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World Religions: Statistics, Respect and Selecting a Faith

the 48th regulator

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Something a little interesting with keeping of today's theme on the thread;

Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion


Sun Mar 30, 3:36 PM



By The Associated Press


VATICAN CITY - Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.


"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.  He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 per cent of the world population - a stable percentage - while Muslims were at 19.2 per cent.

"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.

Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims had been put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.

When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 per cent of the world population, Formenti said.

Copyright © 2008 Canadian Press

Copyright 2008 © Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.




dileas

tess
 
Yep, interesting ...

More Christians then Muslims, more Muslims then Catholics...


Muslims more numerous than Catholics

VATICAN CITY - Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.

"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook. He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage —
while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.

"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said. Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding
that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data. When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.

Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
 
This info is a little out of date (2004) but is from the site http://www.hri.ca.  (They've changed the site structure since then so the document has been moved from where it used to be).

Of note, its facts are mostly similiar to the previous article presented (formating is a bit off).

RELIGIOUS REPRESENTATION AROUND THE WORLD

Christianity Has over 10 branches; Christianity is largest with over 1 billion 2.1 billion
Islam                 Has 4 main branches;Sunni is largest with just under 1 billion 1.3 billion
Non-religious (Includes Secular, Agnostic, and Atheist)                             1.1 billion
Hinduism                  Has 5 main branches                                                             900 million
Confucianism / Taoism    (Includes multiple Chinese traditional belief systems) 394 million
Buddhism                   Has 3 main branches                                                376 million
Primal-indigineous (Includes non-African tribal and aboriginal beliefs)               300 million
Diasporic                   (Includes African traditional beliefs)                               100 million
Sikhism                  Has 1 main branch 23 million
Juche                  Has 1 main branch 19 million
Judaism                  Has 5 main branches 14 million
Baha’l                 Has 2 main branches 7 million
Jainism                 Has 3 main branches 4.2 million
Shinto                 Has 7 main branches 4 million
Zoroastrianism Has 2 main branches 2.6 million

Source: http/www.hri.ca/index.aspx, estimated religious composition of the world population.  Population size based on Jan 2004 estimated worldwide population of 6.4 million

 
Roman Catholicism is not a separate faith but a Christian denomination. It makes more sense to compare Islam with Christianity in general.
 
Emenince Grise said:
Roman Catholicism is not a separate faith but a Christian denomination. It makes more sense to compare Islam with Christianity in general.

But not for the Pope  >:D !
 
Greymatters said:
I dont think he would be very keen on refering to Roman Catholicism as 'one of many Christian belief systems'...

No, that is not how the Roman Catholic Church sees itself. It sees itself as the "one true church". But as part of an independent classification, self-definition is irrelevant.
 
Non-religious  (Includes Secular, Agnostic, and Atheist)                              1.1 billion

This irks me.  Agnosticism does not equate to atheism, speciffically it does not equate with "Non-religious".  Secularism at least according to some definitions might apply, but equating atheism with agnosticism is like lumping atheism in with Christianity.
 
Reccesoldier said:
Non-religious  (Includes Secular, Agnostic, and Atheist)                              1.1 billion

This irks me.  Agnosticism does not equate to atheism, speciffically it does not equate with "Non-religious".  Secularism at least according to some definitions might apply, but equating atheism with agnosticism is like lumping atheism in with Christianity.

How is the grouping of data now to be considered the same as saying they are equal?

Does "Secular" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Agnostic" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Athiest" belong under "Non-Religious"?

How exactly did saying they are all non-religious mean that atheism is being equated with agnositicism?  And why aren't you complaining about it at the data source instead of here?
 
Michael O`Leary said:
This irks me.  Agnosticism does not equate to atheism, speciffically it does not equate with "Non-religious".  Secularism at least according to some definitions might apply, but equating atheism with agnosticism is like lumping atheism in with Christianity.


How is the grouping of data now to be considered the same as saying they are equal?

Does "Secular" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Agnostic" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Athiest" belong under "Non-Religious"?
No I don't believe that Agnostic = Non-religious. 

How exactly did saying they are all non-religious mean that atheism is being equated with agnositicism?
  It's making a package deal out of the two concepts, which are as separate as Religion and atheism.

  And why aren't you complaining about it at the data source instead of here?
So, because you didn't like my post you think I have no right to comment on something that was brought into the discussion by another poster?  Gee, why not just tell me to shut the fuck up?  It'd be easier.

Better yet, why don't you heed your own advice and the next time you disagree with a link that is posted why don't you take your complaint to the source.
 
Both of you ned a time-out...............


Reccesoldier said:
  It's making a package deal out of the two concepts, which are as separate as Religion and atheism.


Whereas I see no separation in your two examples.......................I don't believe in God, but I believe in, and practice Religion, and attend church. [not religiously though :D]

...to each his/her own.
 
Bruce Monkhouse said:
Whereas I see no separation in your two examples.......................I don't believe in God, but I believe in, and practice Religion, and attend church. [not religiously though :D]

...to each his/her own.

God and religion, especially in the Christian tradition are a real package deal.  As far as I know the only religion without a godhead is Buddhism.

 
Reccesoldier said:
God and religion, especially in the Christian tradition are a real package deal.  As far as I know the only religion without a godhead is Buddhism.

Some "vehicule"  (part, trend) of Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy...
 
Reccesoldier said:
God and religion, especially in the Christian tradition are a real package deal. 

Your interp, not mine..........think outside your hatred for things not Athiestical.
 
Bruce Monkhouse said:
Your interp, not mine..........think outside your hatred for things not Athiestical.

Hatred?  Holy crap where did that come from?  My atheism is mine.  I couldn't care less what anyone else believes or doesn't. 

My Mom is a pretty religious woman, do you think I hate her?

Where the fuck does this come from?
 
Michael O`Leary said:
This irks me.  Agnosticism does not equate to atheism, speciffically it does not equate with "Non-religious".  Secularism at least according to some definitions might apply, but equating atheism with agnosticism is like lumping atheism in with Christianity.


How is the grouping of data now to be considered the same as saying they are equal?

Does "Secular" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Agnostic" belong under "Non-Religious"?
Does "Athiest" belong under "Non-Religious"?

How exactly did saying they are all non-religious mean that atheism is being equated with agnositicism?  And why aren't you complaining about it at the data source instead of here?

Personally I dont see Agnostic as being the same as Atheist either, but you would have to ask the data compilers at the HRI as to why they classified things as they did...
 
Greymatters said:
Personally I dont see Agnostic as being the same as Atheist either, but you would have to ask the data compilers at the HRI as to why they classified things as they did...

I would beleive that since it is an account of those that follow an organized religion, that the three fall into the catagory Non-religious.

dileas

tess
 
the 48th regulator said:
I would beleive that since it is an account of those that follow an organized religion, that the three fall into the catagory Non-religious.

Otherwise known as those who have declared themselves as not belonging to any specific religious organization?

 
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