source
24th December 2009 |
If you click on the source link "World Values Survey" it looks like this might have been from 10 years ago. |
I am a Christian
6th December 2009 |
I don't know if this is true or not, but it is scary to se so little of the world holding onto their religion.
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Mark Mergaerts
1st December 2009 |
Same remark for Belgium. 44% is ludicrous, all recent research (and "recent" here means 1980s and later) puts the figure at less than 10%. |
grandmaster
20th November 2009 |
There's not a chance in hell that 27% of people in the UK attend church at least once a week. The real figure is probably closer to 2.7% (no exaggeration).
Even more ridiculous is the figure stating that more than a third of people in Turkey are regular church goers. Turkey is like 95% Muslim! |
charles brough
11th April 2009 |
The number of people who SAY they attend church regularly is about twice the number who ACTUALLY do attend regularly. The figures above are based on what people SAY . . .
Even so, those who are believe in "the inerrant word of God"
in the US may not be going down, but their influence has been spreading in the country since about 1970 in reaction to the chaotic, anti-Vietnam war Hippy era and the decades of unisex, gay, animal rights, and other demonstrations and excesses. see: http://atheistic-science.com
The Republic upper economic classes have largely adopted a Von Mises economic philosophy that fosters their control and they suppliment it with support for the Christian faith. Most are not, themselves, "born again" but they feel the "common man" needs the conservative, stable values of the faith, so they push it. They fear public support for socialist changes and hence push for more control over society.
The result is that the Creationist, Intelligent Design and anti-abortion concepts have spread. During war, economic crisis, terrorist attacks, the Conservative agenda progresse snad public opinion becomes more religious-oriented. The History channel, for example, begins showing more Bible Stories dressed up as documentaries, and articles about religion become more commen in the newspapers and magazines.
Also, our government leans more to religion.
Now, church attendance is rising again due to the economic slump, but the same slump as for a while cut the power and ability of the Conservative-rich and religious to influence public opinion. |
Chris (London)
7th April 2009 |
Church is used here as a term to indicate all religious attendance - so for instance Turkey on 43% would obviously refer to mosques, if nothing else for brevity. It's a fact that where societies modernise there is less need for religion by the populace. This is true except in the case of cultural defence - where the source modernisation is negatively valued eg Communist regime in Poland vs Catholic Church and also Cultural Transition where religion helps immigrants assimilate into a new country for instance USA. An interesting addition to the argument is the attendance to religous ceremonies in states where the church as been 'disestablished' - there attendance seems to hold up. |
Rev. Rick Poirier (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
21st September 2008 |
I only wish that 38% of Canadians truly went to church at least once per week or even once per month. I believe, from experience and other reliable sources the number to be closer than less than 10%. Many Scriptural references point us to the time of the Great Apostacy, an event occuring shortly before the Rapture of the Church, where many will "fall away" be deceived and believe the lie of new age. Many might agree that revival is happening in many regions of the free world but that this revival is connected to the new age movement. For example, the gospel of Oprah has had tremendous response from those who have had little Scriptural teaching and for those who have been deceived away from the truth. Jesus' warnings are unheeded by even the "very elect." |
Jade (US)
15th September 2008 |
Pascal: "If you believe in God and He doesn't exist, then you lose nothing."
Perhaps we do lose something. If we accept religious dogma unquestionly, we forfeit our abilty to think critically and seek truth; our world-view is no longer based on reason and observation, but on unseen, unproven assumptions.
The ability to reason is at the heart of what it means to be human. If we give this up, we give up everything. |
ORMIERES (FRANCE)
22nd August 2008 |
France 21% figure is uncorrect: the number of people going to church is less than 10%! |
Asher (India)
10th August 2008 |
India 42% figure is not correct, as in last 25 years only few no. of church buildings were constructed.In rapid Indian urbanisation during these years existing facility hardly caters less then 20%, many churches are less then half filled as people resides in satelite towns where no church building of their affiliation is available. |
Twilight (Japan)
16th June 2008 |
I can't believe Japan's only 3%.
Most of my Catholic friends go to church, and going to church is mandatory in my brother's school so... |
USian (US)
30th April 2007 |
From the source link:
These numbers are somewhat suspect. Church attendance data in the U.S. has been checked against actual values using two different techniques. The true figures show that only about 20% of Americans and 10% of Canadians actually go to church one or more times a week. Many Americans and Canadians tell pollsters that they have gone to church even though they have not. Whether this happens in other countries, with different cultures, is difficult to predict. |
ITALIAN (verona)
6th April 2007 |
i only want say that italian people going to church is 25%, more or less, and also CIA says that. 45% is really too much. |
Alex (Belgium)
6th March 2007 |
According to wikipedia, attendance in Belgium is closer to 5% which makes sense. 44% is a ridiculous number. |
Diggy (Missouri)
30th January 2007 |
These are the percentages of people who CLAIM to go to church monthly, not the actual percentage of church attendance. Many people lie about this either consciously or unconsciously, e.g. in the USA the REAL rate of church attendance is approximately 30%. |
FiatLux1860
20th June 2006 |
All right all you atheists and egotistical agnostics who claim to know everything ("If I don't know, you don't either" is a highly puffed up thing to say, "John".). I need you guys to explain to me how much sense it makes to be anything other than a theist. Familiar with Pascal's wager? Goes a little something like this:
If you believe in God and He doesn't exist, then you lose nothing; whereas, if you believe in God and He DOES exist, you gain everything. If you DON'T believe in God, and He doesn't exist, you lose nothing, but if you DON'T believe in God and He DOES exist, you lose everything.
