Less Christian?

The Issue:

America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago, and Christianity is not losing out to other religions, but primarily to a rejection of religion altogether, a survey published Monday found.

Seventy-five percent of Americans call themselves Christian, according to the American Religious Identification Survey from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1990, the figure was 86 percent.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League said he thinks a radical shift towards individualism over the last quarter-century has a lot to do it.

"The three most dreaded words are thou shalt not," he told Lou Dobbs. "Notice they are not atheists -- they are saying I don't want to be told what to do with my life."

At the same time there has been an increase in the number of people expressing no religious affiliation.

The survey also found that "born-again" or "evangelical" Christianity is on the rise, while the percentage who belong to "mainline" congregations such as the Episcopal or Lutheran churches has fallen.

One in three Americans consider themselves evangelical, and the number of people associated with mega-churches has skyrocketed from less than 200,000 in 1990 to more than 8 million in the latest survey.

The rise in evangelical Christianity is contributing to the rejection of religion altogether by some Americans, said Mark Silk of Trinity College.

"In the 1990s, it really sunk in on the American public generally that there was a long-lasting 'religious right' connected to a political party, and that turned a lot of people the other way," he said of the link between the Republican Party and groups such as the Moral Majority and Focus on the Family.

In the survey, one in five Americans said they have no religious identity or did not answer the question, and more than one in four said they do not expect to have a religious funeral. –CNN

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My Issue:

I, for one, do not claim to be a “Christian”. I am so far from being “Christ Like” it ain’t funny. Therefore, I, in all honesty, will not subscribe to this title. I consider myself to be more of a Spiritual being in training who so happens to believe in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. That God sent His only Son to die for me. That He rose from the dead. And is coming back again … soon I hope!!!!

As for the rest of the issues (interpretations, prophecies, doctrines, etc.) that mainline Christianity dwells heavily on, I find to be cumbersome, unfounded, unsubstantiated, unrealistic, and self-ordained. I do not believe that any one denomination or religious sect has or is the final word or is the “sole selected” of God. I find this mentality to be nothing more than absolute nonsense. I also believe that most, if not all, mainline churches are nothing more than big business using “religion” for profit and power. And above all, I do not believe that “Religion” and “Politics” need to sleep in the same bed … this in itself is a dangerous combination which has been proven to be true throughout history. Perfect example; the Taliban … Religion sprinkled with Politics has been a deadly awakening worldwide, and soon to come to a neighborhood near me and you?

When it comes to the Bible, the only actual written word from God is the ten commandments. As for the rest of story, I do not believe they are the actual words of God, but mans interpretation’s and reflection’s guided by God so that we will have a past and present look at how God interacts with us, as well as a guide by which we can chart the course of our lives. I do not consider it a sacred book, but an essential book that continuously focuses our attention to Him and on Him, and through its wonderful messages we can draw closer to being whole and experience a relationship with heaven here on earth.

In my earlier life I found it necessary to divorce myself from God in order to find and get to know Him on a personal level. Faith was nothing more than a ritual handed down to me from my parents and it wasn’t working for me … it was shallow, cold and empty. The faith of our father’s offered nothing more than fear and loving God out of fear isn’t a relationship. Therefore, I emptied my life of God and religion, read the bible along side authors such as C.S. Lewis and Bonhoeffer, and concluded that the only thing that mattered was my personal relationship with Christ. As for the rest, it is neither here or there … it’s not what’s going to save me. As long as I keep my eye on Him, He will lead me into eternal glory.

As for my faith today, like anyone else, it’s a continuous process, sometimes a daily struggle, and on occasion a bit difficult to hang onto. I do stumble along the way … boy to I ever! May try and take matters into my own hand. On occasion stray from Him because I feel that He could care less about me. Regardless, with all that makes me, ME, I am here to tell you that God is very real. He understands exactly where I’m at. And on more than one occasion I have personally witnessed His hand reach down from above, scooped me up, and carried me through to higher ground … all this even though I am among the one in five who claims no religious identity. This in itself is proof enough that religious affiliation is irrelevant to God.