Well, it depends on how you measure faster. Let me also note something important: some of the Pentecostal growth is growth for Pentecostal Christianity, but not Christianity as one religion, since those folks are also leaving (often) some other kind of Christianity, mainly Roman Catholicism.
In fact, and perhaps counterintuitively, the number of new Christians each year outstrips the number of new Muslims, even though the annual growth rate is higher for Muslims (1.81 percent) than for Christians (1.23 percent). Over the last century, Christians have grown at a slower rate than have Muslims, with Muslims increasing from 12 percent to 21 percent of the global population during that time. But this is hardly surprising. Christianity has more total followers than Islam.
From HERE.
5 comments:
Contracepion. (Muslims don't make converts, they make kids). Make love, not war! Peace, bro!
Lucian, you're preaching to the choir! But yes, you are quite right.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately: about the fact that the growth in the Muslim population is going on in places in MENA where there is no ability to support such populations in terms of water and crops, and there is a great deal of corruption and lawlessness. So they go to Europe.
It reminds me of the collapse of the Roman Empire in W, with all the goths coming in. But you're a history guy, right? What do you think?
No, I'm a soon-to-be-engineer (God-willing), a mathematician, and a relatively logical guy.
I was thinking about the fact that every Father and every Orthodox book I've ever read says only bad things about contraception (onany).
I was also thinking about the Orthodox sex-schedule.
I was also thinking that every single Father and every Orthodox book I've ever read prescribes anal sex.
I was ALSO thinking about the fact that I'm gonna break each and every single one of those rules.
As for Muslims taking over the world, I couldn't care less: let them. I'm am little Muslim myself: my weakness for the weak sex dates to times immemorial. I couldn't be satisfied even with 4 wives: I've met much more beautiful, smart, sexxy, attractive, interesting, wise, kind, good, lovely, gorgeous women than that -- and, just like Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice": ``Ich kann nicht waehlen! Ich kann nicht waehlen!``.
Christ said that not even the gates of Hell itself will conquer the Church, so let Him take care of it.
In the mean time I was also wondering about how my forefathers sacrificed themselves in battle against the Ottomans for hundreds and hundreds if years, so that the West might be able to preserve, keep and maintain its Christianity--only for the sleezy little stupid imbecilic bastards to abandon it whole-heartedly and without being forced by anyone, a few centuries later.
I was also thinking that --unlike the Universe, the Pentecostals, and the Muslims--, Orthodoxy does not expand at the speed of light, nor did it ever. Nor will it ever. (Us and proselytism, the cow and the ballet). -- I also can't "hit" at girls, and I can't proselytise for the same reason.
Here's a little something for the little Muslim in anyone:
youtube.com/watch?v=IMITig-gVdM
No wonder the Muslim invade France--they got something in common, all right... ;-)
ISLAM, CHRISTANITY AND CONSUMERISM:
THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS –
THE GREAT DEPRESSION II
DR. RAJU M. MATHEW
Global Economic Crisis
The world is under a great economic crisis. For the conventional economists it is only a Recession and not a Depression at all, for their partial analytical techniques, over-simplified models with unrealistic assumptions and over emphasis on data. It may take at least five years for them to realize that it would be a Great Depression and by that time it may be over. When Cybernetics is employed for the study of the working of the global economy as a whole with multi-sector approaches on the basis of the deeper understanding of Political Economy, we are forced to admit that this is not a simple Recession, but the Great Depression II that requires not only Economic Stimulus but Ethical or Spiritual and Political Stimulus Packages too to recover.
Consumerism
Not only the capitalist or developed countries but also the Socialist or Islamist or Less Developed Countries too are brought under the Great Depression II. It is not only Islam or Christianity but also Communism could not save the world from Consumerism and the unethical or immoral business practices that are hundred times deadlier than Materialism or even Atheism. Consumerism has emerged as the greatest threat to the very existence of Capitalism for it drained away saving and investment, that constitute Capital without which there is no Capitalism.
The corporate culture has corrupted almost all religions and communist movements and made them the victims of Consumerism. The corporate culture made everything expensive and unaffordable for the majority for it aims only ‘the chosen few’. It has speeded up the process of the demise of spirituality and moral values. Eroding of the basic spiritual values has paved the way for greed, fraud and corruptions at all level. The present crisis is the result of the total moral, ethical and spiritual failures rather then the economic and technical ones.
Animal Farms
Both Capitalism and Socialism are built up with thrift, mobilization and allocation of resources, production and distribution and treating consumers as rational human being and giving emphasis to social well being. That is why; both Islam and Christianity could survive or flourish under Capitalism or Socialism for they adhere to hard work, thrift, investment, social well being.
