A few links I personally found interesting for one reason or another:
Society for Christian Psychology: Mediation: Moving from Unforgiveness to Forgiveness
Naming His Grace: Critiquing the theologies and connections of some pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel leaders: a series # 2
Melanie Phillips: From Red Toryism to Blue Labour, social renewal depends on Christian principles
Countercultural Father: Mindfulness…
Get Religion: Evolution and Islam
Vatican Insider: Year 2011: Less atheists, more believers
Assyrian International News Agency: Thousands of Muslims Attack Christians in Egypt, 2 Killed, Homes and Stores Torched
Significant Truths: When we walk in darkness – I’ve had plenty of opportunities to be depressed – I just haven’t taken them!
Tags: Atheism Secularism Humanism, Christian Persecution, Christianity, Israel, Media, Mental Health, Politics
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December 1st, 2011 at 2:33 pm
I just had to take a look at the “Less Atheists, more Believers” source webmaster! Was not easy to find the data source, what with broken links etc, but I think it is this:
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/StatusOfGlobalMission.pdf
There are some very odd figures contained within it. And it’s hard not to deduce that it is informed more by wishful thinking than hard data. (And were there really only 226,000 Atheists in the whole World in 1900, with a growth to 137.5million in 2011? That’s a phenomenal growth rate! and this is apparently going to shrink by 4million by 2025 ? Crikey!)
Actually, on page two the article concludes “Of course it is understood that the most common criterion of growth, according to the study, is birth rate: having many children and educating them in one’s own religious tradition. Maybe we non-believers are just not producing as many children. Intuitively that seems to make sense.
I was also puzzled to see witin the table a forecast doubling of ecclesiastical crime between 2011 and 2025. (Amounts embezzled by top custodians of Christian monies), rising from $34billion to $60billion per year!!! Wow!!! But then maybe these figures are equally wishful thinking?…..
December 1st, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for looking into that one Simian, I didn’t have time myself.
It’s interesting to note that the last time I featured some stats that related to this source here:
There are one billion, 160 million Catholics, with 34,000 added daily
The stats were again questioned.
Still, thought it was interesting as a link, but not so confident to feature as a post in its own right.
December 1st, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Maybe the reason for the lower birth rate among atheists is that they are too busy enjoying themselves swinging and attending Expo Erotica etc. After all, who wants kids when they can just have fun fun fun. Alternatively they do have children but the children ditch atheism.
December 1st, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I agree it’s interesting webmaster, and I’m glad you included it. I suppose I am not so much fussed by the figures as what people choose to deduce from them. The ‘Vatican Insider’ article makes unsupported inferences! But then, it happens all the time, consciously or unconsciously… Who was it who said – “Lies, damned lies and statistics…”?
December 1st, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Thanks for posting the link, Stuart. I have been reading this blog, I just haven’t had time to comment much recently. I am now going to read some of the other links, they sound fascinating!
December 1st, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Enjoy Melanie Phillips articles but Phillip Blond is not a good example of social renewal and Christian principles.
That renewal will come form another place not from political lightweights and opportunists such as David Cameron or Phillip Blond.
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:21 am
Red Toryism to Blue Labour, social renewal – built on a moral base of christianity that political mix is banal, built on the shifting and uncertain morals of a secular society that political convolution could result in a form of National Socialism in the U.K.