With 2.18 billion adherents, Christianity has become a truly global religion over the past century as rapid growth in developing nations offset declines in Christianity’s traditional strongholds, according to a report released Monday (Dec. 19).

Billed as the most comprehensive and reliable study to date, the Pew Research Center’s “Global Christianity” reports on self-identified Christian populations based on more than 2,400 sources of information, especially census and survey data.

Findings illustrate major shifts since 1910, when two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe. Now only one in four Christians live in Europe. Most of the rest are distributed across the Americas (37 percent), sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent) and the Asia-Pacific region (13 percent).

“In two out of three countries in the world, the majority of the population identifies as Christian,” said Conrad Hackett, lead researcher on the “Global Christianity” report. “I had no idea about that. … I was surprised.”

The report confirms Christianity’s standing as the world’s largest religion, with 32 percent of the global population. Islam is second with about 23 percent, according to a 2009 Pew report.

A close look at the details reveals a few ironies:

— Although Christianity traces its beginnings to the Middle East and North Africa, only 4 percent of residents in these regions claim the Christian faith today.

— Meanwhile, the faith has grown exponentially in sub-Saharan Africa, from just 9 percent of the population in 1910 to 63 percent today. Nigeria, home to more than 80 million Christians, has more Protestants than Germany, where the Protestant Reformation began.

“As a result of historic missionary activity and indigenous Christian movements by Africans, there has been this change from about one in 10 (sub-Saharan Africans) identifying with Christianity in 1910 to about six in 10 doing so today,” Hackett said.

For its part, Europe is more religiously diverse than it was in 1910, when 94 percent was Christian. Still, Europe hasn’t abandoned its Christian heritage, according to the report. Today, 76 percent of Europeans self-identify as Christian.

“Many people may have the impression that a smaller percentage of Europe claims to be Christian” than is actually the case, Hackett said.

The report also sheds light on the difficult question of how many Chinese are Christians. Researchers have struggled to get reliable numbers since China’s policies on religion are thought to discourage Christians from self-identifying as such in official surveys.

Adjusting for such variables, Pew researchers believe Christianity has flourished despite a policy forbidding Christianity among Communist Party members. Researchers estimate the Christian community in China includes 5 percent of the population, or 67 million.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Christians continue to be the most persecuted group globally either through government restrictions or social harassment, a new study revealed recently.

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life released recently a new study, Rising Restrictions on Religion, covering the period mid-2006 to mid-2009.

The study shows that there has been a general increase in government restrictions and social hostilities towards religion globally, with the largest amount of oppression being experienced by Christians at 66 percent globally in 130 countries.

Incidents of violence related to religion also rose by 51 percent, including incidence of death, physical abuse, imprisonment, displacement from homes, and damage of personal and religious properties.

While Christians experienced the highest incidence of social and government harassment in 130 countries at 66 percent, they were followed by the Muslim faith group at 59 percent in 117 countries. Together, both faith groups comprise more than half of the global population.

The third faith group to experience the highest incidence of widespread harassment and hostility are the Jews, at 38 percent in 75 countries. However, Jews only cover less than one percent of total global population.

According to the study, over 2.2 billion people out of a total global population of 6.9 billion live in countries with a rise in hostilities and restrictions towards religion. Only one percent of the global population lives in countries where restrictions and hostilities have decreased.

Polarization  

The Pew study also noted that countries where there was a rise in hostilities and restrictions towards religion already had high to very high levels of the same, even before the survey period that was covered.

Almost half of the countries that indicated a decrease in hostilities and restrictions, conversely, took place in nations that had already scored low in these areas before the survey period. This may indicate a possible growing polarization globally.

The study was based on 18 publicly-available information sources that have been widely cited, such as reports by the United Nations, the U.S. State Department and Human Rights Watch.

Other findings in the study are:

Rise in government restrictions

• Substantial increase on government restrictions on religion occurred in Nigeria, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia and the U.K., largely due to a rise in social hostility levels.
• Substantial increase in government restrictions and social hostility in Egypt and France occurred mainly due to government restrictions.
• The largest proportion of increases in government restrictions on religion occurred in countries located in the Middle East-North African region, where 30 percent, or almost one-third of nations in the area imposed greater government restrictions.
• Egypt ranked among the top five percent of all countries where government restrictions and social hostilities towards religion increased.

Rise in social hostilities

• Five out of 10 countries with a substantial rise in social hostilities are in Europe. They are Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, Russia and the U.K.
• Countries in Asia that experienced a substantial rise in social hostilities regarding religion are Thailand, Vietnam and China.
• In Europe, the largest proportion of social hostilities towards religion rose from mid 2006 to mid 2009.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

A survey showed recently that more Americans believe that marriage is optional and may soon become obsolete.

The Pew Research Center, along with Time magazine, surveyed 2,691 adults to determine how their attitude towards relationships has changed, according to USA Today.

The study, conducted in the first three weeks of October, interviewed adults aged 18 to 65 and older by telephone and cell phones. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau on demography and economics was also analyzed by Pew researchers, according to AolNews.

Findings showed 39 percent believe that marriage is starting to become obsolete–an 11 percent increase from 1978 when 28 percent of respondents gave the same answer to Time magazine, USA Today said.

Census data showed the percentage of married adults has declined, at 54 percent of married adults in 2010, compared to 57 percent in 2000 and 72 percent in 1960, USA Today reported.

According to AolNews, those most likely to say it is becoming obsolete are unmarried couples who cohabitate and have children (62 percent), and conservatives (42 percent) who consider this trend unfortunate.

Paul Taylor of Pew told USA Today, “If four in 10 are saying it’s becoming obsolete, they’re registering an awareness of a very important social change. It doesn’t necessarily mean marriage is about to disappear or has disappeared.”