Islam and Christianity never advocate theft and looting or plundering, though the Israelites had committed theft, looting and plundering and devised formulas for sharing the loot, including women, especially virgins even to the priests and the God during the time of Moses as stipulated in the Chapter 31 of Numbers of the Old Testament. On the other, Consumerism is an ideology of harvesting without sawing and nurturing just like looting and plundering. It treats human being as mere irrational consuming animals without any concern for individual and social well-being.
‘Party Animal’ is a very popular word under Consumerism as it reduces men and women just like animals for consumption with animal behaviors besides treating them, especially women as consumable products to be bought though for a short period. The Corporate Culture with the powerful weapon of Consumerism aims for making the entire globe, ‘a very big animal farm’ with men, women and children.
Terrorism is a strategy of Consumerism to uproot the very foundation of Islam and Christianity besides Capitalism and Democracy. Unfortunately, Islam is the hardest hit and the greatest victim of Terrorism that aims at murdering Islam before the end of the twenty-first century. Unless Islam, contains the onslaught of Consumerism and Terrorism, they contain Islam for ever, a very big human tragedy.
Spirituality and Human Values
In the demise of spirituality and basic human values, religions turn towards rigorous and harsh customs, devotions, stereotype prayers and fasting, as a regimented drill, without any element of love, mercy and forgiveness. All these factors acted as catalysts for religious fundamentalism. A big vacuum in spirituality of religions paved the way for terrorism. The youth, especially the poor, are indoctrinated and getting believed that the greatest virtue is to become martyrs and to die and kill for their religions for they are rewarded with all the luxuries and pleasures of a ‘seven star hotel’ besides the service of seven virgins in the Paradise after their martyrdom. Sex, drugs and money are indiscriminately administered to them as the immediate rewards for their loyalty and commitment.
Islam and Christianity
Islam and Christianity, the two major world religions have miserably failed, in practice, to imbibe the basic moral, spiritual and ethical values to the humanity. After embracing the corporate culture, they have been rivaling each other in spreading across nations and adhering to the rigorous religious practices. Their champions or leaders have become as materialistic as the ancient Epicureans.
Because of their warring or quarreling factions and their quench for pomp and acquiring more and more material wealth, almost all religions miserably failed to lead the world in the realm of spirituality and to inculcate minimum ethical and human values to the society. Most of the sects or cults in Hinduism and Buddhism also assumed the role of big multinational corporations with assets in terms of trillions.
The Ideology of ‘the Chosen People’
Both Islam and Christianity claim that they are the chosen people of their God. The ideology of chosen people was originated at the time of Abraham and developed into violent and aggressive form during the time of Moses, after the Exodus, on the march of Israelites towards the ‘Promised Land of Canaan’. The Bible gives a detailed account of the kings or peoples who were looted, raped, captured or exterminated in their hands.
When a particular tribe or race or religion or party claims that it is chosen, it undermines other tribes or races or religions or parties and subscribes to the deadly ideology of superior race or tribe or religion or party that would become the basis of Fascism as had advocated by Adolph Hitler. Under Lenin, especially during the time of Stalin, ‘the Comrades’ or the card holders of the Communist Party claimed that they were the chosen ones and the superior people. It is a deadly ideology in which , others are branded inferior or even sub-human being so that they could hate or subjugate or exterminate them and thereby they could please their God or prove their loyalty towards their Party.
Christianity is a thousand kilometers away from Jesus who taught to make peace on earth and to love and forgive the enemies so as to become the children of the Loving Heavenly Father. Islam too is far away from Koran that taught to worship the Most Merciful Allah who demands every Muslim to give mercy and care not only to all human beings but to animals and even trees also.
Both Islam and Christianity, besides Communism, are corrupted with power, money and Consumerism besides the deadly ideology of ‘the chosen people’ with the right to punish or exterminate the disobedient or men without the ‘official version of the faith’ or men with alien faiths who are branded as ‘Pagans’ or ‘Kaferes’ as the communist are branding their enemies as ‘revisionists’ or ‘imperialists’ for extermination.
For the Just, Loving and Merciful God or Allah, all men are chosen and everybody has an equal right for a decent life just like the people of the OPEC or OECD countries and everybody must observe spiritual and ethical values. Nobody has any right to dominate or exterminate other people. If Islam and Christianity fail to bridge the gap between the rich and poor and to end discrimination between the Black and the White and upheld basic spiritual and human values, at least among their own followers, their very worth and relevance are questioned in the age of the Global Crisis and thereafter. This is the fundamental crisis of both Islam and Christianity, threatening their very existence.
Oil and Cars
Industrialization started with steam powered locomotives and nurtured by the automobile industry that speeded up the processes of urbanization and fast life style besides giving predominance to oil industry. Oil producers and automobile industry started to dictate the entire economies of the world, especially of the western industrialized economies. OPEC has squeezed oil importing nations by charging exorbitant price for oil and amassed the wealth of nations.
