Christianity Not Dying Out, but Atheism Is in Danger Due to Contraception

[Heddi]

http://www.christianpost.com/news/christianity-not-dying-out-but-atheism-is-in-danger-due-to-contraception-study-reveals-177551/

A new study has countered some perceptions that Christianity around the world is on the decline and could be dying out, by pointing out that religious people are having more children than atheists.

..
Researchers from the U.S. and Malaysia studied over 4,000 students, asking them about their religious beliefs and how many siblings they had, and found that Malaysian atheists had 1.5 fewer siblings than the average, though in the U.S. the gap was narrower.
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While cross-sectional in nature, when our results are combined with evidence that both religiosity and fertility are substantially heritable traits, findings are consistent with view that earlier trends toward secularization (due to science education surrounding advancements in science) are currently being counter-balanced by genetic and reproductive forces," the study explained.

It also foresees a decline in secularism, due to the reliance on contraception contributing to lower birth rates, which it traced back to industrial developments.

...
This means that by the end of the century, Islam is projected to overtake Christianity as the biggest religion in the world, also due to its growth in other countries, like India.

"Around the world, each Muslim woman has an average of 3.1 children, compared with 2.3 for all other groups combined," the Pew report stated.

[TlalocW]

1. Just reading this description it seems to me that it's leaving something out

The increase in atheism isn't due to non-believers having kids but due to religious people leaving their faith behind, and I think you can thank the internet for that. It not only offers plenty of material for questioners to think about (debates on youtube or in comments, links to the latest church scandals, etc.) but provides links to groups - support and social - so that the feeling most atheists have of being the only one around could soon be a thing of the past.

TlalocW

[Zen Democrat]

2. You are assuming that everyone born in a Christian family will grow up to be a practicing Christian.

[DetlefK]

3. Malaysia is a very religious country. I wouldn't put too much weight to that study.

China is 1.3 billion people. More than 90% of them are atheists.

[Lordquinton]

4. This seems like a very poorly thought out argument.

How are they explaining atheism growing?

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. It's obvious.

Someone spilled water on us, and we multiplied.

Now, if I can only convince them to feed me after midnight...

[Igel]

7. In many ways.

Upthread it's pointed out that atheism grows by conversion.

Which is one flaw in the argument: people leave Xianity. As others pointed out.

However, it seems very strange that the argument says, "Religious people such as Muslims have higher birth rates. Therefore Xianity is not at risk of dying out."

There's also the odd claim that if an anthropologist ran into modern Xianity as perceived by young people in the US and compared it to nearly any mainstream Xian organization from 50 years ago modern youngsters' Xianity would be judged a different religion. (Then again, Mormonism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy are only all "Christian" because we don't dare say that somebody's not Xian. That kosher-keeping Sabbath-observant you-marry-only-once person has the same religion as that girl deep into "Jesus is my boyfriend" thinking but has no idea that the Bible contains actual words.)

[Lordquinton]

8. That last paragraph is interesting

There's also the odd claim that if an anthropologist ran into modern Xianity as perceived by young people in the US and compared it to nearly any mainstream Xian organization from 50 years ago modern youngsters' Xianity would be judged a different religion. (Then again, Mormonism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy are only all "Christian" because we don't dare say that somebody's not Xian.

Just moments ago i saw a thread calling Paul Ryan a fake Catholic. It seems the only people who don't claim others aren't Christians are atheists.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

6. If these trends continue...!

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