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 â?? a stable percentage â?? 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.
Muslims more numerous than Catholics - Yahoo! News

As they say, "To each his own."

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

A little while ago I was reading the Koran (just for interests sake), and I came across a part that said (not quoted verbatum) "it is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to continue to learn, to expand ones knowledge and ones mind."
It also forbids them from killing or supressing people of any abrahamic religion. Meaning Muslims, Christians, Jews, probably Bah'ai's; I wouldn't be surprised if I missed someone.

Yet try telling that to the "fundamentalist" Taliban, or the Saudi courts. The Islamic theocracies ruling much of the Middle East today are akin to such European golden days as the spanish inquisition; the overal medieval Catholic rule really. People who claim to be "fundamentalists" of their holy book, then concoct bizarre interpretations of scripture to justify their fucked up mandates/legislation.

My point being, the growing dominance of Islam has the potential to be a very good or very bad thing, depending on who shapes the form it takes. I get the feeling, based on many Muslim preachers and practioners that I have listened to all over the internet, that a lot of them are as sick to death of the violence and hatred as we are. But the question as to the problem isn't Islam, it's who gets to rule and represent Islam in government.

It's time for the (middle) eastern renaissance to happen already. People within and without are itching for it; the moddern middle-ages' time has come.

I think (hope) it will happen, and sooner than some might expect.

We are either going to see serious restriction of the internet or a lot more people are going to ask serious questions about their governments. The great Firewall of China for example ;)

IMHO It's the women of the muslim world that are getting hosed, no proper education and very limited rights. The key to unlocking progress and moving into a democratic society is right there. Look what freeing women did to countries all over the industrialised world. It's the main beef I have with these religions and the way they abuse their theocratic society members with impunity.

But I think it will change, the youth in the middle east want security and prosperity and all the benefits of democracy - at least if they are given the chance. Lets hope they get it.

nice point gandalf, i have read some of the curan and have gotten some feed back from arab community members cause much is lost in translation and it is a beautiful religion just some extremists fuck it up mostly for personal gain. Although ther hatred is deeper rooted from generations of being taught to hate much like gangs in south centreal los angeles who hate each other cause i live on this street and he lives two streets down and its what ive been taught. not really knowing why i dont like him just know that im not allowed too maybe from generations past someone was killed or likewise. and then to step it up they throw religion in the mix and it has been proven throughout time that no war has ever been won against an Ecclesiastical principality cause people who fight for a belief fight harder and can endure much more.