Religion into the Future

[Polaris]

Does the ever increasing number of unaffiliated churches dilute further their 'voice' ??

It would seem a Methodist bishop addressing a congresscritter on behalf of several million members might garner more face time than 200 individual preachers might, assuming their 200 churches were all 'branded' differently.

I'm thinking encouraging and fostering schisms might further dissipate the religious voice in political orbits.

Enlighten me if I'm off base there . . .

More personal congregations "reach" more people...I use the word reach in quotations because even though they don't address nearly as many people as the mega churches, they tend to have a much more personal connection with their congregations that actually matter much more.

Would you send your child to a school with a student-teacher ratio of 45-1 or would you rather send them to a school with a ratio of 15-1 where they are given more opportunity to excel?

[Michael]

On schism, Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford, makes the argument that continual schism is part of Protestantism's reason for success - it allows very rapid adaptation and regeneration of the Church. It allowed, for example, George Whitefield and John Wesley to take the Church to a people that weren't coming to the Church (in days when the Church of England would not allow preaching outside of the Church pulpit). So Methodism itself started out from dissent from the established Church. Perhaps there is a parallel to Darwinian mutation and selection :-)

[Mr Greene]

Though it is noticeable that Methodism is likely to be the first denomination to die out in the UK, currently closing a church every week with that rate accelerating and with the highest average age of attendees.

[Michael]

I'd like to see Methodism reconnect with its roots. I do wonder what Wesley and Whitefield would make of the Methodist Church today.

[bladevalant546]

They would not take lightly to the church today. My father was a Methodist preacher and I can tell you it is corrupt as they come. With that said, I would not have an issue with religion if it really dropped it radical systems and followed many of the good things Jesus stated. However, that will not happen as that makes religion personal and not controlling.

I think religion as it stands today will disappear and it will turn into something akin to what we see in firefly.