Christianity in France

I am writing in response to the March 18 articles about France. I am married to a Frenchman, and we have six children. I have lived in France off and on since 1986 for a total of about nine years.

Many Americans probably consider France a Christian “Catholic” country. Although it is true that many French people are baptized Catholic, very few even believe in God. Baptism for most of the French is merely a tradition. I even know adults who were baptized not because they believe but only because they wanted to get married in a Catholic church.

If you really want to know if a French person is Christian or not, you don’t ask if they are Christian but if they are believers.

I asked a person this for the first time in my life a few days ago and the person told me “no.” She told me that she didn’t know anything about the Christian religion. Many of the French simply refuse Christianity even though they had a Catholic education.

It is probably easier to evangelize the African and Chinese immigrants than the French whose parents and grandparents are also French. I belong to a Protestant church that was founded 20 years ago, and there are only 30 members for a town of about 10,000 people.

Christianity seems to be dying in France, but is it too late? I don’t think it is, if God’s people humble themselves and pray. All things are possible with the Lord even when things seem to be hopeless.

J. Mestres
France