Depending on where one lives in the world it can often seem like either everyone is Catholic or nobody is Catholic! So it can be hard to get a real sense of just how Catholics fit into the world as a whole. Well, here are some numbers for you.
There are currently an estimated 6.7 billion people on the planet Earth.
Approximately 33% of those, or 2.2 billion, consider themselves Christian. That makes Christians the largest religion in the world by far. However, Islam is currently growing at a higher rate than Christianity.
Just over half of those Christians, or about 1.1 billion, are Roman Catholic (with some additional 240 million Eastern Orthodox). That makes Roman Catholics, by an overwhelming margin, the largest “denomination” of any religion on the planet. No other Christian “denomination” comes anywhere close to comparing.
The only other religious entities that can even start to compare in size are the Sunni Muslims (estimated at 940 million) and the Vishnuism Hindus (580 million) , but neither compare in organization, unity, reach, and influence next to that of the Catholic Church.
So if you are ever unsure about the number of Catholics in the world or their influence, just remember that the Catholic Church is an ocean in a world full of ponds and puddles – just as we would hope Christ’s Church would be.
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Archbishop Fulton J Sheen once said,
“There are not over a 100 people in the U.S. that hate the Catholic Church, there are millions however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing.” —Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Certainly, this statement also applies to those who “call” themselves Catholic but who have no idea what it really means to be Catholic.
So if you count ONLY those who are living true to the teachings of the Catholic faith–which, naturally only God could really know, that number is otherwise impossible to pin down. It is probably a number very small, in reality.
We know that in the end of time that number will be only a “remnant.”
Almost all of the Catholics in the World are located in countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Countries Like the United Kingdom, the United States, and France have less than 20% Catholic denominations. The vast majority of the 1.1 billion Catholics live in poor countries like Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Nigeria.
Actually, in America, Catholics make up about 22% of the population – which would be more than the worldwide 16% percentage. Again, by far the largest single denomination.
If there are really so many active Catholics in the United States then why is their group on facebook so small. There are twice as many Mormons in the group Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I bet there are more active or real Mormons in America than there are Catholics. I know of only one Catholic who actually goes. If a Catholic claims to be Catholic but has not gone to church for five years I say they are not Catholic.
they are called Non Practicing Catholics.
I have discovered a Roman Catholic “Pilgrims Progress,” written precisely between parts I and II of John Bunyan’s timeless work. It’s title in English will be “Predestined Pilgrim and His Brother Reprobate.” I hope you will watch for it; it’s an excellent Baroque Catholic allegory.
can the mormon church even be considered christian?
Their practices don’t seem to fit into christianity
of course not. Christianity is based in the belief that Jesus Christ is god and died for our sins. Mormons do not believe that.. they are NOT Christians.
I’ve always been confused when someone says the mormon church is not christian. I always thought that to be christian means to have Christ as your center, to believe in Christ, to hope in Christ, to take upon His name and become Christian. The name of the mormon church is actually, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They believe its the church of Jesus Christ or Christ’s church, and when one is baptised a member, one makes promises with God to take upon Christ’s name and to become a Christian, trying to do as He would do, and following God’s commandments. I’ve just always thought that is what a christian was. If what I just said dosen’t describe a christian, than I guess mormons aren’t christians, just followers of Christ.
Sorry, Dana.
Mormons are followers of Joseph Smith, their founder who changed the bible to suit his needs and completely perverted the message of the true Jesus Christ. Please don’t take my word for it. Look up their founder and his motivations.
Hey Dana. When you get a chance, ask a Mormon why they refuse to pray to Jesus.
“can the mormon church even be considered christian?
Their practices don’t seem to fit into christianity”
The mormon church’s official name is The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. Of course they’re Christian.
You can go to mormon.org to find out more.
nonsense. again, you must believe that Jesus Christ is GOD and died for our sins to be christian. they believe that Christ was merely a prophet.
Dana and Joe, every Mormon I’ve ever met is a fine and usually exceptionally loving person. But the Mormon understanding of who Christ is is not the same as the Christian understanding. Therefore, simply having Christ in your name or intending to “follow Christ” is irrelevant if the Christ you are referring to is not the historical, Christian Christ.
Jesus Christ is the third person of the Trinitarian God while being one in Being with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Mormon’s may use similar terms, but they do not ultimately believe in this same Jesus Christ of Christianity.
Here is a brief write-up that talks about a lot of such issues. And this here and here have some interesting questions for Mormon’s good for discussion.
And here’s my post on “What is a Christian?” that you might find helpful.
(sorry if there’s a double-post, I think there was an error in my last one)
Hello Matthew,
Thanks for taking time to respond to my comment. I think it would be advantageous for you to do a bit more research on the false claims and comments you posted above. While I understand your need to defend your religion (I, having been Catholic for about 30 years), it is not proper to spread incorrect comments about the Mormon religion. There are many people who are misled by the same erroneous diatribe which you continue to spread. If you really want to understand why and what they believe, sit down and speak with a Mormon or attend a church meeting and speak with some missionaries. Simply spreading the same anti-mormon material is not good for your image. Every comment you have shared regarding Mormons has already been debated and lost.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” The point I bring to your attention is that if you want to believe the Catholic church is true and only see it from one perspective, you will find everything else to be false. It is only after you lay down all the evidences with an open mind, will you then see truth.