Changing concepts of family

What the study does show is that people are recognizing that there are now different definitions of a family. AolNews said respondents consider the following to be a family: A single parent and child (86 percent), unmarried couples cohabiting with children (80 percent), gay or lesbian couples raising a child (63 percent), and a childless married couple (88 percent). The same number, 88 percent, believe an unmarried couple living together without children is not a family.

The Census Bureau plans to widen the definition of family to measure poverty starting next year to include unmarried couples (same-sex partners, and foster children who are not adopted or blood related), the AP said.

This will reduce the total number of children and families who are considered poor, and will be the basis for federal and state bureaus to establish anti-poverty plans, the AP reported.

Explanation of numbers

Although many respondents believe marriage is becoming obsolete, it does not follow that they think it is unimportant. USA Today interviewed Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history and family studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., who said, “The relationship of marriage is taken more seriously than it used to be and it means more to people, but the institution is no longer as dominant.”

USA Today reported that the majority of college graduates marry (64 percent), but they would more likely do so if they are white (56 percent) than black (32 percent). Almost half of those without college would still marry (48 percent).

Living together without marriage has doubled since 1990 at 44 percent (over half of them aged 30-49). However, 64 percent of the respondents consider it as a step towards marriage, according to USA Today.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percent, AolNews reported.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

A six-hour TV series slated for showing by WEDU-TV from Oct. 11-13 will document the role that religion has played in American public life in its 400-year history.

The documentary, “God in America is a co-production of American Experience and Frontline. It will be aired on all three nights from 9 to 11 p.m., according to their website.

Unlike other TV specials that have dwelt on spiritual beliefs, “God in America” seeks to understand the role religion played in shaping American history, and how ideas and experiences of faith have affected the cultural, social and political life of the U.S., Tampa Bay Online reported.

Executive producer Michael Sullivan told Tampa Bay Online that all faith traditions are given fair and equal treatment. The chief editorial consultant for the series is Stephen Prothero, a religion professor at Boston University and author of “Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know – and Doesn’t.”

Prothero told American-Statesman, “Americans are awash in a sea of faith, but their knowledge about religious faiths and religious history often runs as shallow as their commitment to religion runs deep. A series like ‘God in America’ can help correct that imbalance and provide the basis for a common understanding.”

“God in America” begins with how Europeans came to America and shared their Christianity with the American Indians, sometimes forcefully; then proceeds to show the role of Christianity in slavery and in the Civil War, American-Statesman said.

Also covered is the interaction between Protestants and Catholic immigrants in the 19^th century, and the Scopes monkey trial which exemplified the clash of science and religion, American Statesman said.

The series also includes civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., moral majority leader Jerry Fallwell and evangelist Billy Graham, Tampa Bay Online said.

“God in America” was made in partnership with the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, the Fetzer Institute, The Freedom Forum, the First Amendment Center, Sacred Space International and other organizations, according to BeliefNet.

The timing of the series approximates a time when the most recent Pew Forum survey findings showed that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons scored highest in religious knowledge, Tampa Bay Online said. (For background, see http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/09/agnostics-atheists-score-higher-on-religion-test-than-christians-13862).

They were followed by white evangelical Protestants, while Hispanic Catholics scored lowest, despite the fact that six in 10 U.S. adults considered religion to be “very important” in their lives, according to Tampa Bay Online.

American-Statesman said that it is hopeful that “God in America” will allow viewers to have an understanding of the contextual implications of current conflicts regarding issues such as abortion, homosexuality, health care, war and the economy.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

A Pew survey released last month showed that four out of ten infants, or 41 percent, are born to unmarried mothers.

The Pew Research Center study compares women who gave birth in 1990 to those who gave birth in 2008.

It also showed that out of the 41 percent (or 1.7 million babies of unwed mothers), more than half or 59 percent were younger than 25, their website says.

In terms of ethnicity, the highest ratio is blacks (72 percent) followed by Hispanics (53 percent).

However, Hispanics and whites (29 percent) showed the most increase. Asians were a t17 percent, the Pew Research website showed.

Many of the single mothers were living with their partner although unmarried at time of birth. However unwed couples separate twice as much as do married couples, the Sunday Gazette Mail said.

President Obama launched recently a Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative to strengthen families.

 In his speech he said, “My own father left my family when I was 2 years old. I was raised by a heroic mother and wonderful grandparents who provided the support, discipline and love that helped me get to where I am today, but I still felt the weight of that absence throughout my childhood. It’s something that leaves a hole no government can fill. Studies show that children who grow up without their fathers around are more likely to drop out of high school, go to jail, or become teen fathers themselves,” Sunday Gazette Mail reported.

However Obama’s speech also raised controversy when he acknowledged gay parents saying, “nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a stepfather, a grandfather, or a caring guardian,” CNN said.

This raised the ire of Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council who said, “The President couldn’t resist a shout-out to his homosexual base, marring what should have been a powerful acknowledgement of the family’s importance in American life,” CNN said.

However John Sowers of The Mentoring Project, a Christian group from Portland, Oregon, did not object to the inclusive statement. “We pretty much work with Christian churches. We pretty much have a conservative base. We engage in faith based Christian training, based on love. We don’t discriminate. We focus on the kids,” CNN reported.

Sowers, who also grew up fatherless since he was two years old, authored the book Fatherless Generation. He said, “I had a father shaped hole in my heart [but] the Bible says God is father to the fatherless,” CNN reported.

In his speech Obama said, “Our children don’t need us to be superheros. They don’t need us to be perfect. They do need us to be present. They need us to show up and give it our best shot,” the Sunday Gazette Mail said.

Be Sociable, Share!

•