I grew up in a coastal community. In doing such, I had a very good understanding on the growth of mildew. Why do I say that? Well in area of high humidity, it is very common to get mildew growing on just about anything. For example, I would hang something on the wall and then take it down later, only to find that mildew had grown on the wall in the exact shape of the object that was hanging. What I wonder though, is the mildew growth a blessing of Jehovah? After all, are we not told by the society that any growth, small or large, is only possible if Jehovah's blessing is behind it?
Take for example the yearly report that just came out in the Watchtower, that stated a 2% growth worldwide in the Jehovah's Witness religion. The indication from the reports summary, is that the society sees such a growth as an indication of Jehovah speeding up the work in the last days. Yet to make a statement, should require a comparison to other religions growth in the same time frame. For example; Would you accept that the Honda is the fastest selling automobile, based on a report that only showed the sales of the Honda brand? Would you invest in a stock that is showing growth, without first seeing if it's growth is proportionate to other products and businesses in the same category? Would you allow your friend to say they are the best friend you have, without comparing what other friends have done for you as well?
I think the obvious answer would be, "no, I want more information to come to a informed decision?"
So how are other religion of the human race doing? Are we seeing a mass exit from other religions to the Jehovah's Witnesses, to the point that a noticeable swing is making itself known?
| Religion |
Date Founded |
Sacred Texts |
Members |
% of World |
| Christianity |
30 CE |
The Bible |
2,015 million |
33% (dropping) 5 |
| Islam |
622 CE |
Qur'an & Hadith |
1,215 million |
20% (growing) 5 |
| No religion * |
No date |
None |
925 million |
15% (dropping) 5 |
| Hinduism |
1,500 BCE |
The Veda |
786 million |
13% (stable) 5 |
| Buddhism |
523 BCE |
The Tripitaka |
362 million |
6% (stable) 5 |
| Atheists |
No date |
None |
211 million |
4% |
| Chinese folk rel. |
270 BCE |
None |
188 million |
4% |
| New Asian rel. |
Various |
Various |
106 million |
2% |
| Tribal Religions |
Prehistory |
Oral tradition |
91 million |
2% |
| Other |
Various |
Various |
19 million |
<1% |
| Judaism |
No consensus |
Torah, Talmud |
18 million |
<1% |
| Sikhism |
1500 CE |
Guru Granth Sahib |
16 million |
<1% |
| Shamanists |
Prehistory |
Oral Tradition |
12 million |
<1% |
| Spiritism |
|
|
7 million |
<1% |
| Confucianism |
520 BCE |
Lun Yu |
5 million |
<1% |
| Baha'i Faith |
1863 CE |
Most Holy Book |
4 million |
<1% |
| Jainism |
570 BCE |
Siddhanta, Pakrit |
3 million |
<1% |
| Shinto |
500 CE |
Kojiki, Nohon Shoki |
3 million |
<1% |
| Zoroastrianism |
No consensus |
Avesta |
0.2 million |
<1% |
Now something that comes to mind to me, is what about Christianity? Christianity is a broad term that covers everything from Catholic, to nondemonational. So is Christianity declining as a whole, or are certian parts seeing growth. If their is growth, which Christian church is seeing the most?
Within Christianity, not all denominations have the same growth rate. Some annual growth rates are:
 | Pentecostals: 8.1% |
| Evangelicals: 5.4%; |
| All Protestants: 3.3% |
| Roman Catholics and Others: 1.3% |
Now if we look at the largest religions of Christianity in the United States, we see the following.
| The Catholic Church | 63,683,030 |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 15,960,308 |
| The United Methodist Church | 8,340,954 |
| The Church of God in Christ | 5,499,875 |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | 5,208,827 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 5,125,919 |
| National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. | 3,500,000 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 3,485,332 |
| Assemblies of God | 2,577,560 |
| The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod (LCMS) | 2,554,088 |
| Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. | 2,500,000 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | 2,500,000 |
| National Missionary Baptist Convention of America | 2,500,000 |
| Episcopal Church | 2,311,398 |
| Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | 1,500,000 |
| Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. | 1,500,000 |
| Churches of Christ | 1,500,000 |
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | 1,436,909 |
| United Church of Christ | 1,377,320 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church | 1,296,662 |
| Baptist Bible Fellowship International | 1,200,000 |
| Christian Churches and Churches of Christ | 1,071,616 |
| The Orthodox Church in America | 1,000,000 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 998,166 |
| Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) | 895,536 |
So when I look at these charts and see that many religions of the world and country are seeing growth, far larger then the Jehovah's Witnesses, I can not help but wonder? Why is growth always credited to a blessing of Jehovah, when so many other religions are seeing equal or larger growth? To me it comes down to the mildew thought again. You see mildew is not flying around the air looking for the best place to grow. No mildew grows where ever it has the right elements and environment to do so. If the climate is moist and the area is close enough to let it grow, it does. The same is with the Jehovah's Witnesses. If a person is found that likes that level of control, and is willing to accept their philosophies, they will see some growth. However, it should always be noted that their growth pales in comparison to other religions, both in and out of Christianity. If I saw this same trend in buying a car, purchasing stocks or deciding which friend has done the most. I would see the Jehovah's Witnesses as a underachiever, that is not keeping up with other products and people in their same category. The religion has affectively stalled out in a climate that is proving prosperous for other religions.
Edited by - whyhideit on 5 January 2003 2:20:56
