Do theists realise just how many atheists there are in the world today?

Question

Detemining the statistics for belivers as oppossed to non-believers is notoriously difficult.

Many surveys rely on responses from just 50% of those questioned. Considering that many atheists are concerned about whom they reveal their stance to, it is hard to get solid data.

This has been well illustrated in the attached paper:
http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html

Non-belief it seems stands at somewhere between 500 million and 750 million worldwide.

The growth of atheism in Western Europe illudstrates clearly a pattern for atheism growing with education, health and general economic standards.

As we continue to push back world poverty and raise education standards around the world, isn't it obvious that belief in gods will decline as living standards and education rise?

Lawaen..........this has been taken into account in the stats, otherwise it would be higher.

Answer 1

That's about stupid...considering that Faith based organizations BY FAR help out concerning poverty, third world countries, catastrophies, etc. ove the amount given even by our own government. ....That comes from the stats prvide by government agancies who monitor this stuff
I have no stats on much atheists give, but if I were a bettin' man, I'd bet it wouldn't even be close......probably not even negligable.

Beisdes what you are asking wouldn't matter even if there were just ONE Christian person......That person would make it, the rest would not.

Answer 2

I'd miss the gorgeous gothic cathedrals. I'm Atheist, but have visited many norman, gothic and baroque chuches and cathedrals. I still have to visit the Mont Saint Michel. Sometimes you discover details that the scholars haven't pointed out (not conform to Church teachings...) like a perfect mushroom over the Virgin Mary's head ! Little details of ancient beliefs crept into mediaeval architecture, showing that although the Middle Ages were a nightmare for religions, some of the architects were open to the fact that Christianity grew from pagan beliefs, and popped in an occasional wink.

Answer 3

Atheists will always remain the minority in the world. If you were to examine most governments census you would see that people who believe in an higher power outnumber atheists or agnostics 10,000 to 1. At last count atheists and agnostics only numbered about 40 million in the whole world. This is of course a fact recorded by the united nations who regularly compile all the governments census.
Another fact is that all religious houses of worship and educational facilities across the world have increased membership by at least 20%.
Now if you want to get deeper into it. Not a single athiest goverment (communist) in the past 120 years has been successfull without religon. In fact most athiest goverments failed in education, heatlth care and economic standards. Not to mention more people have died in the last 120 years under athiests goverments than under any other Christian goverment in the last 2000 years.
You haven' really done your home work or have studied history!

Answer 4

Roughly, Christians are at 2.1 billion - 33% and Atheists are at 1.1 billion - 16%

There are a lot of atheists. So what. With that info stated, what is your point? That there are 1.1 billion people who are blinded by science and will loose their eternal salvation because of it. That is a sad statistic to me. I feel sorry for every one of them.

Why do you assume that you are the only ones pushing back world poverty and raising education standards. That is a bit upity, don't you think?

Christians do so much for poverty and education in the world. Personally, in my little world, our church soley supports an orphanage of 50 children in Haiti. I visit these kids every October so I know what I am talking about. These children have food, clothes, shelter and schooling. They not only are learning to speak and write their own language but also, French, Spanish and English. To go one step further, people in our church have also sponsored local "villiage children" so they can come to the orphanage 5 days a week to be educated and have a meal (they also let them come during summer break to have lunch). Over to 200 children are eating nutritious meals and getting an education at this orphanage. That only comes from 1 church. Can you imagine how many churches sponsor the same in the United States ALONE? These people's needs are being met through God's love and care. We are to be God's hands and feet in this world. These people want to serve a God that has so generously provided for their needs.

So, you see, atheists are not the only ones making a difference.

Answer 5

from the numbers, anywhere from 1 in 9 to 1 in 6 are atheists/agnostics. thats a start.
afterall, 2000 yrs ago christians were a minority.
and in the next 250 years, when jesus doesnt come back as the bible prophecizes, there'll be even more non-believers.

so in 500 years' time atheist/agnostics shud be somewhere about 1 in 4 or more. thats significant.

lets just hope these kooks dont get even kookier and declare holy wars/crusades on us. thats a scary possibility.

Answer 6

Umm...well the Census here in Australia seems to count for lots of people, a lot of people (atheists probably) wanted to have Jedi as a choice.

"atheism is also a tenet of Communism" - So what, not all circumcised people are Jewish.

Answer 7

True, but as a caution, atheism is also a tenet of Communism, so your statistics may be skewed. Just look at China. They are still pretty anti-religion.

Wow, I was just saying guys. I wasn't sure that the statistics had accounted for people who don't have much choice in the matter. I figured a fundie would bring it up to discredit the study... Oh, well.

Answer 8

Norway is 83% Lutheran

Answer 9

Wow, that's alot more than I would have guessed. Hooray! Now if they'd all just come out of the closet with what we believe and work together for a better tomorrow...........that would be nice.

Answer 10

It is not the number of atheists that is growing but more like the number of religions that are starting to disappear.