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rfmcdonaldContinuing on the theme of collapsing religious congregations that I touched upon in May's "All those empty houses of God", according to the Associated Press article "Churches crumble in France, and a country asks how it can save them", many rural and small communities in France are reducing or destroying their old churches for want of the money needed to maintain them.
Religion remains a vital force in Frenxch cultural identity in general--half of the population believes in God or the resurrection of Jesus Christ--but there are always exceptions. Leaving aside the Jewish and Muslim aggregates with their own concerns, and being unable to speculate as to the practice of religion among communities descended from earlier generations of migrants, many minority groups in France follow widely variant forms of Christianitry. In Alsace, the high proportion of Protestants, Luterhans mainly, is a marker of regional identity. Mormons claim 5% of the population of French Polynesia. Finally, the French religious website Vox Dei states that evangelical Christianity is limited to Antilleans and Africans.
Hardly.
Mayor Jean-Pierre Leger was married and baptized his children at Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens church in this village in western France. Not without sadness, he is now planning to bulldoze the 19th century building.
The dilemma of what to do with churches that have fallen out of favor — and into disrepair — is facing towns and villages across France and other European countries. Some communities have dynamited churches deemed too expensive to maintain. Others have taken a less radical approach, selling them as housing.
In traditionally Roman Catholic France, fewer than 5 percent of the nation's 62 million people attend Mass every week, down from 27 percent a half-century ago, according to a survey of more than 29,000 people published by the Ifop polling agency in 2006.
Leger says the decision to bulldoze most of Geste's church was tough but logical. For €1.35 million (US$2.13 million) — less than half the cost of a restoration — the 2,400 villagers will get a new church built around the bell tower of the existing structure, which will be preserved along with the crypt.
The crumbling current church "has 1,000 seats. It's five times too big for the congregation that usually comes," said the mayor. "People prefer a more modern church, that's more cheerful and warm, instead of a huge one where they get lost in all the space."
Religion remains a vital force in Frenxch cultural identity in general--half of the population believes in God or the resurrection of Jesus Christ--but there are always exceptions. Leaving aside the Jewish and Muslim aggregates with their own concerns, and being unable to speculate as to the practice of religion among communities descended from earlier generations of migrants, many minority groups in France follow widely variant forms of Christianitry. In Alsace, the high proportion of Protestants, Luterhans mainly, is a marker of regional identity. Mormons claim 5% of the population of French Polynesia. Finally, the French religious website Vox Dei states that evangelical Christianity is limited to Antilleans and Africans.
L'ambiance [à Paris, Strasbourg, et Bordeaux] s'est révélée excellente et très encourageante, une centaine de décisions pour Christ ayant même été enregistrées à Paris lors de la prédication en plein air par l'évangéliste français Frank Alexandre, bien connu des visiteurs du site web TopChrétien. Excellente, oui, mais très ethnique aussi, fait remarquer l'écrivain et évangéliste Michèle d'Astier de la Vigerie, qui s'offusque de ce qu'il conviendrait d'appeler la tiédeur des églises françaises. Selon elle en effet (voir ci-dessous) il ne se trouverait plus que des immigrés pour élever bien haut la bannière de Jésus en France. Et ce fait est confirmé par l'organisateur de la marche sur Paris qui nous assure que, lors du concert en soirée, l'audience était "à 90% composée d'Africains et d'Antillais". Exagération? Réalité due aux changements démographiques que connaît notre pays? A Bordeaux, ville qui compte déjà pas moins de 7 églises ethniques, la marche comportait également une très forte proportion d'Africains et d'Antillais. Et c'est heureux car sans leur enthousiasme débordant nous aurions fait assez pâle figure ! Au Ciel, les barrières de race et de langues n'existeront plus, et merci Seigneur si nous commençons dès ici-bas à le vivre !
The atmosphere in [Paris, Strasbourg, and Bordeaux] has been excellent and very encouraging, a hundred conversions for Christ have been recorded in Paris during the open-air preaching by the French evanglist Frank Alexander, well known to visitors to the website TopChrétien. Excellent, yes, but also very ethnic, noted writer and evangelist Michèle d'Astier de la Vigerie, who is offended by what he calls the lukewarm churches in France. According to her (see below) only immigrants can be found to raise high the banner of Jesus in France. And this is confirmed by the organizer of the march on Paris, which assures us that at the concert in the evening, the hearing was "90% composed of Africans and Caribbeans." Exaggeration? Reality due to demographic changes facing our country? In Bordeaux, a city which has no less than 7 ethnic churches, the march also included a very large proportion of Africans and Caribbeans. And we're happy because without their enthusiasm we would have done quite badly indeed! In Heaven, the barriers of race and language no longer exist, and thank the Lord if we start to live that way here on earth!
Hardly.
