It won't die off since even many former Catholics hold some nostalgia/fondness for the Church.
It will however be quite unrecongizable in 50 years or so.
Because of the revelations of pedophilia and general sexual dysfunction the Church has had to pay nearly 2 billion in settlements. I find it hard to believe more will not be revealed sooner or later.
It will be forced to change because there will not be enough priests and the outside world will continue to not agree with it's unreasoanble teachings on sexuality.
If you study it's history you will notice the Church often changes dramatically (though the true faithful will deny it.)
One hundred years ago it would have been inconceivable for a priest or bishop to portray Judaism as a worthy religion and Jews themselves as worthwhile human beings. Until the end of WW2 it was encourgaed to pray for the conversion of the Jews specifically, more so than the average heathen.
There is (was) a long tradtion in Catholicism of disliking the Jewish people. Not only for "killing Jesus" but also for stubbornly refusing to acknowledge God's messiah to them, thus being in a "dead covenant" with the Lord.
I suppose the holocaust, the culimination of 2000 years worth of Christian dehumanization of Jews, embarassed the Church into acknowleding the humanity of the Jewish people.
My prediction? In 30 years or so the Church will be a slightly more conservative version of Episcopalianism.
It will however be quite unrecongizable in 50 years or so.
Because of the revelations of pedophilia and general sexual dysfunction the Church has had to pay nearly 2 billion in settlements. I find it hard to believe more will not be revealed sooner or later.
It will be forced to change because there will not be enough priests and the outside world will continue to not agree with it's unreasoanble teachings on sexuality.
If you study it's history you will notice the Church often changes dramatically (though the true faithful will deny it.)
One hundred years ago it would have been inconceivable for a priest or bishop to portray Judaism as a worthy religion and Jews themselves as worthwhile human beings. Until the end of WW2 it was encourgaed to pray for the conversion of the Jews specifically, more so than the average heathen.
There is (was) a long tradtion in Catholicism of disliking the Jewish people. Not only for "killing Jesus" but also for stubbornly refusing to acknowledge God's messiah to them, thus being in a "dead covenant" with the Lord.
I suppose the holocaust, the culimination of 2000 years worth of Christian dehumanization of Jews, embarassed the Church into acknowleding the humanity of the Jewish people.
My prediction? In 30 years or so the Church will be a slightly more conservative version of Episcopalianism.
