Are atheists, agnostics and pagans statistically irrelevant?

Question

I was doing some research, and I must say, I was astounded. I wouldn't have believed it from being on Yahoo Answers, but it appears that atheists, agnostics and those of pagan persuasion are statistically irrelevant! It looks like Christians make up somewhere from 70 to 85 percent of the population. Globally, that number shrinks to 33 percent, but that is still well ahead of other faiths.
Now I fully support someone's right to free expression and practice of faith, and will always defend that. But, at the end of the day, who cares what atheists, agnostics, or pagans think, or feel, or say about faith/religion, public policy, or the way of the world? They are a statistical ant!
We as Christians should just remain strong in faith and know that we do not have to be bullied off of the stage by anyone. We are in the vast majority! That many believers in Christ cannot be wrong! Amen!

http://www.teachingaboutreligion.org/Demographics/map_demographics.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/21/fyi/main2029400.shtml

http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

I hope everyone realizes this is just tongue in cheek. I am a faithful Christian, but support anyone's desire to believe what they wish to believe. My core point was simply that there doesn't seem to be, statisitically, a whole lot of atheists out there, or agnostics, wiccans, or pagans. And on YA, it seems just the opposite!

Answer 1

MIGHT MAKES RIGHT!! CRUSH THE NON-BELIEVERS!!!!

Welcome back to the Inquisition. Your host for tonight... Mike M.

Answer 2

What's really cool about the statistics is that if the global number of Christians is 33 percent, then Atheists, agnostics and Pagans make up a huge number! The modern definition of a Pagan is one who is not a follower of the Judeo-Christian-Islam family of religions.

Too, while Christians make up 70 to 85 percent in the U.S. many protestants only include Catholics as Christian when counting the number of Christians. When asked if Catholics are Christian, many will deny it, calling them a Pagan faith. It is a statistics of convenience for such as these.

Also, many non-Christians will put a check-mark on a Christian faith in surveys simply because that is what they grew up with. Many don't believe, and many are actually parts of other faiths. Too, if one takes the statistics from rosters of various churches, it is impossible to gauge the number of Christians. Some people don't attend and have never removed themselves from the rosters. Some are members of more than one church. I still get envelopes to send money to my old Catholic church, and I haven't been there in years.

Statistically, Neo-Paganism is one of the fastest growing religions on the planet.

As far as "that many believers can't be wrong", the Nazi party was the vast majority in Germany. Were they in the right? Communism vastly outweighed Democracy for a time.

The number of believers in a thing is not the best indication of truth. Truth is truth, and the number of people who believe a lie does not change what is real. The vast majority of people believed for a time that the Earth was the center of the universe. The vast majority of people until the last century believed that we couldn't fly, couldn't go to the moon. The vast majority of people until about the 15th century believed that one couldn't sail around the world. It seems, over time, that the vast majority has always been wrong.

Answer 3

Mat 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way easy, that leads to destruction, and those that enter it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way hard, that leads to life, and those that find it are few.

It is also interesting to note that pretty much every tenet of Christianity is listed within the bible as ABOMINATIONS to god.

Hosea 13:2 Human Sacrifice---ABOMINATION
Jeremiah 32:35 Sacrificing upon High Places, like Mt. Calvary---Abomination
Leviticus 7:22/ Hos 8:13, Communion---ABOMINATION
Deuteronomy 13/ Matthew 23:15, Converting People—Abomination
Deut 4:15-16, Defining ‘Jesus’ as god--ABOMINATION

but even as Peter said faith is but a FIRST step...
2 Peter 1:5-7 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Personally, I don't I can ever understand how a person being into human sacrifice (Christians killing 'Jesus') can make up for all the ickie and evil things that they bring into the world OR how taking part in ritual cannibalism (communion---you are symbolically eating the flesh and blood of your 'Jesus'), and sinning against your OWN god is some how MORAL and RIGHTEOUS?!?

In many ways though Christianity is just a revision of the 'Sons of Ephraim'. In Hosea and Habakkuk, we learn of the 'sons of Ephraim'--the Canaanites, they venerated a stick of wood, offered up human sacrifice upon high places--like MT Calvary, used human sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, and relished in their sin, just as Christians do. Though they were condemned for such abominations to god.

One should note that Ephraim was the son of Joseph, born in the city of Bethel, also called the 'right hand of the father'.

Hab 2:16, the cup from the LORD's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Answer 4

A lot of those 70-85% who say they are Christians answer that way because they can't think of anything else to check off. In fact, most of them haven't entered a church in years and their Bibles are growing mold. Not that you have to go to church or read the Bible to be a Christian, but many people check that they are Christians because they went to Sunday School when they were 6 years old.

I'd have to say that in America, most people aren't anything. They are so busy, they don't stop to think about spiritual matters. Atheists, Pagans and Agnostics are actually more like Christians than those that don't think about it.

Answer 5

Two-thirds of the worlds population consider Christianity to be irrelevent. Don't be so happy. Logically you're making no sense whatsoever.

Is it any wonder that a country that is 70-85% Christian, has the highest crime rate in the world?

Answer 6

So according to your logic, I have to accept limitations on my life that are dictated by your values? My kids have to be taught things that I don't want them exposed to in school? My contribution to my community is insignificant in comparison to that of my Christian neighbors? And it's all because I don't believe in your god. Understand that this is a secular nation of Majority Rule with Minority rights. If you want to have a Christian Theocracy, you'll have to overthrow the constitution, which is the reason this nation has endured as it has. You only show yourself to be the face of religious prejudice, and an example of why I feel pity for Christians for their arrogance and their ignorance.

I will ring your doorbell and run away!!!

Answer 7

I wouldn't consider 10-15% as being an "ant." That's quite an increase from 20 years ago. Atheism/agnosticism is one of the fastest growing "beliefs" in the U.S. Worldwide, there are between 600 million and one billion atheists/agnostics - far from being irrelevant or insignificant.

Answer 8

I am happy for you. I bet it feels lovely be doing what everyone else is doing and know for sure that it obviously means you're right. After all, if everyone else is doing it, it much be correct, right?

So, anyway, I heard that the latest trend is to find the tallest cliff you can find and jump off of it. Everybody's doing it you know, so it must be right!

Answer 9

I am sure the millions of Moslems, Buddhists and Hindi that exist outside of the United States appreciate your completely erroneous opinion. I suggest taking a jaunt over to China or India and informing them of this. I'm sure it would go over well.

Take more statistics classes and a survey on world religion-- it might help you immensely.

Answer 10

Not if we're talking about People Who Make A Difference.

The Vast Majority of People are flaming idiots.

Answer 11

I thought atheists and people with similar (dis)beliefs made up about 10% of the world population. 660 million people is not significant? The atheist numbers become more significant when you learn more and more people are becoming atheists everyday. It's the fastest growing "religion" in the world, it beats out Islam easily.