World News and Trends: France no longer a Catholic country?
A recent poll printed in Le Monde Des Religions revealed that "the number of self-declared French Catholics had dropped from 80 percent in the early 1990s and 67 percent in 2000 to 51 percent today." In contrast, the number of declared atheists rose from 23 percent in 1994 to 31 percent today.
A recent poll printed in Le Monde Des Religions revealed that "the number of self-declared French Catholics had dropped from 80 percent in the early 1990s and 67 percent in 2000 to 51 percent today." In contrast, the number of declared atheists rose from 23 percent in 1994 to 31 percent today.
Henry Samuel, in Paris reporting for The Daily Telegraph, stated that "of the 51 per cent who still call themselves Catholics, only half said they believed in God. Many said they were Catholics because it was a family tradition" (Jan. 10, 2007, emphasis added throughout).
"In its institutions, but also in its mentalities, France is no longer a Catholic country," said Frederic Lenoir, Le Monde Des Religions editor in chief. According to what's prophesied in God's Word, religion will yet play a major part in European affairs. An alliance of a great religious power and a secular power will emerge in Europe and dominate the world. For further information, request our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Source: The Daily Telegraph [London].)
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
