Recent research shows that large numbers of young Catholic men are leaving the faith to become “nones” - men who have no religious affiliation. A large number have left the faith, and many who remain “Catholic” practice the faith timidly and are only minimally committed to passing the faith on to their children. One of the key reasons that the Church is faltering under the attacks of Satan is that many Catholic men have not been willing to “step into the breach” - to fill this gap that lies open and vulnerable to further attack. While the Diocese of Phoenix may have fared better than these national statistics, the losses are staggering. 1 This is a serious breach, a gaping hole in Christ’s battle lines. Since AD 2000, 14 million Catholics have left the faith, parish religious education of children has dropped by 24%, Catholic school attendance has dropped by 19%, infant baptism has dropped by 28%, adult baptism has dropped by 31%, and sacramental Catholic marriages have dropped by 41%. This battle is occurring in the Church herself, and the devastation is all too evident. The world is under attack by Satan, as our Lord said it would be (1 Peter 5:8-14). It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. I begin this letter with a clarion call and clear charge to you, my sons and brothers in Christ: Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. “AND I SOUGHT FOR A MAN AMONG THEM WHO SHOULD BUILD UP THE WALL AND STAND IN THE BREACH BEFORE ME FOR THE LAND…” EZEKIEL 22:30 But it didn’t become a “big” religion until much later.An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, my Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix They really have been around for 3500 years with pretty much the same system of beliefs. This one doesn’t really have any ifs, ands, or buts. To be fair Zoroastrianism is considered the oldest continuing religion which originated around 1500 BC. But our system of beliefs says that it was the same God whom we worshiped throughout all these dispensations that links us all together as the oldest religion. Thus outsiders would easily consider these to be different religions. Yet he paid tithes to Melchizedek (King of Salem) who was the last of the Patriarchs per the Patriarchal Order from Adam on down.Įach dispensation had different covenants (or set of observances). ![]() He is thought to have lived around 2000 BC. The Abrahamic Covenant began with, well, Abraham. Yet the children of Israel of Moses’ time claimed ordinances and observances from the Abrahamic Covenant which would also be considered a different set of beliefs. And The Torah is the definition of that religion. Judaism was considered to have started with Moses (circa 1350 BC) because that was when The Law (Torah) was given. Yet Christianity itself is considered to have started only with Christ’s mortal ministry. Prior to that we must also acknowledge that Early Christianity sprung from Judaism as a fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Yet we believe that we only restored the earlier faith of Christ’s time that would make us pre-date Catholicism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of the newest organized religions on the face of the earth. Many outside the religion would not consider the religion to be the same. But that is only given that recognition to allow Hindus to be able to stake their claim as the oldest religion. ![]() Precursors originated earlier than that stretching out a few millennia (as you say around 3000 BC). Hinduism as a formal set of beliefs and practices didn’t come into existence until around 500 BC. Even then the evidence is subject to interpretation and subjective characterization. Our guesses are only as accurate as the evidence we currently possess. Any historian will tell you that we don’t have all the answers. ![]() It is interesting that you use the term “historically”. If Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth and taught their children Christ’s gospel, why is Hinduism historically the first religion?
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