Merry Browne also said “Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.” If you want to continue to believe the things which you are unwilling to research and study, you will fall victim as well.
I am not an apologetic, but I will tell you that there is a plethora of information available regarding the history of Christianity – some of which you already have incorrectly stated on the links you gave above. Theologians and scholars have already pointed these out. I will leave it up to you to do your research, really study, ponder and even pray about them. I will also leave you with two links to study more on Mormons, which you would find very interesting if you desire to learn:
http://www.fairlds.org
and
mi.byu.edu
I wish you the best of luck and hope you will be edified.
Thanks for the info, Joe. I checked out the sites you mentioned, and upon first look I can’t find anything I’ve posted or referred to that contradicts what the Mormon’s teach. I have done quite a bit of research on the subject, myself. I’ve also been to Mormon meetings, visited a Mormon temple, sat down with mormon missionaries and spoken civilly at my front door. All of this has confirmed my understanding of what Mormon’s believe.
Can you please point out to me, maybe at least give one substantive example, of where I’ve got it wrong? I don’t want to get into a big debate in the comment section here, but if you could back up your claim before telling me I should have “data before I theorize” I would appreciate it.
Thanks for the links you provided. But instead of correcting any view I had of what Mormon’s believe, they too actually confirmed it on every point I had time to read.
That first link says “Of course, we believe that God and Christ are separate individuals, one in purpose, heart, and mind.” This belief is staunchly in contradiction with traditional Christian teaching and with one of the fundamental characteristics of who Christ is.
Mormon’s don’t really deny these accusations about what they believe. They just think that their understanding of them is correct and others are wrong. And I definitely agree that those points have been “debated and lost.”
I agree Matthew, I am not looking to debate, but rather to bring light into the discussion. I appreciate that, thanks.
Here are a few articles that you can start with:
http://www.fairlds.org/Mormonism_201/m20103.html
and
en.fairmormon.org/Godhead_and_the_Trinity
these have some good references as well:
http://www.fairlds.org/Restoring_the_Ancient_Church
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai040.html
for some background on Christian Councils (ie: Nicea) see here:
mi.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=42&chapid=211
I apologize for the onslaught of information… There’s quite a bit to read here, but I know if you take some time to read and understand them all with an open mind, I know you will be enlightened!
Regards.
Joe – still looking for one point that I got wrong in regard to Mormon belief?
And I would suggest getting your information regarding history from somewhere other than a Mormon source.
I like the en.fairmormon.org wiki made to look just like wikipedia – very clever! But ultimately not true.
I can see how much of the Mormon material can seem “enlightening” or credible when reading it by itself and without knowledge of traditional, orthodox Christianity (indeed, Joseph Smith had no such knowledge and very obviously brought a lot of already skewed Christian ideas from his limited protestant understanding of God). But if you understand the real history of it all and are educated in the classical and traditional arguments for Christianity and understanding of Christianity, it’s not hard to see the holes. It’s an easy choice.
I would encourage anyone interested in learning about Mormonism to do so. It’s an interesting topic. But please do so having also put in as much effort learning about the Catholic faith (from a credible source) or your own current faith so you can make an educated decision. There was no apostasy in Christ’s Church. Trust me. And if you don’t, then just take an honest look at history.
Like I said, all of the Mormons I’ve ever met are largely outstanding people. But the theology of the Mormon church is very seriously lacking.
Well Matthew, it looks like this conversation isn’t going to go anywhere since you appear to be unwilling to listen. You do not understand early Christianity and it’s origins at all, because if you did, you would know the Catholic religion has a very large problem (actually a number of them). Study Popes and the last living Apostle known. Even take a course at a university on ancient Christianity. Understand how and why the Nicene Creed was “created by man” (all angles of it, not just the Catholic version). There is a plethora of information available online if you so choose. But you do not, and instead continue to just mock. I feel fairly confident that you won’t investigate any matter that appears to place the Catholic church in error. Simply stating “it’s wrong, trust me” doesn’t work.
If you haven’t noticed, by the way, references (given in the footnotes) in the above apologetic sites are valid and have been accepted even in universities. They’re not just Mormon references.
If you were to just read and comprehend the above links given, you would understand more, however you chose to state the obvious – these are LDS related sites. Really? Ya think? Do you think Catholics, protestants, evangelicals, etc, would post this information on their website? Who do you think would do it? The objective I gave you was to *read* it and study it (validate the references given in the discussions) and pray about it. You have merely just shook your head at it and said “nope – not true”. How exactly does that open your mind for discussion or consideration?
