Information Related to "What It Is Like Being a Young Church Member in France"
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There
are around 30 of us in the United Church of God in France, Belgium and
Switzerland. We live apart from one another and gather only for the Feast
of Tabernacles.
Everyone
has Sabbath services at home. We receive audiotapes and have the hymns
on a CD made by one of the members who is a music teacher. So even though
we're not together physically, we still can have regular services every
Saturday, which is a great blessing because we know that's not possible
for everyone around the world.
What is necessary to understand is that France, like many Western countries, is growing less and less religious. Since World War II many people have stopped believing in a God who created mankind and loves us. They believe that with all the suffering people endured in that war and others, such a God couldn't exist.
Religion is a difficult subject to tackle. People almost never talk about this with each other. There are three main religions in France: Catholicism (which is the mainstream belief), Judaism and Islam (we have a great number of people who immigrated from North Africa to France, either in the 1950s to help in the reconstruction of France after World War II or in the 60s when those countries gained their independence from France).
Other religious organizations are generally regarded as cults and are highly scrutinized by French authorities. When we created the French association of UCG, we had to pass before a Commission. It examined our beliefs to make sure we were not a cult before finally allowing us to legally create the association.
Related Information on UCG Sites:
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Other Articles by Laëtitia Bernal
France: