The
numbers are skewed by age: older people still attend church; younger people do
not.
In
another generation, if the trend continues, many institutions might as well
lock their door.
 |
| Churches emptying |
Suggesting
that they turn to the Bible obviously won’t stem that tide. Not when the findings of thousands of
religious historians starting in the 1700s have underlined cherished beliefs.
 |
| Schweitzer |
Nothing,
he wrote, “could be more disappointing” than finding how little factual history
actually exists. That didn’t undermine
his beliefs. Instead, he focused on
philosophy rather than historical facts.
Young
people today, brought up to take tests that demand specific, correct answers, aren’t
following his example. They are looking
at the contradictions in the text, such as:
In
Matthew, Jesus was born when Herod was king; in Luke, he was born 10 years later when
there is a census. In Mark and John, he born in Galilee, in Matthew and
Luke, he is born in Bethlehem;
 |
| Luke's version of Jesus' birth |
Jesus
is 30 in Matthew, Mark and Luke; 50 in John;
In
Mark, Jesus doesn’t want anyone to know he is the messiah; in Matthew he rides
into Jerusalem astride two animals; in Luke, he is greeted by crowds of
cheering spectators.
The
list could go on to no purpose. Clearly,
the Gospel authors didn’t have a lot of information to work with, so they
created their own versions, and all wrote at least two generations after Jesus must have
died.
That
kind of mishmash won’t convince anyone of biblical truths.
Of
course, there will always be believers, just as there were people who believed
in Isis, Dionysus, Mithra and other such created deities long after they, too,
had been shown to the product of human imagination.
However,
as one survey after another demonstrates, they are a dwindling number likely to
shrink even more in the coming years. Throwing a Bible at the situation won’t change
anything, not when so many people are ducking.
Long-time
religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious
history with an occasional foray into American culture. He holds an ABD in American Studies from Case
Western Reserve University. He also
speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida. You can reach him at wplazarus@aol.com. He is
the author of the recently published novel The Great Seer Nostradamus Tells All
as well as a variety of nonfiction books, including The Gospel Truth: Where Did the
Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas
Carols; and Dummies Guide to Comparative Religion. His books are available on
Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers. His website is wlazarus.com, which is still under
construction. He can also be followed on Twitter.
