I may have to expand My Thesis...

"The hundreds of $millions Americans have invested in missionary activity accounts for the reality that Christianity is growing exponentially in China and India and Africa and that S Korea is nearly predominantly Christian!" -pb

You say that like it's a good thing. That's not all that's growing exponentially...

Obesity in China: Waistlines are Expanding Twice as Fast as GDP
Obesity on rise in Indian school children
Africa—Yes, Africa—Has an Obesity Problem
Korean population has recently experienced a rapid increase in obesity

I am apparently onto something here...

My scholarship actually focuses on what is often called Christian Revivalism. I describe it as moments of paradigm shift among Christians.

One thing that normally results from the expansion of Jesus-following in a group of people is that people in the lower classes of a society rise in socio-economic status. There are a variety of reasons for this, not the least of them is the adoption among those people of some version of the so-called Protestant/Puritan Work Ethic. Hence, a generation after a revival of following the teachings of Jesus, people are better off.

While you may want to blame the Prosperity Gospel--as you already have--perhaps a better illustration of this is seen in the advancement of the status of people of color in the US 40+ years after Martin Luther King, Jr..

It's not the bad thing you would want to make it out to be.

Obesity is not a bad thing?

"One thing that normally results from the expansion of Jesus-following in a group of people is that people in the lower classes of a society rise in socio-economic status. There are a variety of reasons for this, not the least of them is the adoption among those people of some version of the so-called Protestant/Puritan Work Ethic. Hence, a generation after a revival of following the teachings of Jesus, people are better off." -pb

So if they are better off, why aren't they eating better? And why are they eating too much? Isn't there a Protestant/Puritan Ethic about caring for God's temple? It's obvious that if there is, these obese Christians are ignoring it to indulge their preferred belief in a prosperity entitlement gospel as My Thesis suggests.

Ponderer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "One thing that normally results from the
> expansion of Jesus-following in a group of people
> is that people in the lower classes of a society
> rise in socio-economic status. There are a variety
> of reasons for this, not the least of them is the
> adoption among those people of some version of the
> so-called Protestant/Puritan Work Ethic. Hence, a
> generation after a revival of following the
> teachings of Jesus, people are better off." -pb
>
> So if they are better off, why aren't they eating
> better?

Guess it's relative. Obesity it much less deadly than starvation.

> And why are they eating too much?

There are more causes of obesity than over eating. Think about it.

> Isn't
> there a Protestant/Puritan Ethic about caring for
> God's temple?

God's temple was in Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed it in AD 70.

> It's obvious that if there is, these
> obese Christians are ignoring it to indulge their
> preferred belief in a prosperity entitlement
> gospel as My Thesis suggests.

I love this, po. You are arguing with me for agreeing with you. You lesbos! Gotta love ya!

"There are more causes of obesity than over eating. Think about it." -pb

And I'm sure the popularity of Christianity is responsible for those too. You can't argue with the statistics.

Anyway, hypothetical "other" causes for obesity are irrelevant, immaterial and unworthy of consideration in relation to My Thesis and are to be altogether ignored. (see: "Other possible reasons for childhood poverty increasing besides same sex marriage'').

Ponderer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "There are more causes of obesity than over
> eating. Think about it." -pb
>
> And I'm sure the popularity of Christianity is
> responsible for those too. You can't argue with
> the statistics.

Well, you can, actually. In fact, you do all the time when I present them. Eh?

> Anyway, hypothetical "other" causes for obesity
> are irrelevant, immaterial and unworthy of
> consideration in relation to My Thesis and are to
> be altogether ignored. (see: "Other possible
> reasons for childhood poverty increasing besides
> same sex marriage'').

A good thesis leaves no relevant data unexplained. But, I am still agreeing with you, though you want to argue with how I agree. pt must be an absolute SAINT!

I have never argued with your statistics, pb. I don't think anyone here has ever called your statistics into question.

I have argued with what you think you can illogically do with them.

"A good thesis leaves no relevant data unexplained." -pb

O physician, heal thyself!

Ponderer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never argued with your statistics, pb. I
> don't think anyone here has ever called your
> statistics into question.
>
> I have argued with what you think you can
> illogically do with them.

If we were serious about your thesis...

> "A good thesis leaves no relevant data
> unexplained." -pb
>
> O physician, heal thyself!

Let she who is without sin...

What you hate is that I do account for all data--so much so that you live in denial.

And to what do you attribute the decline of Christianity in Western Europe?

A.L. Brigade Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And to what do you attribute the decline of
> Christianity in Western Europe?

Wow, AL!

Sort of a big question for this site.

I will say, as a student of history, that your premise that Christianity has declined in Western Europe is deeply flawed. In the first class session I attended in grad school visiting Prof Alistair McGrath from Oxford pointed out that at the New Year's Eve service at Westminster Cathedral when 1699 turned into 1700 the total attendance was 6.

Right, six!

The reality is that the number of people actually practicing Christianity has always been painfully low in Europe and that the percentage of the population actually seriously attempting to live the faith is actually much higher than it has been most of the past 1700 years.

So, what's the decline?