tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post6741125727248545243..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Why should I care if the Christian Churches have committed mass suicide (and hardly anyone noticed)? But I doBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-53617978320671585372020-04-02T07:04:37.719+01:002020-04-02T07:04:37.719+01:00I've decided to close comments on this - becau...I've decided to close comments on this - because I don't want to debate minute quantitative details and differences when the issue to so vast and qualitative. If we survive another few weeks; any doubt of the kind that could be affected by today's 'evidence' will be removed. <br /><br />By 'suicid' is meant self-chosen permanent qualitative destruction, not necessarily utter extinction. The persistence of some tiny remnant, or some very different entity under the same name does not count as persistence. My point is that Christian Churches as we have understood them up to now, are dead, have committed suicide and will rot (uness they repent, soon). <br /><br />The changed relationship between serious Christian and church is the basis of this change - honest Christians are each being forced to recognise that they are more serious about Christianity than are their churches. <br /><br />If they *don't* recognise this, they will (along with their churches) cease being serious Christians, having put institutional affiliation about Christianity. They will merely be clubmen of the church. <br /><br />Commenters (those who are not also private penfriends) should remember (or learn) that in this blog I am not trying to *persuade* you, or anybody else; nor to engage in arguments - but instead I am clarifying and developing my understanding. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-49476577902293169682020-04-01T17:16:59.635+01:002020-04-01T17:16:59.635+01:00@Jake,
Because it's satanic. It's like, a...@Jake,<br /><br />Because it's satanic. It's like, as CS Lewis says,<br /><br />“In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”Ingemarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05695600705603036692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-25948715676651860162020-04-01T14:34:45.618+01:002020-04-01T14:34:45.618+01:00The local Catholic Church put a paper sign on the ...The local Catholic Church put a paper sign on the door saying something like, "Due to the coronavirus crisis, mass is suspended until further notice. God Bless."<br /><br />Why does that "God Bless" really stick in my craw? Why does that "God Bless" seem so pathetic and absurd? <br /><br />Jacob Gitteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10559764359800682222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-1893666943833186232020-04-01T13:44:16.889+01:002020-04-01T13:44:16.889+01:00If it helps, my family felt prepared. We were give...If it helps, my family felt prepared. We were given the experiences we needed beforehand so it would not be so shocking. And it’s easy for me to believe that other sincere Christians have had similar challenging times that would ready them. <br /><br />Well, and I admit that a good amount of our preparation was a matter of realizing that materially speaking, we are sitting ducks, our only hope is spiritual. Definitely we had learned to be very cautious of the supposed social benefits of official church participation. Which makes the whole social distancing thing very ironic. Lucindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01834799557675879450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-40425814528271665482020-04-01T12:04:24.967+01:002020-04-01T12:04:24.967+01:00Quite agree - sacrament or Eucharist, communion - ...Quite agree - sacrament or Eucharist, communion - they are the whole point.James Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525082702330365464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-89435887980980838622020-04-01T12:01:33.734+01:002020-04-01T12:01:33.734+01:00This is an important post. I hope it reaches many ...This is an important post. I hope it reaches many Christians. <br /><br />For me, church-going had become a supplementary activity many years ago. It added to rather than defined my Christianity ; as a result, the church closures have not made much of a dent in my Christian faith. Part of the reason I attended church was it provided a tangible means through which to introduce my son to Christianity. <br /><br />Having said that, the closures have put a massive dent in the already tenuous view I had of organized Christianity beforehand. I believe the closures will mark the end of church-going for me and my family, which is sad because the village church is a big part of my small community of 650. <br /><br />Strangely enough, I was asked to join the village church committee just before the closures. Even though I feel a strong sense of attachment to my community, I can't imagine accepting the post now. Francis Bergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11063224017320651978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-89712179704635001302020-04-01T10:23:59.060+01:002020-04-01T10:23:59.060+01:00@Karl - As I have often said: there is nothing so ...@Karl - As I have often said: there is nothing so big and so obvious that Modern Man cannot explain-it-away. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-65135630084103630912020-04-01T10:21:06.592+01:002020-04-01T10:21:06.592+01:00Are you sure that churches had not been closed dur...Are you sure that churches had not been closed during epidemies before? I had heard that churches had been closed in Germany during the Spanish flu. Karlnoreply@blogger.com