Why do Christians think that their numbers are growing?

Question

I can't speak for the rest of the world, but according to the U.S. Census Bureau the Christian population in the United States has fallen from 88.3% in 1990 to 79.8% in 2001... also the number of athiests/agnostics has risen from 8.4% to 15% in the same time frame. Where are you people getting your information? Sunday school?

U.S. Census Bureau survey...

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/06s0069.xls

Answer 1

a little birdy told them. they are sheep anyway, they just follow. meaning if someone in their church tells them something they believe it and spread it around without looking up facts. spreading lies. =\

Answer 2

The U.S. population in 1990 was approximately 248, 700,000 persons. 88.3% of that is 219,602,000.

The U.S population in 2001 was approximately 283,400,000 persons. 79.8% of that is 226,153,000.

226,153,000 is greater than 219,602,000.

(And I learned my math at public schools.)

According to my math, (and by using your evidential statistics) this means that there were MORE Christians in the United States in 2001 than there were in 1990.

Also, the U.S. Census Bureau does not collect data on a person's religion. Therefore, the statistics you have presented are suspect, and were likely created by an entity with a political agenda.

Answer 3

There is a lot of misinformation out there that the religious right is sending out that Christianity is a rising religion, but it’s not. Now, I’m not saying that is a bad thing or a good thing. It doesn’t even mean that Christianity is wrong, but it’s true that it’s declining not just in this country, but in Europe as well (falling more rapidly in Europe). I’m agnostic and I think that people are finally starting to question the old beliefs and practices that they were once taught never to even think about questioning lest they be cast into hell for all eternity. I think it’s a good thing – I think we’re evolving. The average IQ in this country goes up 3 points every 10 years. :)

Answer 4

i guess it depends on where you get your info and what you want to believe...i found this.
As Christianity is the largest religion in the world, any increase in the world population will give Christianity a greater absolute number of new members.
The U.S. Center for World Mission claimed a growth rate of 2.3% for the period 1970 to 1996, (slightly higher than the world population growth rate at the time). This increased the percentage of Christians from 33.7% to 33.9%.
The World Christian Encyclopaedia estimates that Christianity receives 2,500,000 converts a year.

Answer 5

The Census Bureau can't tell a Christian from an agnostic. They can only go by what people report themselves to be. I have known of hundreds of people who listed themselves as Christians but hadn't even gone to church once in 20 years. What they meant was that they weren't Jewish or Muslim etc.

These people are no longer listing themselves as Christians on Census material and so the numbers are down. But the Holy Spirit is moving across the land and more people are becoming born again into the kingdom of God than before.

Jesus explained this in His time:

Matt 7:21-23

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
(from New International Version)

Just saying that one is a Christian doesn't make them a Christian .

Even though no one can see into another persons soul to know whether they are a Christian or not., the great growth in Charismatic/Pentacostal churches indicates that the number of born again believers has risen while the "dead wood" on the roles of churches has gone down.

Answer 6

It is a common human emotion to desire to be accepted and correct. Unfortunately, a common psychological trait is that people have an innate feeling that the more people believe or accept something, the more it is likely to be correct.

As such, the desire to be right leads some Christians to accept it when people say their faith is on the rise, and ignore evidence to the contrary.

Ironically, some of these same people will be the ones who believe Christianity is under attack. They are in the majority, yet they still like to take the 'persecuted' stance.

Answer 7

I've experienced the opposite. Every born-again Christian I know thinks they are a dying breed and everyone else around them is out to persecute and corrupt them.

People who believe their religion is the only saved one are weak people. Weak people tend to have persecution complexes.

Answer 8

I think that there are fewer Christian in the U.S. today then in the past. But through out the world there are many more today than in the past.

Many people who call them selves Christian are that just in name. They seldom (if ever) go to church, read the Bible, pray, etc....

Answer 9

superb. turning out to be numbers do no longer vindicate the two way. rather turning out to be numbers in something that's actual significant to human beings will probable make those human beings "experience stable" approximately it, besides the fact that it would not tutor existence or non-existence of a few thing or somebody we are in a position to no longer visibly see. popularity of a concept shouldn't shake us or sway us, would desire to it? (exceedingly if it might value us our lives.)

Answer 10

They like delusion after all they are in love with a child murdering God!

They got to keep telling themselves that they are good and how more and more agree with them. Otherwise they may realize that they are a DYING BREAD!

Answer 11

this world is becoming more secular /humanistic> in the future the faithful may become persecuted and made fun of as predicted in the biblical end times>