nemesis writes:
Europe is nearly all secularized, and of those people that aren't, the "believers" tend to be very lukewarm and ill-informed about what they believe in. In other words, many of them believe in God because the just kind of grew up in it. In nearly all of European cities, the large ornate cathedrals are now defunct, especially in places like Caimbridge. Most of them have been converted to museums or art galleries. At most, they serve as step into the past mindset of that particular country or city.
Are you very familiar with Europe?
Cambridge's large ornate Cathedral is not defunct, nor will it ever be, because Cambridge is not a Cathedral city, and it doesn't have one. Its medieval buildings are very much alive and well, and they function largely for their original purposes, as university buildings, including the college chapels, one of which has a famous choir.
The nearest Cathedral cities that I can think of are Ely and Norwich, and their Cathedrals certainly function for their original purposes, as do all the British Cathedrals. They all have congregations, Bishops, Deans, canons, choirs and choir schools, and all the trappings. Not one single one of them has been converted to a museum or art gallery, although they certainly cater for the inevitable tourism, and that helps to maintain the buildings, and will certainly continue to help long after Christianity dies out.
We still maintain Stone Henge, remember, and other pre-Christian places of worship.
In other European countries, I think that the situation's similar.
The secret of this is is that population levels are much higher than they used to be, so that although only five percent of us evil Brits are regular churchgoers, that's probably still as many people as used to live around these cathedrals when they were built.
I'm almost certain that will happen, since my "superstition" has already prophesied about a great apostasy that will come upon most of the world in the latter days.
So if you're one of these end-timers, you should surely be discouraging other people from following your beliefs, rather than the opposite. Join me in encouraging the apostasy, then the great ending you hope for can take place.
Education is different from indoctrination. It would be well with us all to know the difference.
Oh, irony of ironies!
It feels wonderful and disheartening all in the same breath, friend. Wonderful because I know the Truth, disheartening because other people resist it.
If we didn't resist this "truth", then the prophecy of a great apostasy couldn't come true, could it? You can't have it both ways.
Edited by bluegenes, : typo!