Crucifiction

Hmm... I'm bored, it's 12:30, and this thought just popped into my head.

We all know about dead religions, like those of the ancient Sumerians and Mayans. Nobody follows them anymore, but they do interest people in terms of archaeology and such. Assuming we are correct and Xianity is a bunch of horse manure, how much longer do you think it'll take until the religion goes the way of the Greek pantheon?

It's ingrained itself pretty well in society, but every day brings more challenges that seem to point to the death of Xianity. I'll bet it lasts another two hundred years, three hundred at the most; and will almost undoubtably begin to die within the next century.

Evoken

I know people who worship Summerian Gods and the dieties of those other religions that are "dead". Christianity will go as long as it continues to satisfy the individuals that adhere to it and as long as it can adapt itself to the new challenges of the future and to atract new members.

Crucifiction

Oh, really, my friend? So they can speak the ancient language of the Sumerians, know the name of every god, know every ritual down to the smallest detail?

I doubt it. Celtic Reconstructionists, for example, follow the same gods the Celts did, but they aren't Celts. Why? Because we know hardly anything about the minutia of their religion, only the names and personallities of their gods in general.

It quite likely will end up being the same way with Xianity in the future. People several centuries from now may know about Jesus, but may believe him to have merely been a mortal prophet, or one god out of a pantheon, or some sort of demon. Who knows? But obviously, Christianity as we know it today will not be the same in the far future. Hell, the religion of the very first Christians and that of the Fundies today are so different that they could nearly be considered different religions entirely.

Two religions believing in the same god/s doesn't mean they are the same. Look at Islam and Judaim, or Mormonism and Xianity. Hell, some Wiccans include the Egyptian deities in their worship, but they are a far cry from practitioners of the Egyptian faith; and likely know little more than the names of gods.

I'd consider any religion that has an extremely small amount of followers and is very old to be dead. There are still Zoroastrians, for example, but they are so small in number that the religion is, for all intents and purposes, dead.

WCH

Begin to die in the next hundred years? It's been dying for the last several hundred... still going fairly strong, but way weaker than it used to be, and weakening with each generation.

lpetrich

I would not want to put a definite timetable on something like this -- it's not clear that that sort of event will happen anytime soon. And Xtianity is far from a united front, so different sects of it will have different trajectories. Currently, the fundies have a sort of vigor which is lacking from many non-fundies; however they have insisted on beliefs that many of us find unsupportable, if not demonstrably false.

Hedshaker

I think you're right :thumbs:

Christianity is slowly sinking in it's own bullshit and, I believe, will, in due course, die the same death as all those ancient religions you mention. Sure as night follows day :wave:

I doubt it will die out completely though. Like has been said, there will always be a few crackpots who will never accept reality.

Orbit

Evoken

They worship them as patron and matron dieties, some of them are Wiccan or other form of Paganism. As for the rituals they always go with what they feel comfortable with.

MonCapitan2002

I think Christianity will survive in some form until a more appealing religion is invented. While I do recognise that Christianity is in decline in some parts of the world, I think it will survive for a several hundred years or so more.

breathilizer

When Christianity does bite the dust, will God kill everyone again?

MonCapitan2002

That would be kind of hard for him to do seeing as how he does not exist.