Book: “God’s Continent,” Philip Jenkins

• “Though ancient churches stand as visible monuments, defining the landscape of cities and villages, most have lost their traditional role as thriving centers of community. At least in its institutional form, and that is an important distinction, European Christianity seems to be terminally ill.”
• “In some Muslim nations, around 90 percent declare that religion “plays a very important role” in their lives, while the U.S. figure in 2002 was about 60 percent. The average figure for Europeans was 21 percent, though of course with national variations…Between 1973 and 1994, the proportion of French people claiming no religion grew from 11 percent to 34 percent.”
• “German sociologist Ulrich Beck notes…’there is a rough rule of thumb according to which the closer one gets to the Pope, the fewer children one has.’”
• “The clearest example of institutional implosion is Ireland, which as recently the 1970s enjoyed the highest level of religious practice in Europe: 85 percent to 90 percent of Catholics regularly attended Sunday mass.”
• John Bruton, former Irish PM, calls the attitude towards religion in the EU “a form of secular intolerance in Europe that is every bit as strong as religious intolerance of the past.”
• “The steady march of gay marriage laws suggests a near collapse of the political power of the churches, though such changes have not occurred without fervent efforts at resistance. In Ireland as recently as 1995, a referendum on the question of legalizing divorce still showed 49.72 percent opposed to even this reform.”
• “While few advocate prohibition, many secular commentators agree that drink culture in Britain has become uncontrollable and dangerous, a serious incentive to violence and sexual assault, and that much greater restraint is needed. Yet the Anglican church has not spoken powerfully on the issue, largely because it does not want to be seen interfering in personal morality. Historically, such reticence is very new, and it could well fade if and when Christians and Muslims do make common cause.”
• “Death and resurrection are not just fundamental doctrines of Christianity; they represent a historical model of the religion’s structure and development.”