

 

Or maybe they should just concentrate on the centuries old strategy of controlling schools. Give me the child until seven and all that.

[tinfoilhat]

Article about the Church, saying it's on the brink of extinction.

The details are interesting...

 

"The Most Reverend John Sentamu told the Synod – where leaders will debate how to persuade traditionalists to accept women bishops – that they spent too long 'arguing over words and phrases, while the people of England are left floundering amid meaninglessness, anxiety and despair'

 

Really? I'm without the Church (directly) in my life, but I don't feel that I'm floundering amid meaninglessness, anxiety and despair!

 

'We ought to be ashamed of ourselves. We are one generation away from extinction – if we do not invest in young people there is going to be no one in the future.'

 

Personally I think the Church should be commended for not trying lure youngsters in, I find such tactics a little sinister sounding. As with all religions (in my opinion) people should be left to make their own mind up, not targeted for recruitment.

 

'There is so much violence, too many divided families, too little job security, too many young people with nothing to aim for. It is still the case that people are essentially looking for spiritual fulfilment.'

 

I'm not sure how he thinks "spiritual fulfilment" will cure these problems

 

More here

 

EDIT: Personally, I think the Daily Mail and it's quotees may be exaggerating a little

 

He's not actually saying people are floundering in anxiety and dispear because they aren't going to church is he? I see it as floundering in anxiety and dispear just makes folk ripe for a bit of religion. It's a meaningless phrase - ill wager if you go through enough of Anna bs posts (and others to be fair) she would have used similar phrases herself just describing, well everyone bar the one percent.

 

The c of e have indeed shot themselves in the foot and had they been fairer with gays and women. As it is they are losing out to the Catholics (and there overwhelming use of guilt) and the very scary happy-clappy-culty evangelical types. I was somewhat concerned when i saw this lot. http://Www.childrencan.co.uk

[Happ Hazzard]

Forget about deities, it doesn't matter whether they are real or not. Churches were/are communities, and communities are a good thing. Lack of community is one of the main things wrong with Britain today. People are happier and more succesful in life when they are part of a community than when they live more isolated lives.

[RootsBooster]

You should ask yourself that question the next time you want to pick someone up for their use of the English language.

 

You appear to be trying to drag this over from the other thread...

Of course it applies, if you said that black people are criminals, would it clearly only apply to the ones that actually are criminals, or would you be better off stating that only some black people are criminals?

 

As shown above, such generalising does imply you are referring to the group as "all"

I wouldn't assume from that that you mean all black people, because you didn't say all black people are criminals.

 

Do you think you've somehow "got one over" on me now because I haven't indulged further in your failure to comprehend the use of language in such cases?

 

Although it gets very tedious, I shall humour you once more.

When someone speaks of "the people of England" it may not specify a quantity but, used on its own, indicates at least a majority.

 

If someone said that "wood burns", most people wouldn't think twice about it, they'd expect the majority of wood to burn.

If someone said that "wood doesn't burn" most people would question it, because although they accept that some wood won't burn, the majority of wood would be expected to burn.

 

If someone said that "sheep are white", most people wouldn't think twice about it, they'd expect the majority of sheep to be white.

If someone said that "sheep are black" most people would question it, because although they accept that some sheep are black, the majority of sheep would be expected to be white, in general.

 

Using language in this way, generalising a group without specifying a quantity or volume, indicates you are talking about the majority. Your refusal to accept this does not count as proof to the contrary.