Ibn Warraq ed. Apostates of Islam, p 99:
“Even in the West, Muslim apostates fear for their lives and find it difficult to come out in public; hence the difficulty in finding reliable statistics for conversions in the West. However, we do have some figures for adult baptisms in French Catholic parishes. The latter parishes also record the religion of origin of those baptized. In the year 2000, 2,503 adults were baptized of which 9% were of Muslim origin; thus 225 apostasized in France alone in 2000.”
AD says: it's something, but don't get all excited. Many more nominal Christians become Muslim in a given year than the other way around, at least in France.
8 comments:
However that's just the statistics to official conversion to catholicism : one must remember the vitality of evangelical sects in the suburbs where many muslims stand.
Many muslims seem to be converted to just indifferentism, agnosticism, or be non practising muslim, which seems not so serious in regard to muslim critere... I mean it seems to be a happy venial sin, compared to conversion to another faith.
Hi John,
May I make a suggestion? Please do not call evangelicals 'sects', in english it has a real negative meaning, like they are not real Christians. Perhaps the word you want to use is 'denominations' or simply 'churches'. Or if that is not good for you then even 'communities' would be better. When we speak about sects they are groups that have clearly gone beyond the Christian faith, and evangelicals (I am an evangelical) have not done that (well, maybe with a few exceptions).
But to your main point: yes, you are quite right. Evangelicals are much more focused on evangelizing Muslims than are Catholics. Still though, I think there is some beauty and balance to the Catholic tradition that makes it, for some Muslims, a better home than an evangelical church.
Epiphany blessings,
AD
Yes, the numbers are practically meaningless when compared against the backdrop of the islamic migration to Europe... not to mention that secularism and relativism is destroying the foundations of Christian faith in Europe... both Protestant and Catholic.
Yes Ireneaus, but I bet the number of Muslims baptized each year in France could easily be doubled if you had a couple of dynamic evangelist-bishops here and there.
Every soul is eternal, and if only a few are saved, in the light of eternity it is no small matter. But yes, on the macro level the picture is not very encouraging.
Hello Anonymous AD,
I precisely used the word sect without fear because I though that it has in english just the meaning of being "issued from", "cut off" without any negative meaning ! Sorry . I'll have to check why I thought such a strange thing.
Hi Abu Daoud,
I think at this point, the RCC is busy saving herself from the modernism that has crept in over the last 40 years which is threatening her every mission. We know where the road has led with other confessions, and understandably, B16 is reversing course in very subtle but powerful ways. My opinion is that the pope knows it might be too late for Europe, so he is trying to sustain a much smaller and faithful core of Catholics from which it can grow once the dust settles. This is why he is reaching out to traditional Catholics and Anglicans alike. He knows the future is not with those who are luke warm Christians who can't even generate vocations, much less converts. If you look at his papacy today from st peters and compare it to JPII, the contrasts are growing day by day. She can't be effective at evangelizing until Catholic identity is repaired and restored to a greater degree. This might take another 40 years. Will it be too late.... time will tell.
Just as a side note. Catholics have been horrible at evangelizing Muslims in Europe due to political correctness replacing Truth, but they are doing very well in sub-Saharan Africa among them.
Ireneus, I don't really agree with your analysis.
Ratzinger, today's pope BXVI, was JPII 's right hand during its pontificate.
Contrary to you I understand BXVI pontificate as complementary to JPII 's one.
For exemple, JPII was less sensitive about liturgy, althopugh its lasts documents were dealing with that (note that he had many things devlopp from the last councile); BXVI has a more approach liturgical .
JPII's pontificate was one of broad openess and discussion with other traditions; BXVI still has, but he makes the limits of such dialogs more clear.
Etc...
John: No problem about the 'sect' word, but it is often used in a pejorative manner and is not the ideal word.
Irenaeus: I think you are right on about this pope, and I think he is correct. After his baptism of a Muslim in 2008 I would very much like to see some concrete, public movements on his part regarding mission to Islam. I would be willing to move to Rome and work for him indefinitely to help him formulate a coherent and effective Catholic mission to Islam--with the wife and kids and all if he asked me to.
AD
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