Click on map to enlarge -
At the dawn of the 21st century, religion is strutting onto the world
stage as a powerful though volatile actor, playing in an ever-changing
range of roles - a development that was inconceivable to most West -
erners a generation ago. Then, the triumph of modernity was supposed
to be accompanied by the inexorable demise of religion around the world.
That was flat wrong. Indeed, on the continents of Africa and Asia, where
religion is gaining in influence, it was never the case.
Yet beyond a few big media events, the balance in Germany has tilted so
far toward modernity that religion seems to have lost its moorings. "The
day is no longer far off," prophesied Klaus Harpprecht in Germany's Die
Zeit newspaper, "when the religious foundations of our civilizations will
be as alien to most Germans as those of ancient Egypt and the Aztecs."
And there's no disputing it: Barring in Catholic Poland, membership in
traditional Christian churches has declined dramatically in Europe, along
with the awareness of the Continent's Christian heritage. Claims that
religion is eroding are only partly true. The argument doesn't hold for
most of the 15 million Muslims in Europe. If anything, Islam has surged
in recent years. "Religious observance has increased among Muslims
since September 11," says Ali Kizilkaya, chairman of the German Islamic
Council. Attendance at Friday prayers in the country was up by almost
50 percent in the millennium's first five years, according to the Islamic
Archives in Germany.
But the rebirth of religion in Europe has also ignited hostilities between
faiths. For many secular Westerners, the headscarves of devout Muslim
women have come to symbolize the spread of religious fundamentalism.
Muslim organizations complain about constant insinuations that they have
links with terrorism. Meanwhile, fundamentalist ideologues and Islamic
preachers here and abroad are stoking the conflict between Western
Europe's non-Muslim majorities and its Islamic communities.
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This lengthy article appeared in Spiegel Magazine Online on January 15, 2007. It’s a secular and somewhat hostile look at religion in the world, and draws some interesting conclusions. Of particular interest is their Atlas on the front page showing the World Faiths, which presents a color-coded map of the dominant world religions.
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16
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