What can Christians do to stem Atheism or keep people in their congregations?

[Earth]

What could be done to combat humanist or atheist influence in society from a Christian perspective? What could Christians do to grow their numbers? I'm genuinely curious.

[memphis]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

[MaxQue]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

That is ridiculous. A church is not a merchandise than you can sell like a fish. You need faith and deep theological thoughts to choose a church.

[Keystone Phil]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

That is ridiculous. A church is not a merchandise than you can sell like a fish. You need faith and deep theological thoughts to choose a church.

In case you haven't noticed, he's mocking us.

[MaxQue]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

That is ridiculous. A church is not a merchandise than you can sell like a fish. You need faith and deep theological thoughts to choose a church.

In case you haven't noticed, he's mocking us.

Mocking us for putting values in front of popularity? If more people stopped to forfeit their values to be popular, world would be much better.

[memphis]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

That is ridiculous. A church is not a merchandise than you can sell like a fish. You need faith and deep theological thoughts to choose a church.

In case you haven't noticed, he's mocking us.

How am I mocking you? The thread is about how churches gain members. I'm observing what a lot of religious institutions in my area are doing. Here's a website for a large church in my zip code: http://www.firstevan.org/

[Scam of God]

Enlist in the Thought Police.

[Meeker]

Focus more on service work both in the community and the world as a whole - food drives, creek clean-ups, house building in Central America - and publicize that service. I personally won't ever be convinced to join an organized religion, but if I were someone who was only thinking passively about their faith and I saw some organization that was really improving the world through tangible and noticeable activities I might be more inclined to pay attention to them. Certainly more than if they just talk about how wonderful they think Jesus is and how you need to be saved and all sorts of other theological arguments. Not to say those aren't important for churchgoers... I just don't think that's the most marketable aspect of organized religion to the non-attending.

For instance, if the Mormons sent their youth out on missions to help in third world nations with drinking water issues or disease prevention or something else like that, instead of a futile effort to convert non-believers, I know my opinion of them would be greatly improved, and I suspect they'd end up winning over more converts.

Just a late-night ramble from me...

[Lief 🗽]

With regards to Meeker's point, I have a friend who grew up in a somewhat religious family, attending church and stuff. When she was 16 or so, she went on a missionary trip to some African country for a few weeks, where they built houses and other volunteer work for the people there, while also converting them. She said that she really loved the volunteer aspect and the bonding with and getting to know the people living there, but she was really turned off by the whole evangelical aspect, which basically involved yelling about Jesus to large groups of children that didn't really understand or care.

Personally, the only church I would ever join is a church that preached more than theological doctrine (which is very interesting to learn about, but not something I could ever see myself actually believing in, short of a jmfcstesque religious experience) but also social justice and using the power and organization of the church to spread the religious message in a tangible way, that would materially improve the lives of others.

Getting rid of the whole "gays are awful, yay fetuses!" shtick would also help.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There is very little atheist influence in society, anywhere.

[Magic 8-Ball]

Focus more on service work both in the community and the world as a whole - food drives, creek clean-ups, house building in Central America - and publicize that service. I personally won't ever be convinced to join an organized religion, but if I were someone who was only thinking passively about their faith and I saw some organization that was really improving the world through tangible and noticeable activities I might be more inclined to pay attention to them. Certainly more than if they just talk about how wonderful they think Jesus is and how you need to be saved and all sorts of other theological arguments. Not to say those aren't important for churchgoers... I just don't think that's the most marketable aspect of organized religion to the non-attending.

For instance, if the Mormons sent their youth out on missions to help in third world nations with drinking water issues or disease prevention or something else like that, instead of a futile effort to convert non-believers, I know my opinion of them would be greatly improved, and I suspect they'd end up winning over more converts.

Just a late-night ramble from me...

Actually, many churches do precisely what you said.  They just mix it heavily with proselytizing.

