How Our World Stopped Being Christian: Anatomy of a Collapse

Orthodox Ethos ^ | 05-29-2018 | Jean-Claude Larchet

[chickenlips]

Welcome back to the 1st Century AD.

We have some work ahead of us. It’s time to break open the “instruction manual” and start taking it seriously again at any cost.

[Licensed-To-Carry]

It's called the great falling away. Predicted in the Bible.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 King James Version (KJV)

2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

[Old Yeller]

The heading is misleading. It mentions Christianity, but the article discusses Catholicism.

[Bryanw92]

We like to think that the world “was” Christian because it is our sinful nature to want to conform to the world. If we can make ourselves believe that the world is Christian, then we just have to conform and we are satisfied.

But, this world has never been Christian and never will be. Justification is personal. It is not about the world or the church or the denomination or the congregation. You are on your own, unless you ask Jesus to be with you and then you have all the help you ever need.

We are in the end times. It might be a day or a millenium away, but the times of false teaching and people falling away are upon us (and really have been for a long time). So, we hold to our own justification through grace alone and spread the gospel in a sinful, Humanist world (and church, and denomination, and congregation).

[ealgeone]

The heading is misleading. It mentions Christianity, but the article discusses Catholicism.

There is a difference indeed.

[ChiMark]

Liberal Psychology is replacing christian values in the west.

Christians are barred from public schools and the Bible is under attack
as usual by the left.

Has the left prevailed as the dominate force?

[Bryanw92]

>>Has the left prevailed as the dominate force?

No. The humans (i.e. Natural Man) have prevailed as a dominant force. The Left pushes God out of school and government while the Right pushes Christian virtue out of commerce, industry, and finance. For humans, the bottom line (whether it is an actual business bottom line or just the virtual bottom line of the “necessary ends”) ends at death and everyone seeks to maximize this life, which is the opposite of dying to self.

[avenir]

Amen. Nailed it.

[Albion Wilde]

Ping!

[Albion Wilde]

Ping!

[Albion Wilde]

Ping!

[lightman]

In the area of piety, notes Cruchet, aspects of the liturgical reform which might appear secondary, but which were not at all on the psychological and anthropological level, played an important role. This included the abandonment of Latin, the reception of Communion in the hand, and the relativisation of old ties.

Not mentioned but critical: The reorientation (actually disorientation) by having the Priest serve the Liturgy versus populum (facing the people) rather than ad orientum (facing Liturgical east WITH the people).

The change stresses imminence at the cost of transcendence diminishing the "otherness" of God's Holiness.

Ultimately God our Father is reduced to God our buddy.

[lightman]

The sad evolution of the post-conciliar Catholic Church, as described in Cuchet’s book, should serve as a warning to the Orthodox bishops and theologians who have dreamt and still dream of calling for a “Great Orthodox Council” similar to that by which the Catholic Church wanted to accomplish its aggiornamento, but whose main effect was to provoke its internal disintegration and the dramatic haemorrhage of a large number of its faithful.

Orthodox Ping!

Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine inheritance.
Grant victory to Thy Church over her enemies,
and protect Thy people by Thy Holy Cross!

[Albion Wilde]

It’s time to break open the “instruction manual” and start taking it seriously again at any cost.

B asic
I nstructions
B efore
L eaving
E arth

[steve86]

One heck of a review of one heck of a book.

[mjp]

Nobody believes anymore; everyone does only what they want.”

thanks to humanism, subjectivism, and relativism resulting from a disintegrated mode of thought that has been spreading over the world since the 60's

[ReaganGeneration2]

Anyone find this book for sale anywhere, in English?

[Salvation]

Catholics are Christians — but you knew that, right?

[Zeneta]

FWIW.

I don’t really need to read this book.

I already know and understand the problem.

The loss of God.

The issue at hand is what can we do about it?