"Europe was the clear centre of world of Christianity one hundred years ago, but today the Americas are home to more than a third of all Christians.

"In fact, the United States has the world's largest Christian population - more than 247 million, followed by Brazil and Mexico."

Extracted from an Australian Prayer Network newsletter.

Ah, well, that says it all really, doesn't it?

247m out of about 300m population- surely, a 'too good to be true' sized figure, given the very unChristian activities that nation engages in all the time?

If the USA brand of xtianity is 'it', then we are all doomed.

The next big sector is the madddogs-in-Africa variety, where they still burn witches and battle Muslims for godsturf.

Then China, and who knows what form xtianity will take there?

Not looking too bright for such a 'worthwhile' religion is it?

Any talk of the demise of Christianity comes from the ignorant. Sure denominations come and go. The Catholic church and other institutions live on due to stored wealth. The Man who never lied said that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Sure the secularist might skite that their pseudo science has led many to deny the obvious but they are blinded to reality. What they ignore is that where ever the church is persecuted it eventually grows stronger. It is impossible to count the number of believers in China and other parts of the world where Dictators and secular humanist seek to destroy the church. The church is of course the believers not some organisation who claims to be the sole represtantive of Christ. Be assured that after the secularist have revised their pseudo science 50 more times the church will live on and the great Saviour will continue to rescue people from their corrupt natures. Long after fools call God dead, He lives on.

Well said runner, "Any talk of the demise of Christianity comes from the ignorant", and I think the point has already been made that the only drones who make such claims are the rightwing xtian extremists, such as we can find within the gates of that infamous private company, the ACL.

You know, the tightly controlled private company that pretends to represent all of Christendom in Australia.

The problem with Christianity is that it evolves to accomodate its environment, you know, like a living creature does, thus ensuring its survival.

Although what it looks like, and what benefit it brings to the world, is quite another matter.

The ACL view is very similar to the totalitarian Taliban view, and one hopes that will burn out and die, as with the Vatican view, which could do with a severe scrubbing with carbolic soap at the moment.

The Anglican Church, well, only Jensen actually believes in God there while all the rest of 'em understand the value and role of metaphor.

Then there's the ratbag end, of Baptists and AOGers and the more fruitcake elements to be found in the Hillsong and Hillsong-like mobs.

Micheal Kirby sounds increasingly like the only intelligent advocate for Christianity in Australia today.

I think that is good, but I bet the ACL will froth at the mouth at just the thought of that, so intolerant are they of other views of life.

Well you see, Jay Of Melbourne, that's a really big problem.

>>Pericles, Bush Jr is about as much a Christian as you average Bolshevik, he's a Neo Con, an anti humanist, a Luciferian in other words.<<

There are many Americans who share Bush's views. They're called Republicans.

Which puts a new slant on these numbers:

"...the United States has the world's largest Christian population - more than 247 million..."

To be consistent, you should also exclude everyone who does not "follow Jesus in their hearts and in their deeds". Pretty soon, if you actually believe this to be the key criterion, there'd only be you and runner left to wave the banner. And I'm not too sure about...

So what percentage of the population who call themselves "Christian", would you guess, would pass your personal Christianity test?

And then, where on earth would you find a "Christian country"?

Interesting question you pose there Pericles.

I'd put my money on there being only two continents/nations on Earth who would fit that bill, if not quite today, then very shortly.

The first, not a 'country' of course, but a mixture of nations within the overall concept of 'Africa', where the best of the witch burning goes on under the guiding hands of the ever loving adherents to Jesus- having grasped entirely the wrong end of the Jesus stick, of course, like the ACL although they do not burn witches (or not that we know of anyway).

The second is clearly a nation these days, China, with somewhere between 50-70m adherents, mostly not members of the 'official' Christian church but the numerous and expanding bootleg branches of Christianity.

It is highly unlikely that the new Chinese brand of Christianity will resemble anything like that of Rome, 'Constantinople' of old, Moscow or Canterbury, nor (one hopes) any of the misshapen horrors that appear all over Africa either.

It will be interesting too, watching the Chinese leadership dealing with this new usurping force, and to what extent the two opposing forces morph into each other, as Christianity has with capitalism in the West, creating the required evil symbiotic relationship allowing for both to maintain their own shares of power-over-the-people.