Christianity in France - Past to Present
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Christianity first spread to France directly after the crucifixion on Christ, first century AD. Many disciples were banished from Jerusalem, and some of them traveled to Gaul (France). Some of them include Lazarus, Mary Magdalene, and Joseph of Arimathea. Phillip was also commissioned to spread Christianity through Gaul. There was some resistance, but not much hostility towards Christians. There, for a while, Christianity prospered.
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Christianity was a dwindling religion after the Roman Catholic Church became strongly rooted, but the Protestant reformation brought a large, fresh new wave of Christians. The reformed Christians in Gaul and then France were known as Huguenots. During the dark Ages, many Christians were persecuted by the Roman Catholic church and by pagan kings. This would continue for many centuries, but it would sometimes be broken by a period of peace, which allowed the Huguenots some time to grow more.
The symbol of the Huguenots (right), The four hearts representing loyalty and the dove representing the Holy Spirit. |
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Many of the persecutions were quite brutal, although today it is solely discrimination, not murdering and torture. One of the notable persecution period is St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572, where in a span of one month, over 30,000 men, woman, and children were slaughtered by order of the Catholic church and the king. Shortly after that, around 250,000 Huguenots fled the country in fear of imprisonment and their lives. In the following centuries of Christianity, a couple million Christians would experience persecution, from fleeing the country to enduring torture and death.
Today, the major majority of the French are not affiliated with any religion, but for the ones that are, or at the ones that say they are, the Catholic faith is still the prominent one. Islam is starting to rise in numbers steadily; it has already passed the number of Christians in France. Many of the old Catholic churches in France are not in use any more, proclaiming a silent proof of the fall of Christians in that region.
Sadly France is mainly a “secular state” where Catholic, the once major religion, is but a very small percentage, and true Christians are dwindling in number. According to the CIA World Factbook, 80%-88% state that they are Catholics, but only around 5% of them could actually give you sufficient enough information to sustain that claim. Even more sad is that only 2% claim that they are Christians, but far less than 1% actually attend a church or understand the gospel. A overwhelmingly large number in France deny Christianity, at 40%.
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Because of the major fall in the gospel, France is beginning to become a new target for missionaries. Many of us has heard of the terrorist attacks in France, but few of the attacks on Christians have been mentioned. Since 2015, there have been 810 attacks on Christians people, places of worship, and Christian cemeteries. Without Christianity to set a Devine authority, human accountability no longer exists and France now relies on human intuition to determine what is better for their society. There have been multiple Popes and Pastors that have come to France to teach Christianity, and it has sparked interest in that area, but then the interest quickly retreats. Many who have tried to start a great awakening in France say that the people there seem like they are looking for something, something religious, but not too religious. It follows human intuition, because we are made to worship, and to follow, and without that, we feel like are missing something, a gap that no material thing can fill.
Why is this? Didn’t France partake in some of history’s very important moments concerning Christianity? Wasn’t Christianity one of the factors that actually founded France? The answer is found through the post-modern way of thinking. The fall in Christianity from France was mainly because people believed Christianity was a crutch, and since we have had an “intellectual advance” and a modernization, this leads people and nations past Christianity to focus on something greater: themselves. This was actually started to be believed very early on, when the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed; “God is dead”. Many didn’t believe him then, but the approval rating of Christianity has gradually shifted.
In fact, some of the laws created to protect Religious freedom have been used to start to hinder religious practices. Alexis de Tocqueville, a well-known link between France and the U.S. has stated that the main difference between France and the United States is that in France, there is a complete separation between church and state, and none of the very few churches can agree with each other, while the U.S. churches agree, except for the details. That is the main problem with France. It has gone so far left by saying that they don't need God anymore, and that the government won't be part of the church any longer.
Why is this? Didn’t France partake in some of history’s very important moments concerning Christianity? Wasn’t Christianity one of the factors that actually founded France? The answer is found through the post-modern way of thinking. The fall in Christianity from France was mainly because people believed Christianity was a crutch, and since we have had an “intellectual advance” and a modernization, this leads people and nations past Christianity to focus on something greater: themselves. This was actually started to be believed very early on, when the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed; “God is dead”. Many didn’t believe him then, but the approval rating of Christianity has gradually shifted.
In fact, some of the laws created to protect Religious freedom have been used to start to hinder religious practices. Alexis de Tocqueville, a well-known link between France and the U.S. has stated that the main difference between France and the United States is that in France, there is a complete separation between church and state, and none of the very few churches can agree with each other, while the U.S. churches agree, except for the details. That is the main problem with France. It has gone so far left by saying that they don't need God anymore, and that the government won't be part of the church any longer.