What is Christianity in 700 years?

Let’s hypothesis about the future of Christianity…

I chose 700 years because it was a little over 700 years ago that Acre fell basically marking the end of the Crusades.

In 700 years from then until now how much has Christianity changed?

We've discussed the correlation between the rise of scientific knowledge /secular ideals and the reduction of Christian fundamentalism, or religious fundamentalism in general in the western world. Now I want to look further down the road.

This isn’t a thread to just argue about whether or not it will still be around. If that’s your opinion fine but I want to know what people think Christianity or what being a Christian will mean 700 years from now if the trend continues as it has for the last 700 years.

Will people still go to church? Will there even be churches? Will there be substantially less churches replaced by mega wal-mart style churches where you can get all your religious needs under one roof?

Will mass be held online? Confession?

Where is Christianity headed?

 

The online mass idea is a given, I think. The Vatican basically gave approval for online indulgences to count as credit for the afterlife when they said anyone following the Pope on Twitter, while he was doing his stuff in Rio back in July, would get a couple of weeks off in Purgatory after they died. I think it shows a clear intent to use technology to spread religion regardless how absurd it seems.

 

Hopefully just a said joke and leaving future societies to ask themselves, wtf were they thinking.

 

If history is the judge of the future, there will be several re-writes of the Bible(s) in the next 700 yrs. and Christianity will be quite different than that which we see today. The fading of evangelical and fundamentalist trends, along with the growing scientific understanding of our world will inevitably lead to unfounded "God" worship being seen as a sign of less than powerful minds at play.

 

I think the god-particle will be discovered and understood within 200 years, we'll know how this all came together, we'll know where we're going, and that will spell the end of belief except for a few bands of contrarians.

 

I wonder what the effects will be on the community aspects of religion.

 

I think you're making a classic mistake in the future of technology.

Real quick, it reminds me of Asimov's "Foundation" series....where good ol' Isaac created a Galactic Empire some 10,000 years in the future....but where the technology, less a "hyperdrive motor" and "force fields"...were simple extensions of 1950s technology. Television, radio-chemotherapy, maser/laser pistols...nothing outrageous like genetic engineering.

To your point....700 years from now? HUMANS may not even be "humans"....much less Christianity in any recognizable form. Could even be less than 100 years.

Would a human consciousness, downloaded into a world-spanning computer network and thus immortal even god-like, even NEED "religion", much less Christianity?

A pure cybernetic human might not even conceibably have a "gender"...neither male nor female. So how would St. Paul's admonition for women to "keep silent in church" apply....to a non-sexual entity?

How could the "promise of Heaven" compare with an immortal existance where you could instantly create any "virtual reality" you wanted....smash it, re-build it, whatever?

How do you take Communion...if you don't even need to eat food...or aren't even CAPABLE of eating actual food, since you exist only as a cohesive "program" on a computer?

 

I find this scenario very unlikely. I am very critical of these so-called re-writes of the Bible, unless of course you are referring to the protestant reformation. I know there will be some changes as the English language changes over the course of time. It is highly unlikely that there will be any fundamental changes to the bible that alters its meaning since it would be much harder to get away with no in the information age. It's not as if the majority of the population is illiterate anymore.

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Do you have a source for this?

 

Globalization. That's what will happen to Christianity. It will enter into new "markets" just like everything else. To predict its rise or fall globally would be very difficult. Christianity is growing most in China. What will you say if a quarter of the world's population converts? Not that so many would, but even a small percentage of the Chinese people becoming Christian is a significant number.

 

I believe our scientific discoveries will do more to reveal God than discount Him.

 

And this is based on what? Please tell me the ICR.org so I can get a good

 

Why won't Buddhism and Hinduism, even Islam, under globalization influence us?

 

Vatican: Get time off in purgatory by following Pope on Twitter

 

I imagine that 700 years from now Christianity will be quite different. My wife often argues that Christianity needs to catch up with the times... to modernize. But I say in doing so the Church will loose its foundation. When I was doing the Church thing I was taught that God's word is eternal and not subject to change. IMO if the Church changes to follow the morphing views of today's society... then one would have to ask... is the Church following the will of man or God?

 

Hmmmm

Christianity, being a limited and failed message will wither on the vine. Christianity, can explain to us nothing of the universe or who or what exactly we are. The world is more and more educated, and will seek clearer answers.

However, spirituality will rise and rise.

 

Shot down like a duck, hopefully.

 

This is one of the ideas I was hoping we would discuss. How could something that is divine have changed so much already? And who’s to say it won't change completely over time?

It's seems to me hidden behind this fact, even from the minds of the least literal believers is that they choose what God is, they decide what is worth something or what means something from the text, they choose what can be considered metaphorical and what cannot and it points to the idea that even if God wasn't created by man he was changed by them. That he is still being changed by them and there is no reason to think he won't continue to be changed by them.

This would suggest that whatever God actually is, from our perspective, he is no longer is and perhaps never was.

 

If 'gods word" is eternal, why did it change from the OT to the NT?

And

if it is eternal, was there really a flood as the book says, or, is that now a metaphor or something, now that we know there really was not any flood?

 

When people speak of the Bible as the word of God, what they really mean is the word of God revealed to us. With that in mind, the scriptures are tools for man's salvation. God knew he had to change things up since man goes against his will so often.

If the flood story is a metaphor, then it always has been a metaphor. I honestly find it hard to believe that the story isn't one, but then again, I could be wrong.

 

The bible was written by man for man.

 

One would think, but the other side keeps saying its what 'god' reveled to us

 

Oh.... I thought book of mormon was what god revealed.

 

Indeed. The story of Jesus is so ancient now. I bet the stories of Jesus today are far removed from the actual events 2000+ years ago.

 

That is what I was taught in Church. But I long ago rejected what I was taught in Church. The Bible is a work of fiction so its no wounder to me why the disparity between Books.

As a Deist I reject the Bible as nothing more than a collection of stories and mans interpretation of God. Because of this I see the Bible as more metaphorical and allegorical than anything else.