oh please. the UN fallout? whatever. the numbers would have been HIGHER since august because of 9/11. the effects of UN events will be negligible on world numbers.
but really, these numbers are abysmal. they are lower than statistical predictions. note the increase of population in the entire world is about 1.3%, almost exactly the same as the increase in peak here.
the number of 'drops' (ie baptisms minus increase minus 1% death rate) would be nearly the highest ever. this number is extremely important. it has skyrocketed in the last 5 years. think about what this means. mathematically, as baptisms go up, drops go up. as baptisms go down, drops go down. the more people there are coming in, the more there are available to go out. but what we have here is a decreasing number coming in, and an increasing number going out. more than just stagnancy, this shows a serious backlash. assuming these numbers are accurate, heres the updated chart. see for yourself: