(March 25, 2019 at 3:10 am)Abaddon_ire Wrote: Well, here in Ireland (a bastion of holy catholicism) the church is in headlong retreat.
When I was a kid there were three priests in every parish. Now there are three parishes per priest. Even those unhappy few are preaching to empty pews.
They must be aware that people have voted with their feet, yet still they persist.
I think the power of Catholicism in Ireland was a political anomaly. Catholics were descendants of the indigenous, and Protestants were descendants of the invading oppressors. Religion becomes a lot more important to people under circumstances like that.
In general, I think that religion waxes and wanes. In the US, we went through a period of stronger religious identity during the Cold War in contrast to 'godless communism'.
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
