Fastest growing religion? (beliefs, hell, America, pagan, religions)

[cfer]

Originally Posted by FeathersinHair

I can't even express how much disgust I feel for people that would kill or hurt an animal on purpose.

I understand that in terms of cruelty to animals, but does that go for killing an animal on purpose for food as well?

[Green Gaia]

This there any chance of this thread getting back on topic?

[jeffrey]

But our cats are Wiccan!

[michel]

I am not sure at all about a web site I have found here:-

http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-myth...st-growing.htm


Which claims that, against popular belief, Islam is not the fastest growing religion; I am not at all sure as to the validity of the claims, but they are interesting statistics, even if a little out of date.

A very short extract:-
The Islamic religion has a long history of myth making. The claim they are the fastest growing religion in the world is pure myth. We have collected the latest statistics from David A. Barrett’s huge two volume, "World Christian Encyclopedia", the 2001 AD edition. In case you haven’t heard of this work, it is the world standard for religious statistics.

Muslim's claim that their growth rate is 235 percent and 47 percent for Christianity. This statistic came from the Readers Digest Almanac and Yearbook 1983, and represents 235 percent increase over 50 years. Muslims always leave off the 50 year fact to make it appear they are going 235% every year. A simple review of the readers Digest study shows that the growth rate of Islam vs. Christianity is directly linked to the birth rate in Third World countries where Islam dominates and not actual conversions to each religion. Christianity has always been larger than Islam. These statistics from Readers Digest are over 20 years old. Further, we do not consider readers digest to be an authority on such matters. Why will Muslims not quote real authoritative statistics from certified research groups who show Islam is not the fastest growing religion in 3/4’s of the worlds countries.

1. There are over a billion Muslims in the world today, including 3 to 5 million in the U.S., making it the second most populous religion on earth after Christianity. According to some estimates, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. (The Joy of Sects, Peter Occhigrosso, 1996, p394-397)
2. Islam is the religion which has developed from the preaching and life of Muhammad, a citizen of the city of Mecca in Arabia, who early in the seventh century of the Christian Era appeared as a preacher of monotheism to his own people and founded a religious movement which today counts perhaps as many as 300,000,000 followers, mostly in the heat belt from Indonesia to Morocco. (Islam: Muhammad and His Religion, Arthur Jeffery, 1958, p xi-xiv)

[barnabus]

Oh dear, what on earth are we to do?

[windcarver]

Well, in the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records it says that Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. But, of course, that was 2003, and it very well could have changed to wicca by 2006.