[big'ol_freeper]

Article said: Most of the other counties have Catholics as the most numerous congregation, leading to a somewhat misleading map. Catholicism very often is the biggest denomination by default, owing to the fact that their institutional unity boosts ‘market share’ but at the same time masks differences between different wings of the Roman church that are as great as between denominations of Protestantism that have separated over theological differences.

Um...that’s BS.

[SeekAndFind]

Catholicism very often is the biggest denomination by default, owing to the fact that their institutional unity boosts ‘market share’ but at the same time masks differences between different wings of the Roman church that are as great as between denominations of Protestantism that have separated over theological differences.

One other factor to consider is this -- the Roman Catholic Church count membership based on BAPTISM. Since the Catholic Church baptize infants, I have always wondered whether people who as adults, have consciously left the Catholic church to say either become atheist, join other Protestant Denominations or even become Buddhists or Muslims are now NOT COUNTED AS MEMBERS by virtue of the decision they made as adults. I highly doubt that.

I have for instance, gone to Evangelical Churches where I met people became members who were baptized as Roman Catholics as infants. Examples of these are too numerous to count.

I believe these people still are by virtue of their infant baptism, counted by the Roman Catholic church as members even after they have left the Catholic church. Their personal decisions to leave the Catholic church as adults are not being taken into account.

Which of course means that there is a significant OVERCOUNTING on their part.

Do Protestant and non-mainline churches count people who have left their congregation in the minus column ? Can anyone answer that for us ?