As I said earlier, I am not an apologetic, but a former Catholic who has already studied quite a bit. I have researched much about the origins of Christianity, the bible, Popes, apostles, etc. There is much you do not know, for if you did, you would certainly question it yourself. Either that or you have not accepted fact as truth.
Your understanding of the early Christian church is not correct, based on your links you gave above. I can only leave you with a recommendation – to stop shunning things because it appears to make your beliefs incredulous. Stop and research. If you read everything of what I gave to you, you would begin to clearly see where you went wrong in your analysis of ancient Christendom.
I will leave you with this last comment regarding Mormons and Christianity. You may think it’s easy to say Mormons are not Christian, simply because they do not believe in some of the attributes which your beliefs share. I leave you with this. I (a Mormon) believe Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I believe that only through him, can I be saved through his atoning sacrifice. That if I also follow his commandments and live in a Christ-like manner, I may be eligible to partake of that special atoning sacrifice. Without him, I do not have a way back to my Heavenly Father. That, my friend, is someone who believes in Christ and I will tell you I am Christian. Not believing entirely in Catholicism does not make me a non-christian, it makes me non-Catholic. If you continue to use the argument that Mormons don’t believe in traditional orthodox views of the trinity – then you should again study what happened *prior* to the “invention” (by men) of the “trinity” via the Council of Nicea in 325AD (don’t rely solely on wikipedia for this info). I will also give you a dose of your own medicine. Study materials that are scholarly, and not from Catholic archives. Calling someone a non-christian because they don’t conform to your specific beliefs, ideals or views, is what makes you a judge (a false one at that).
Might I leave you with two verses from Mark Chapter 9:
38: And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39: But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40: For he that is not against us is on our part.
Take Care
Looks like you’re doing the exact thing you’re accusing Matt of doing: approaching with a completely closed mind.
I submit that you may refer to yourself as a “former Catholic”, but you never were. If you had understood the power of the presence of the true, living Christ, there is no way on Earth you could have left it to follow your false teachings.
And as for Mark 9:38-40, the “us” that Jesus is referring to includes the true physical manifestation of the one Lord in who’s name we can claim and cast out demons, even move mountains; not some empty shadow of an invented nothing.
Look, if Jesus was just a really cool guy, why are people claiming his name to cast out demons. Do you do that? Do you cast out demons in Brigham Young’s name? HE was a really great man – I’m not kidding.
See: Christian = Follower of the true Christ who is Lord and is real and active in our lives.
The “Christ” you describe may have some fine attributes worth emulating; and I can’t deny Mormons do that VERY well; but that “Christ” is not God, by your own admission and so not truly “Christ”. Sorry.
To point to hundreds of bad Christians and claim that that negates the hundreds of thousands of beyond exceptional is as closed-minded as it gets.
Peace and Prayers for you and your dear Brethren to have the scales fall from your eyes and to see the truth. I respect your quest for righteousness, but there is nothing I can say, or anyone can say that will matter until the true Christ, Himself chooses to reveal himself to you.
I don’t believe Matthew is saying that Catholoics are always right,, but I have no obligations to criticize Mormons either, what I want to know is what did Joe see that was wrong with the Catholic Church? Please send this information to c_t_headlam@yahoo.com cause I don’t believe I will remember to visit this site. Thank you!
All ” Christian” denominations of the world is false, they serve only to split the Body Of Christ into factions, and pervert the truth of Jesus’ Gospel. You don’t have to be a part or member of a denomination, church or religion to realize the salvation that Jesus gave his life for.
Jesus died so we can be saved, and he gave the gift of a helper in the form of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who is not born again, and lives in the Holy Spirit’s truth and Word, is fake. No man, no physical act, no membership, no church, no religion, can give one salvation, and those who believe otherwise is in danger of eternal damnation.
Following The Way is simple, but religion and denominations make it difficult to understand, and confuse the masses, and they will pay dearly for their errors. Forget rituals, denominations, religions, status, human scholars, names, labels and any other man made construct of religion, and believe in Jesus, his life, miracle, death and resurrection, and give your life to him, accept and recieve the Holy Spirit, to be saved.
It so simple.
It is simple, but at the same time you must remember that Jesus Christ did in fact establish the Roman Catholic Church in his name. All other secular churches who have claimed to “reform” the church have simply split away from Jesus Christ and his original foundation for Christianity.
According to G.K. Chesterton, there is the Catholic Church and all other religious bodies. He calls this relationship The Well and the Shallows.
Any how, if a person is catholic, he must regard himself that he is a person saved by the Blood of Christ for his sins now on earth.
I am a Roman Catholic. I say only a real Catholic would the real answer. I been going to church for my whole life every Sunday. Looking at all of you comments it seems that some of you are not even Catholic and don’t even know what you are really talking about. You may be right about less Catholic in the United States Of America. Think before you white something.
It doesn’t matter what you are if you really believe in god you are a Christian . Just because you don’t go to church doesn’t mean your not a christian . You still a Christian if you really believe in God. God bless you all