Chew on that a little while. |
Jimmy
5th April 2006 |
Many comments. Many beliefs. One thing we cannot deny and that is that death is real. We've seen it, we've mourned it, and one day we will experience it. The Bible speaks of death (Heb. 9:27) and we know death is true so what is the possibility of the the remainder of the Bible being true? Do you want to chance it? One thing about God, he leaves the choice to you, but YOU must live with the choice. |
BootBoy
27th March 2006 |
Ottawan - 'secular' does not mean 'not religious', it just means that the church and state are separated. |
Alexis
5th February 2006 |
Belgium's position is clearly overestimated. The real number would be between 5 and 15%. |
Sallyusa
9th December 2005 |
Religion appears to separate itself from reality of the world like science and politics ,blaming it's ill to materialism.Believing Jesus coming on the cloud, Christian rising from the tomb sound so far fetch. May be the bible was right but misunderstood!!!!! clear,logical minded are beginning to doubt the infallibility of the church. |
Enlightened One
26th November 2005 |
Fizzy brain I could not have said it better so I am not going to try.I am an Atheist and i really am happy for the decline of religion in Europe. I hope people realize more and more how very damaging religion is in our daily lives. |
Susan
14th November 2005 |
I believe that the lack of religious attendance is having an affect on our society. We are corrupt, we have a messed up justice system and an awful government. People don't have a sense of right and wrong. We are going down the drain. |
Larry Houchen
28th October 2005 |
I would like a break down of the percentage of women who attend church in the USA as opposed to the number of men. Do you have such a statistic? |
Jeff
20th October 2005 |
I am an Christian and I really am sorry for the increase of atheists in Europe. I hope people realize more and more how very damaging atheists are in our daily lives. |
Salih
2nd October 2005 |
I agree with Ottawan, as a Turk, I know that the 43% of people does not attend the church.Turkey is not a christian country.. |
Salih
2nd October 2005 |
I agree with ottawan, as a Turk, I know that the 43% of people attend the church.Turkey is not a christian country.. |
Canadian
23rd September 2005 |
The Stat is based on surveyed people. So (ironically) there is significant possibility for lying. Secondly, no where does it specify the religion. Secondly, the political impact and methods on which religion is permitted to affect a country or their foreign policy is not necessarily and indicator of it's devotion to said religion. Just because a country's government understands the necessity of separation of church and state doesn't mean the populace is any less devoted to a religion (the Belgium/USA reference). Also the internal transportation, such as public transit or frequency of motor vehicles could play an important factor in the ability to attend church. Ie a country with less ability to travel to a church, obviously can't attend as often. Also, 38% for Canada seems low (I'm an athiest, by the way). |
Aaron
21st August 2005 |
I would imagine that "Church" means Christian as well as other religions like Islam and such. |
AC
17th August 2005 |
If you go to the quoted source (www.religioustolerance.org)they make this comment:-
"These numbers are somewhat suspect. Church attendance data in the U.S. has been checked against actual values using two different techniques. The true figures show that only about 20% of Americans and 10% of Canadians actually go to church one or more times a week. Many Americans and Canadians tell pollsters that they have gone to church even though they have not. Whether this happens in other countries, with different cultures, is difficult to predict."
PS As an atheist I applaud the decline of religion. It does little good and much harm. |
John
1st August 2005 |
* Based on 1990-1991 survey data
If you checked now, Irish church attendance would be < 10%
I am Agnostic. If I don't know, you don't either |
Molly
19th July 2005 |
I am doing a project and was amazed to find out that only 16% of Australians go to church, isn't Australia ment to be Church of England? |
Ottawan
25th June 2005 |
Also, India, which about 2.3% of its people CLAIM to be Christian, wouldn't have 42% "church"-goer, and I, a Canadian, know that the Canadian figure is not 38%, but much closer to 20%. (I really want to know the source now.) I think these figures include Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. (I have a suggestion: mosques, at least to logical people, are not classified as "churches".) |
Ottawan
25th June 2005 |
Does "church" mean "Christian church"? Because it is hard to believe that Turkey, a clearly Muslim country, wouldn't have 43% Christians. I also think that Belgium is much more secular than 44%. It is definitely not as "religious" as countries like the US. I want to know what the source of the data is. |
Alaric
24th June 2005 |
I can't believe the US is so high on the list. Absolutely no one i know goes to church. |
A.N.
24th June 2005 |
Let me get this right...Over a quarter of the adults in the UK are meant to go to the church at least once every week! What a bunch of claptrap!!! You'd be hard-pressed to find ANY Christians in this country, let alone committed ones. |
Seth
21st June 2005 |
The "*" means " * Based on 1990-1991 survey data. ". However, another survey from 1981 shows that France had 18% church attendance per MONTH. And it only decreased since that time. I think the credibility of this source should be put in question. |
Seth
21st June 2005 |
These stats are quite old apparently (quite old = a few decades).
French monthly church attendance (2004) = 7,7%.
Weekly church attendance is of course even less.
A bit different from the fantasy we see here - 21%! wtf?
Search the net for any other source if you don't believe me... |
Lindsay
20th June 2005 |
The data is based on a survey that is nearly 15 years old. Things have changed. Many older Christians that regularly attended church on Sunday have died and Ireland is experiencing a radical decline that one day may leave it like Quebec in Canada. |
Ken
3rd June 2005 |
There's no way 84% of Irish go to church!!! |
wu
25th May 2005 |
Is this indicative of percentage of Christians or the whole country's population? |
sigurd_sieg@yahoo.com
19th April 2005 |
I am a Catholic and i really fear for the decline of religion in Europe. I hope people realize how very important religion is in our daily lives. |
justin
2nd December 2004 |
its interesting to note in the developed countries we are seeing less attendance. is it because they have it all? |
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