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Maybe you should actually read the PEW study Eusebius. Or just go back and look at the people who have pasted parts of it on here. Your "facts" are not the facts contained in the study. They are your own made up facts. According to the PEW study, since you are apparently incapable of reading it yourself, "The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world." That shows Muslims gaining ground on Christians. That means Christians, are NOT gaining ground on the global scale, as you claim.
On a more local level, "In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050" They aren't gaining ground here either, according to the study. So please explain to us how you are using "facts", when you say that Christianity is gaining ground?
Oh, and I like how you completely ignored the rest of my post when you responded to it the last time. Typical cherry picking!
Quote:
Originally Posted by wallflash
Currently being the largest and gaining ground are 2 different things. Your own source says that Islam will grow by 73% by 2050 and Christianity by 35%, with Islam pulling even with Christianity by that time. Which means tht after that point Islam will be the largest religion in the world AND growing faster than Christianity.
Do you not realize what your own source says?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant
Christianity is the largest now. It will be #2 worldwide shortly after 2050 with Islam being #1, if their projections are correct.
Islam will shortly be the 2nd largest religious affiliation in America, partly at the expense of Christianity's share, which is decreasing from 75% to 67% roughly.
Do you deny this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired of the Nonsense
Like it or not studies have consistently shown that the rise of the "nones," those with no religious affiliation, has been steadily raising at a consistent rate of about 1% per year since the beginning of this century, and currently stands at about 20% of the U.S. population. In Europe those with no religious affiliation already approaches 50%. In Canada that number currently stands at about 24%. Clearly there is an unprecedented polarization concerning religion occurring in "the west," which was once widely considered the bastion of Christendom. It's really a phenomenon involving modern well educated advanced societies however. In Australia the percentage of the population with no stated religious beliefs exceeds 30%.
I was ahead of the curve myself. Although raised Christian, I came to the conclusion that Christian claims are nonsense by the age of 13. That was in 1961. At that point I was surrounded by individuals who were ostensibly religious, and overwhelmingly Christian. I had never met another atheist at that point in my life, and I would not meet another openly avowed atheist for some years yet, until after I began college. I live in California however and today I am surrounded by individuals who are not only disdainful of religion, they are disdainful of those who are religious. Hell I actually know former Mormons and former Muslims who have concluded that religion in general is a bunch of baloney. This is what occurs when one lives in an atmosphere that allows one to draw their own conclusions without fear of public ridicule... or worse.
California is often said to be about seven years ahead of the curve when it comes to popular U.S. culture. In California, megachurches, like Robert Schullar's Crystal Cathedral, are failing. What is true for California will invariably become true for the rest of the country. Religious non-affiliation in California currently stands at about 27%, while the percentage of openly religiously unaffiliated in Louisiana, for example, only stands at about 8%. If you live in the south then the wave is headed in your direction like it or not. You can dig in your heels, declare your unwavering devotion to your personal religious beliefs until the day you die, and live in denial. But the change is already occurring.
There was a time when openly denying the truth of Christian dogma was a death sentence. Even in the U.S. well into the 20th century it was a crime in some places to openly dispute Christian beliefs. People now have the right however to openly examine Christian claims, and to be openly critical of them without fear of civil penalties. In the light of open consideration of Christian claims, and in the light of modern education and knowledge, Christian claims invariably fall apart like the ancient archaic beliefs they are based on. The more we understand about the way the universe actually works, the less we are inclined to subscribe to ancient make believe.
If one checks it out on a global level...rather than cherry-pick low population spots that they know aligns with the pipe-dream of those afflicted with Religiophobia..you see religion growing and nonreligious shrinking. THAT is the real deal facts-on-the-ground.
If one checks it out on a global level...rather than cherry-pick low population spots that they know aligns with the pipe-dream of those afflicted with Religiophobia..you see religion growing and nonreligious shrinking. THAT is the real deal facts-on-the-ground.
Since you quoted me pointing out that worldwide Islam is growing faster than Christianity and will equal Christianity around 2050, why are you quoting me to argue that Im cherry picking low population spots.