The thing that pushed me away from Christianity is the insistence that the Earth is somewhere between six and twelve thousand years old, and macro evolution is a crock.  I remember being about 15 or so and arguing with my Youth Minister's wife that Genesis was a metaphor used to bond the Jews together and that the Big Bang and evolution were instruments of an omnipotent god who knew how his project would turn out.  That seems more all-powerful and glorious than a deity who had to constantly go back and tinker with his creation.  I was literally shouted down by her and those around us.

It's this instance that science must be wrong, and that creationism - despite its failure to qualify as science - is absolutely correct and infallible and must be taught in schools, that frustrated me to the point where I left Christianity.

I think that a lot of people who transitioned from Christianity to Atheism/Agnosticism had similar experiences.  Were ministers to drop this aspect, or at least be open to evolution as a possibility of God's glory, I imagine that "No religion" wouldn't grow so quickly in Pew Research's surveys.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Focus more on service work both in the community and the world as a whole - food drives, creek clean-ups, house building in Central America - and publicize that service. I personally won't ever be convinced to join an organized religion, but if I were someone who was only thinking passively about their faith and I saw some organization that was really improving the world through tangible and noticeable activities I might be more inclined to pay attention to them. Certainly more than if they just talk about how wonderful they think Jesus is and how you need to be saved and all sorts of other theological arguments. Not to say those aren't important for churchgoers... I just don't think that's the most marketable aspect of organized religion to the non-attending.

For instance, if the Mormons sent their youth out on missions to help in third world nations with drinking water issues or disease prevention or something else like that, instead of a futile effort to convert non-believers, I know my opinion of them would be greatly improved, and I suspect they'd end up winning over more converts.

Just a late-night ramble from me...

Actually, many churches do precisely what you said.  They just mix it heavily with proselytizing.

The thing that pushed me away from Christianity is the insistence that the Earth is somewhere between six and twelve thousand years old, and macro evolution is a crock.  I remember being about 15 or so and arguing with my Youth Minister's wife that Genesis was a metaphor used to bond the Jews together and that the Big Bang and evolution were instruments of an omnipotent god who knew how his project would turn out.  That seems more all-powerful and glorious than a deity who had to constantly go back and tinker with his creation.  I was literally shouted down by her and those around us.

It's this instance that science must be wrong, and that creationism - despite its failure to qualify as science - is absolutely correct and infallible and must be taught in schools, that frustrated me to the point where I left Christianity.

I think that a lot of people who transitioned from Christianity to Atheism/Agnosticism had similar experiences.  Were ministers to drop this aspect, or at least be open to evolution as a possibility of God's glory, I imagine that "No religion" wouldn't grow so quickly in Pew Research's surveys.

Personally, it was when I was 7, the school taught me about dinosaurs and so on, what taught us the scientific observations, meanwhile, the catechism in which my mother sent me, told me about Genesis, the creation in 7 days and so on... Damn, there were something wrong in one of both, I chose dinosaurs and school, and, even if I keep some distance with what science can say, the History shew us that some interpretations of reality can change, I  had always been reinforced in this choice until now...

What could be done to combat humanist or atheist influence in society from a Christian perspective? What could Christians do to grow their numbers? I'm genuinely curious.

What a lot of evangelical already use to do around the world...

Helping people who are in the need, as some said before. In France, that are populations coming from French Antillas who are the most involved in evangelical churches, and among other things, these people who for most of them live in poor suburbs of big cities, go there also because these churches can materially help them for some stuffs, and also because they offer them some quiet psychological places in which people can gather themselves in a calm place, having a drink, developing some social relations... And even if that's a low progression, here, evangelical churches increase, when the frequenting of traditional catholic churches decrease...

And according to what some people in a country need, they help them here or there in the world, and I guess it participates to their growth.

That said, there is also something that works, and more and more, and that new churches use, this is exploiting the emotion, the irrational part of people, their despair, their problem, to convert them, and make them do what they want, like...giving 10% of their wages to the church, even in poor countries, and it works! People give! And go back to church! Even if poor! But well, they have some promises of miracles especially some that would cure them of their diseases, just by praying and giving money, so cool, some promises of the come back of Jesus on earth who would start an infinite reign of peace and justice for everyone, but, especially for those who believe and who do what the preacher says of course... And it works...

