The Vatican acknowledged that Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world’s largest religion.Vittorio Formenti, who compiles the Vatican’s yearbook, said that Roman Catholics account for 17.4% of the world population – a stable percentage – while Muslims are on the rise at 19.2%.Mr Formenti, in comments to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, said the data referred to 2006. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/islam+worlds+largest+religion/1898147
Buuuttt..
ROCHESTER, N.Y. and LONDON ? December 20, 2006 ? A Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll conducted among adults in the United States and in five European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and Spain) shows that Americans are more likely than Europeans to believe in any form of God or Supreme Being (73%). Of the European adults surveyed, Italians are the most likely to express this belief (62%) and, in contrast, the French are the least likely (27%).
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131
Mamma mia! The Italians believe in god.
Sacrebleu! the French don’t.
I would have thought the Brits or Scandinavians would have beat out the frogs at athesim.
The French – possibly the most reasonable people in Europe if not on the planet.
A 2000 poll said 95 percent of American believe in God.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/wat/archive/wat042400.htm
A 2004 says 92 percent believe in God.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html
A 2007 poll puts the number at 91 percent
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070402/26658_Poll:_9_of_10_Americans_Believe_in_God%3B_Nearly_Half_Rejects_Evolution.htm
And, in 2007, more Americans said they believe in the devil than Darwin.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKN2922875820071129?sp=true
Totally off subject, but since Phreedm refused to answer these questions in the previous thread, I thought I’d give it another try:
(Phreedm: Please respond with answers or admit you don’t know the answers.)
The Genesis creation account has a few glitches.
Note, for example that the light and darkness (day and night) appeared, not the mention 24 hour days, before the sun was created on day four.
Another problem is the existence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers — their geographical locations included — prior to Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden. These would have been erased by Noah’s universal flood.
Another problem is the very existence of Satan. His objective is to dethrone God. However, if he were to succeed the entire universal — both physical and spiritual — would cease to exist; including Satan himself. Is Satan on a suicide mission?
And once again, we Americans reveal ourselves as a nation of superstitious morons. We’ve got lots of catching up to do with the rest of the non-Arab world.
What the Catholics need is a more realistic pope, Like Alexander VI.
“Alexander VI has been widely condemned for his conduct. He disregarded priestly celibacy and preferred political machinations to spiritual leadership. He practiced simony (selling Church offices) and was notorious for his nepotism. He used his position to enrich his children, supported a mob of Spanish relatives in Rome, and created 19 Spanish cardinals. He shocked his contemporaries by openly acknowledging his children.
In Alexander’s favor it must be said that his morals were no worse than those of his contemporaries and that he had the real virtue of sincere love for his family. “
http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=pope+alexander+6&gwp=13
Why does the Vatican consider Catholics separate from the rest of Christianity for the purpose of this report? Or alternatively, why are all Muslims lumped into one group, and not split up into Shia/Sunni/etc.?
It just seems to me that somebody is comparing apples to oranges.
If I were a cynic, I’d wonder if the report was intended to play upon Christian fears of Muslims. Something similar to those “blacks will one day outbreed whites” reports from way back when.