Lots of Christian Children Will Not Save Christianity


It is not possible for Christians to breed their way out of falling numbers. Neither is it possible for atheists to increase their numbers through lots of babies. These facts were highlighted today by Christian author Russell Moore. As I see it, people grow up to be religious, or not religious, when certain ideas make sense to them. What makes sense is influenced by the culture into which they were born. 

Moore admonishes Christians not to believe having large numbers of babies will have save the Christian faith. He tells Christian readers people, including children, need to become Christians by themselves as individuals. 

A study I read recently shows that Christian numbers are not falling because of non-Christian parents. A large majority of young adults who are now leaving the faith have Christian parents. They leave the faith for other reasons. In many cases they leave against the wishes of their parents. This fact throws under the bus the idea the more children Christian parents have the more Christian numbers will rise. 

The mistaken views that the faith depends on fertility is taught by Catholics and, I believe, some conservative Protestants. Christian pollster George Barna believes if Christianity were forcefully taught by parents to children the children would follow the faith. It seems self-evident neither of these is working. 

I like the word "narrative." It helps to explain storytelling and propaganda. What is needed to stop the decline in Christianity is a new narrative. The old narrative was, and remains, something like this, "Humans are born sinful. Sin sends one to hell. If the sins forgiven the sinner goes to heaven.  The only way to have the sins forgiven is to petition the imaginary Jesus. It is claimed Jesus told someone this on his way to being killed. He said, according to the narrative, he was being killed in order to let sinners off the hook."

This narrative is out of sync with how people, especially the young, in the current culture think. Liberal branches of the faith are developing new narratives. 

Breeding to produce more children who then reject to old narrative does not have hope. 

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