The corporate world has effectively employed Information Technology to have a virtual control over the entire globe by e-money, e-banking and e-commerce and spread the corporate culture of greed, fraud and consumerism. Oil, cars and consumerism, originally acted as the catalyst of boom have turned the catalysis of Doom or the Great Depression II. They have drained away the saving and investment habits of the middle class and made everybody debtors and upset not only the balance of economies but also of the Nature.
New Awareness
People are getting aware that for the wrong logistics of their places of stay, work, shopping and entertainment, they have to travel a lot and burn out a lot of oil unnecessarily. They could have avoided over 60 per cent of their journeys, especially in the age of advanced communication technologies. By a proper use and development of public transportation system, many could have avoided owning cars or traveling in cars. A good majority of business trips are unnecessary or unproductive. ‘Traveling less and less and consuming lesser and lesser oil for the recovery of the economy and for the health of the environment’ will emerge as a major slogan in almost all countries so as to affect the future of oil, automobile and hospitality sectors.
Natural Death
It is time for the Multinational Corporations to have a natural death for their crimes committed against the humanity, especially against the poor nations and peoples. Championing the cause of consumerism, they have even turned a malignant cancer of Capitalism and Globalization besides corrupting Islam and Christianity and other religions besides Communism. They destroyed the economic foundations of millions of families and virtually wiped out the middle class not only in the west but also in emerging economies with their aggressive marketing strategies.
Selling dreams and fantasies, they dragged everyone into illusions. They have invisible links with various terrorist organizations. They are involved in money laundry, corruptions and fabrication of documents and cheating the shareholders and the general public. For the high salary and bonus besides aggressive marketing and spending billions for sales promotions and thereby making big profits, they keep the cost post of production high and they push up of cost of living too. That is why; no popular government could dare to support or bail out them with tax payers’ money. Let them pay the price and face the wrath of the people.
The Stimulus Packages
It is fact that, none of the stimulus packages, though in terms of several trillions, could save the world from the impending peril and miseries of the millions unless the world saves itself from the dirty hands of consumerism and controls the growth of automobile industry besides reducing oil consumption to the extent of 30 to 40 per cent and turning towards spirituality and ethical values. This is the time for fair business practices and code of ethics for all economic activities besides regulating aggressive marketing and advertisements. Ensuring sustainable income along with reasonable saving and investment is the only means for recovery on a long term basis. Otherwise, all the stimulus packages and recovery efforts would vanish within three to six months after making some symptoms of recovery and then aggravate and prolong the crisis to the extent of ten years.
Recovery and Growth
The present global crisis taught the humanity the basic lesson that various socio-economic systems or organizations could not survive without the basic moral and ethical values and some element of spirituality and maintaining the balance of the Nature. It is high time in burying down Consumerism and Corporate Culture besides adopting slow and simple life styles and turning towards spirituality and setting right the imbalances between urban and rural sectors and also between agriculture, industry and service sectors and the different regions of the world for the very survival of humanity. Humanity could not afford to pay so much high salary and bonus in terms of several millions to the CEOs and Managers and to allow the traders and business people to make such a huge profit within a short span of time. Cost of production and cost of living must be put back at the minimum for sustainable development.
It is a great crime against Humanity and the Nature to burn out so much oil and generating so much heat and sound from the speeding millions of cars and driving away the millions from farms and rural life to the cities. It is high time to redefine the very meaning of development and urbanization especially when the entire humanity is under threat and peril. The fruits of development must be reached in the hands of all people, sparing none on any ground. Then only we could bring out a real recovery and attain sustainable growth.
(This is the seventh series of work on ‘The Great Depression II’ by the same author and prepared on 20th April 2009. The other works can be found if a search is made under “Dr. Raju M. Mathew’ using AltaVista or Google).
About the Author
Dr. Raju M. Mathew is an economist, a strategist and theoretician with strong background in Cybernetics, Education and Information Technology with long years of experience in teaching and research. He has so far supervised ten doctoral works, including the basic approaches of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam towards knowledge, economy and spirituality.
Dr. Mathew formulated two basic theories of knowledge consumption and knowledge production that got published in 1985 and appeared in several languages. Now these theories are known in his name and have become an area for doctoral research. In 2005, Prof. Mathew proposed Knowmatics and Knowledge Technology as the two Post-Information Technology disciplines for processing and handling knowledge so as to develop knowledge industries. He is the founder president of the International Forum for Knowmatics & Knowledge Technology (IFKT). Some of his works are available in the site: www.ifkt.net.
Dr. Mathew is on a mission of making the world aware of the impacts and intensities of the present Global Crisis, the Great Depression II of 2009 and persuading the governments and international agencies and religions to formulate correct strategies and policies and implement them urgently for an early recovery, so as to save the lives of millions, especially the young and the poor. Dr. Raju M. Mathew can be contacted by e-mail: rajoocyber@yahoo.com.
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