Muslims More Numerous than Catholics: Vatican

MUSLIMS MORE NUMEROUS THAN CATHOLICS. That was the headline in large red capital letters on the Drudge Report this morning. While that may be a shock to Matt Drudge, many Catholics and non-Catholics, I am not suprised. I read a number of demographics blogs and have been following the fluctuations and forecasts of the world's populations and subpopulations for sometime.

If total fertility rate (TFR) is a new term for you, then you have some remedial catching up to do. You might start with the 2005 Pew transcriptThe Coming Religious Wars? Demographics and Conflict in Islam and Christianity. Then follow Pew with Mark Steyn's classic It's the Demography, Stupid: The real reason the West is in danger of extinction. I would follow Mark Steyn with the Demography Matters The demographics of bad politics and Phillip Longman's The Global Baby Bust. You might finish with Will the Rapid Growth of Islam Continue?.

Also, if you have not seen the trailer for Demographic Winter, now would be a good time.

"There is no 'population bomb.' There never was." - Mark Steyn

Some facts to keep in mind when discussing the demographics of Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity.

Islam

80% of Muslims are NOT Arabic nor do they understand Arabic.

The most populated Muslim countries are outside the Middle East: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria.

Over 80 percent of the growth in Islam is due to high fertility rather than conversions.

Muslim population growth is declining.


Christianity

The global percentage of Christians has been about 33 percent for the last one hundred years

In the 1960s the proportion of Christians in Africa surpassed that of Muslims for the first time in history.

Today the proportion of Christians in Africa is approaching one-half.

43% of women getting an abortion in the U.S. identify as Protestant.


Catholicism

Catholicism is not in worldwide decline.

Catholicism is growing worldwide at a rate of about 17 million per year.

27% of women getting an abortion in the U.S. identify as Catholic

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."
Genesis 9:1

UPDATE

I've been scouring Google's Blogsearch seeking any decent discussions of the Vatican announcement. Most blogs seem to be just posting the news release verbatim without any comments or feelings about events. But, there are a few blogs were people are actually commenting on the annoncement and their comments are proving enlightening. Atheists would like to see fewer people engaged in religion. Agnostics worry about any fundamentalist oppressing them and forcing behaviors based on religion. A large number of people think the growth in Islam is from aggresive conversion (convert or die) versus birth rate, which is the actual source. And, a number of people think that only Europe is suffering from declining birth rates and are oblivious to the global decline in fertility rates, aka Demographic Winter.

Among the blogosphere were interesting discussions at:

World Have Your Say, a British blog supporting an NPR-like radio show.

iwka.onething, really interesting post with map and discussion of current demographics and the mythological Eurabia.

TitusOneNine, an well known and respected Anglican blog in the United States.

Mujahideen Ryder, an Islamic blog where triumphalism seems to be the flavor of the day.

M@ Henslee..., a student Baptist pastor in Little Rock with the opinion that both Catholics and Muslims are two false religions duking it out on their way to hell.

Man in a Shed, where Gordon sees the announcement as none too subtle spin and part of a conspiracy to kill the Church of England. ABC Rowan Willams is a pawn in the evil Catholic plot.

Street Knowledge, posted a color map depicting Islam and seems to have a grasp on the real demographic trends. Lots of potential here, leave them some comments.

Source: Muslims More Numerous than Catholics: Vatican