What will American Christianity look like in 50 years? (Predictions for various denominations)

SILOUAN ^ | 12/21/2012 | Silouan Philip Thompson

[Graybeard58]

Agreeing with your points.

My guess is another 3,154 more years and it’s just as likely as anybody elses guess. That’s my number and I’m sticking to it.

The more important question than “when”, is the question, am I ready? The answer is an unequivocal, yes. I will be taken in the clouds or covered with clods, doesn’t really matter to me which way.

[Zakeet]

What about Mormons?

In the mid-1950's, L. Ron Hubbard candidly admitted that he founded Scientology because it was the best way that he could figure to make a lot of money.

A decade earlier, in her definitive biography of Joseph Smith, Fawn Brodie convincingly argued that Mormonism was founded by Smith for the same reason.

Since its founding, Mormonism has become the primary source of sustenance for Smith's family and their descendents, and many of the early Mormon families and their descendents. The well managed religious faith has thus grown into a vast international conglomerate.

Successful businesses adapt to their changing markets and conditions that drive them. For Mormonism, the main engine that propels them is their vast network of members who have been convinced of the need to purchase eternal rewards by making donations to the corporate entity. This must be preserved at all cost. Thus Mormonism has changed over the years as needs arose, often profoundly. For example:

• Polygamy was once deemed essential for salvation, "if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, faced with government seizure of their corporate assets including their huge perpetual immigration fund, the everlasting covenant was abandoned, at least for the present time in the present life.

• The Mormon Church once proudly declared that they were the only true religion because all Christian denominations had become corrupt, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, and were in a state of apostasy. Yet, in the early 1960s, when Mormon leaders discovered fertile recruiting territory among the very Christian groups they once condemned, the Church radically changed its message to a more inviting and acceptable one (to potential new recruits) of, "We're Christians just like you."

• The supremacy of white and delightsome Caucasians over dark and loathsome Lamanites (i.e. American Indians) and Negros was a key teaching until the 1970's. Then, faced with adverse publicity, boycotts, loss of membership, and forfeiture of the Church's tax exempt status, Mormon leadership capitulated and almost 150 years of doctrine was duly discarded.

• After nearly a century, Mormonism's sacred temple ceremony was revealed to be steeped in occult rituals, blood oaths, condemnation of pastors as dimwitted hirelings of Satan, the anointing and touching of private body parts, and other practices highly offensive to non-Mormons. Faced with unwanted criticism and more adverse publicity, the Church changed its sacred rites, supposedly handed directly from Mormonism's god to Joseph Smith, and thus unchangeable, twice, once in the 1930's and again in the 1990's.

• Given numerous discrepancies and contradictions in their holy writings, Mormons have been forced to alter major portions of all of their sacred scripture on many occasions, making thousands of changes in the process. The problems associated with Smith's supposedly inspired more than 4,000 corrections to the Holy Bible were so profound that the Utah Sect (but not the Missouri Sect) went so far as to abandon Smith's holy rewrite altogether.

Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that the answer to the question of what Mormonism will look like in another 50 years is, "Whatever is necessary to sustain its vast business empire."

[knarf]

My #9 was a reply to svcw #8 and it seems I apparently look like I am asking a real question when, it was rhetorical to svcw #8 to my (I think) #5

Oh well ...

Merry Christmas to all.

[ejonesie22]

American Christianity will continue to liberalize and be assaulted by off shoot cults as the message and mission of Jesus gets further corrupted for political and personal gain...

[Joe 6-pack]

50 years from now, I suspect all Christians will be the subject of a great debate among the secularists.

The hardcore atheists will be demanding we all be thrown to the lions right away, while the PETA adherents will be insisting a more moderated, rationed approach to prevent the lions from becoming obese.

[metmom]

Well, so far, those preachers like Harold Camping who tell us that we’re in the last days have been wrong 100% of the time.

He's not wrong about us being in the last days.

Where he's gone wrong is predicting the day and hour, which Jesus clearly said nobody knew.

[Arlis]

Sorry! I missed that! Anyway, together I hope we
got the message across.......

Merry Christmas to you too!

God bless!

[CynicalBear]

>> which Jesus clearly said nobody knew.<<

He did for sure. There are a couple of caveats on that however. He did say we would know the season. Also if we study the traditional Jewish wedding we begin to understand the statement “only the Father knows”. In a Jewish wedding the groom “goes to prepare a place” for his new wife. It’s the father who understands what is needed to complete that prepared place and it is he who tells the son he is ready. So when the groom is asked when the wedding is going to be he answers and says “only my father knows”.

[Utah Binger]

Well said Z!

Since I learned the truth of such about fifty years ago and took the action of dropping out, my dear wife, all my kids and grand kids have taken the same route.

Seems they all knew instinctively without my saying a word. My silent actions were most instructive.

[Mom MD]

There are still some Spirit filled orthodox Lutheran synods that will continue to hold their memberships (LCMS, WELS and a scattered few others)

[Lee N. Field]

I’m pretty sure when the author referenced “Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians” he had in mind the apostate or in danger of apostate mainline. ELCA is not LCMS, WELS, etc. ECUSA vs those that have jumped ship to foreign oversight. PCUSA is not PCA, OPC, etc.

[Elsie]

First; one must assume that AMERICA will even BE around in 50 years!

[Elsie]

First; one must assume that AMERICA will even BE around in 50 years!

Luke 18:8

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

[Elsie]

DAng!

I’ve stumbled into a Catholic caucus.

Sorry...

[Elsie]

Mine’s melting...

[Elsie]

1 Kings 19:18
Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

I imagine that this will pretty much still be the same.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Just saw a sign of the end of times;

“Kelly Clarkson’s Greatest Hits - Chapter One” on sale now.

Game over man.

[Elsie]

And; if you want to see how MORMONism celebrates Merry Smithmas; show up at one of their places of worship tomorrow.

I hear it's going to be quite special!

[Jeff Head]

It was.

Our Choir sang numerous tunes throughout the meeting, in fact (and this is not unsusual in the least) the entire meeting consisted of the reading of Christ’s birth from Luke, mixed with beautiful musical numbers celebrating His birth.

Emanual, Joy to the World, Oh Littel Town of Bethelehem, etc.

A very wonderful hour and a half Christmas celebration and worship through song.

Hope yours was as wodnerful and that you and yours hacve a Merry Christmas.

[Elsie]

Hope yours was as wodnerful and that you and yours hacve a Merry Christmas.

Looks like we may get some snow. The weather dude is projecting nasty stuff a'coming. Glad to hear of your celebration at your church. We no longer have a choir as a lot of our older folks have died and many of our musicians and song leaders were amoung them. There is some encouragement for next year, as a new young lady has married the pastors son and has an extensive background. Time will tell. ' Merry Christmas to you and your family from mine. (Hope any snow you get is powder and not this wet stuff I get.)