THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 26, 1995 TAG: 9507260003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
Regarding the Editorial Notebook of July 5: In the second column, editorial writer Patrick K. Lackey makes the following statement: ``A compilation of names of Christians convinced they are right would dwarf the Manhattan phone book - though Christianity is not the majority religion in the world.''
The statement that ``Christianity is not the majority religion in the world'' is true, but only if you are comparing Christianity with the total world population. One in three people in the world professes to be a Christian.
However, if you should compare Christianity with the other world religions - Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and others - you would find that Christianity has far more adherents than any other world faith.
In the United States, the predominance of Christianity, in terms of numerical size, is even more pronounced. More than 86 percent of Americans say they are Christians. Two percent are Jewish, while all the other religions combined account for no more than 1 percent of the population. American society is not nearly as pluralistic as some would have us believe.
To keep things in perspective, it might be helpful to bear these facts in mind. Almost any way you look at it, Christianity is not a minority religion.
Having said that, I would agree with Mr. Lackey's thesis that when it comes to listening for God's will, ``We (Christians) don't always hear right.''
JOHN H. KNIBB JR., minister
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Chesapeake, July 5, 1995 by CNB