Falling like Lightning

[[email protected]]

"...he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins."
James 5:20

The scripture above is also sometimes rendered as 'he who saves a backslider...'.

What is backsliding anyway?

Is it indeed possible to 'lose one's faith or religion' or is personal stumbling evidence of a lack of character and courage? Some have good reasons to justify turning away from their faith, while others just don't like the way God is running things and deny Him altogether.

"God died in Auschwitz"
- Elie Wiesel
NIGHT
(New York: Bantam, 1982)

"...God is not the all-good force of love that rabbinic Judaism has made him out to be."
- Richard Rubenstein
AFTER AUSCHWITZ: HISTORY, THEOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM (1966)
(Jewish existentialism)

On the Christian side we have the example of Mother Theresea, whose loss of faith is now as legendary as her good works among the poor of Calcutta, India.

Then there are those who neatly avoid the issue by denying god's existance altogether.

"I always admired atheists. I think it takes a lot of faith."
-Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider
NORTHERN EXPOSURE, Seoul Mates, 1991

In modern Christendom, the post modern heralds of the cotton candy gospel (Bell Et al.) are happily making a ton of money by proclaiming loudly that there isn't a hell, all the while ignoring ample evidence that it's evirons are encroaching upon the realm of dear old Mother Earth. To them, loss of faith isn't an issue.

But it is.

It matters not whether the reader of this holds to the Arminian or Calvinist flavor of Christianity. Neither rendition of the gospel seems to acknowledge the true motivations or repercussions of a loss of personal faith. There may be very good reasons for it, as the survivors of Auschwitz may proclaim, or purely hedonistic ones as seen in the American culture of the twenty first century.

Why have many fallen like lightning from the faith?

Why has this happened and is there any way to reverse the trend?

 

[tomwebster]

rj, In the next year or so you will see many more fall away from the truth.

 

[veteran]

Yep, the closer to the end we get, the more are going to fall away from the Faith.

That's obviously why there's so many deceived ones here on this forum distorting The Word of God, denying that Jesus is God, that the existence of a place called hell is pagan myth, that Christ's second coming already happened, that there's more than one Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we don't need to study God's Word anymore, that all the Old Testament Books are dead history, that once one believes on Christ they can do anything they want and still be saved, that Socialist-Communism is a Biblical principle, that prince William of Britain is the Antichrist, that Israel is the Revelation 'beast', that teachings of other religions is OK in Christian Church, that Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy was completed, that Christ is going to rapture out His saints prior to the tribulation, that we're now in Christ's future thousand years reign, or that there is no such thing as Christ's thousand years reign in Scripture, etc. Sound off if I left anyone out.

 

[lawrance]

"...he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins."
James 5:20

The scripture above is also sometimes rendered as 'he who saves a backslider...'.

What is backsliding anyway?

Is it indeed possible to 'lose one's faith or religion' or is personal stumbling evidence of a lack of character and courage? Some have good reasons to justify turning away from their faith, while others just don't like the way God is running things and deny Him altogether.

"God died in Auschwitz"
- Elie Wiesel
NIGHT
(New York: Bantam, 1982)

"...God is not the all-good force of love that rabbinic Judaism has made him out to be."
- Richard Rubenstein
AFTER AUSCHWITZ: HISTORY, THEOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM (1966)
(Jewish existentialism)

On the Christian side we have the example of Mother Theresea, whose loss of faith is now as legendary as her good works among the poor of Calcutta, India.

Then there are those who neatly avoid the issue by denying god's existance altogether.

"I always admired atheists. I think it takes a lot of faith."
-Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider
NORTHERN EXPOSURE, Seoul Mates, 1991

In modern Christendom, the post modern heralds of the cotton candy gospel (Bell Et al.) are happily making a ton of money by proclaiming loudly that there isn't a hell, all the while ignoring ample evidence that it's evirons are encroaching upon the realm of dear old Mother Earth. To them, loss of faith isn't an issue.

But it is.

It matters not whether the reader of this holds to the Arminian or Calvinist flavor of Christianity. Neither rendition of the gospel seems to acknowledge the true motivations or repercussions of a loss of personal faith. There may be very good reasons for it, as the survivors of Auschwitz may proclaim, or purely hedonistic ones as seen in the American culture of the twenty first century.

Why have many fallen like lightning from the faith?

Why has this happened and is there any way to reverse the trend?

There is a way to reverse the trend he is called Jesus Christ, come to him he is our Lord and saviour. he is the truth the way and the light and anything other is just in vain.