The Pew study isn't anything to be proud of for Christianity. It shows that educated people are leaving it in First World countries at a high rate , and these are largely being replaced by low educated people through high birth rates in Third World countries , and that in about 35-40 years Islam will replace it as the worlds largest religion , mostly through this same cause of high birth rates. Where in all this is the silver lining for Christianity?
Since you quoted me pointing out that worldwide Islam is growing faster than Christianity and will equal Christianity around 2050, why are you quoting me to argue that Im cherry picking low population spots.
The Pew study isn't anything to be proud of for Christianity. It shows that educated people are leaving it in First World countries at a high rate , and these are largely being replaced by low educated people through high birth rates in Third World countries , and that in about 35-40 years Islam will replace it as the worlds largest religion , mostly through this same cause of high birth rates. Where in all this is the silver lining for Christianity?
Gldn has made it real clear that he/she doesn't care about any countries but China. At least that seems to be the only one ever mentioned by Gldn.
If one checks it out on a global level...rather than cherry-pick low population spots that they know aligns with the pipe-dream of those afflicted with Religiophobia..you see religion growing and nonreligious shrinking. THAT is the real deal facts-on-the-ground.
No one is saying religion isn't growing worldwide. Can you point out where anyone did? I certainly didn't.
I noticed you are here once again defending religion, religious cherry-picking, and calling those who don't "religiophobes". According to you, you would fit in that category, as you would love to see religion gone. I'm not so sure that you aren't just trolling on here anymore...
If one checks it out on a global level...rather than cherry-pick low population spots that they know aligns with the pipe-dream of those afflicted with Religiophobia..you see religion growing and nonreligious shrinking. THAT is the real deal facts-on-the-ground.
Yes, I seem to have "cherry-picked" only the modern well educated free western societies that allow freedom of thought and which are clearly moving away from religious beliefs. Muslim societies are certainly growing at an amazing rate and their apostasy rate is minuscule. Of course Muslim societies have a spectacularly effective plan for controlling apostasy. It is in fact the same general plan Christians used just as effectively until only a couple of centuries ago. For example it was still possible to be hanged for blasphemy and apostasy in England until the early 19th century.
You are just proving my point. Thank you.
You will just have to see how wrong you are when He returns. Until then, rave on.
It's not the same thing. We know God is real and was never written to be a fictitious character. And actually, Santa Claus is based on a real character. So yes, if someone says there was no Saint Nicholas, they would be a fool.
According to the OP, Christianity isn't going away any time soon and will continue to grow world-wide by almost a billion more in the next 40 years, that is, should the Lord tarry.
Was Achilles a real person, "known" to have existed, and written about in the fullest of belief that he actually once existed? The Greeks certainly considered him an historical person. Does that make him real, including the part about having been rendered invulnerable by having been dipped into the river Styx as an infant by his mother? What about the Cyclopes, a race of one eyed giants that were written about and fully believed to have been extent by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Does that certify their existence? If someone today denies their existence, simply because no examples of them exist today, and no evidence of their existence can be produced, and the stories of them defy modern credulity, does that person run the risk of being a fool? Or do we normally ascribe the term "fool" to those who believe in myths, make believe, and the various purveyors of all things preposterous? Like corpses coming back to life and flying away. Reading and even enjoying stories about the undead does not necessarily make one a gullible fool. Believing in stories of the undead pretty much does.
Since you quoted me pointing out that worldwide Islam is growing faster than Christianity and will equal Christianity around 2050, why are you quoting me to argue that Im cherry picking low population spots.
The Pew study isn't anything to be proud of for Christianity. It shows that educated people are leaving it in First World countries at a high rate , and these are largely being replaced by low educated people through high birth rates in Third World countries , and that in about 35-40 years Islam will replace it as the worlds largest religion , mostly through this same cause of high birth rates. Where in all this is the silver lining for Christianity?
I quoted several posts that had similar, though not exact, content. Yours noted a heavy growth in a religion in the near future...which was my base point.
I don't care what line of theological dogma has more popularity than another...they all mean very little to me beyond gleaning some philosophical concepts from them. My main point is that this world is becoming more religious overall, not less...individually selected spots that are against the overall trend notwithstanding.
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