[John Dibble]

I find that free cake generally helps keep people in your group.

[??????????]

The only thing they can do is ramp up the indocrination efforts.  The more people think, the more likely they are to ditch organized religion.  Ignorance and scare tactics are the best way to keep people coming back.

Bigoted nonsense.

[??????????]

Yes, I know you hate religious people. Enjoy being an educated idiot.

[??????????]

Yes, I know you hate religious people. Enjoy being an educated idiot.

I can only sense the hate flowing in one direction.

I don't hate you or anyone else. I just feel sorry for you being brainwashed by the liberal education system.

[??????????]

Yes, I know you hate religious people. Enjoy being an educated idiot.

I can only sense the hate flowing in one direction.

I don't hate you or anyone else. I just feel sorry for you being brainwashed by the liberal education system.

Awkward coming from one who was no doubt raised the religion he now practices.

Wow, you're really getting dumber as you get older, aren't you? Oh that's right, it's not popular to be conservative anything anymore, so for popularity sake you're jumping ship. I see, that's cool.

[??????????]

You started it off with the below comment. But that's ok, bashing religion is the "enlightened" thing to do.

The only thing they can do is ramp up the indocrination efforts.  The more people think, the more likely they are to ditch organized religion.  Ignorance and scare tactics are the best way to keep people coming back.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

What could be done to combat humanist or atheist influence in society from a Christian perspective? What could Christians do to grow their numbers? I'm genuinely curious.

it's not about numbers (remember the story of David and the census?), rather it is about staying true to the word of God

---

Personally, the only church I would ever join is a church that preached more than theological doctrine (which is very interesting to learn about, but not something I could ever see myself actually believing in, short of a jmfcstesque religious experience)

you really need to watch the "Almost" sermon I recently posted on this board...sometimes God gives others experiences, but only gives you the testimony of those who have had the experience.  Take for instance those who a) knew Christ when he lived and walked among them, and b) knew him after he was resurrected and c) watched him ascend into Heaven.  They had great experiences, yet their audience, who had to choose whether or not to believe their testimony, had none of those experiences.

John 20:29 Then Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

And it also should be noted that my experience came AFTER I believed.  The experience may have came seconds after, but faith still preceded the experience. 

[Keystone Phil]

A lot of churches (and synagogues, too) around here are producing glossy, catchy marketing materials. They've come a long way from the sign with a pun on it.

That is ridiculous. A church is not a merchandise than you can sell like a fish. You need faith and deep theological thoughts to choose a church.

In case you haven't noticed, he's mocking us.

How am I mocking you? The thread is about how churches gain members. I'm observing what a lot of religious institutions in my area are doing. Here's a website for a large church in my zip code: http://www.firstevan.org/

Sorry. I honestly thought you were saying, "Yeah, just put together some corny slogans and you'll reel the suckers in."

[Scam of God]

Yes, I know you hate religious people. Enjoy being an educated idiot.

I can only sense the hate flowing in one direction.

I don't hate you or anyone else. I just feel sorry for you being brainwashed by the liberal education system.

Remember: it's only political correctness if it's the liberal crowd calling for it. If you make fun of fat Southerners or their pretenses, you're an elitist.

[??????????]

But regardless, that's not a "bash" of religion, it's an objective observation of how organized religion works. 

That's nothing more then an opinion of course. No shock though coming from an atheistic liberal such as you.

[Joe Republic]

It's highly amusing that atheist = liberal in StatesRights' mind.

[??????????]

It's highly amusing that atheist = liberal in StatesRights' mind.

No, try again. I said HE is a liberal. Which of course, on social matters, is true.

[Earth]

But regardless, that's not a "bash" of religion, it's an objective observation of how organized religion works.

That's nothing more then an opinion of course. No shock though coming from an atheistic liberal such as you.

If that's not how it works, roughly in a nutshell; than how does organized religion operate? Indoctrination doesn't necessarily imply a negative.

The only thing they can do is ramp up the indocrination efforts.  The more people think, the more likely they are to ditch organized religion.  Ignorance and scare tactics are the best way to keep people coming back.