Global survey finds shocking hemorrhage of adults who were raised Christians leaving the Church
Most people around the world raised as Christians are abandoning their religion, but nearly all adults who were raised Muslim remain within Islam, according to a Pew Research Survey of 36 countries published on March 26.
Most conversions to Islam are occurring in America – and sadly, most of the new converts (13%) say they were raised as Christians. The United States has the highest or entrance rate into Islam of any of the countries studied, with one-fifth of Muslim Americans saying they were raised in other faiths or none.
Latino Catholics, in particular, are converting to Islam in significant numbers, corresponding surveys over the last two decades have found.
About 9% of converts to Islam are Latino, a 2020 survey confirmed — up from 5% in 2017. Many are of either Mexican or Puerto Rican descent, but conversion to Islam is also a phenomenon across Latin America, the report stated.
Conversion to Islam: Sociological or Theological?
The new phenomenon of single-parent homes in Latino Catholic families could be a factor drawing Latinas to Islam; in 2023, almost a third of Hispanic families were led by a single mother, according to U.S. Census data. By contrast, American Muslims are less likely to be divorced.
However, most Islamic converts (about 50% of them women who have chosen to wear head coverings, as The Tablet reported last year) cited theological rather than sociological reasons for their conversion. About 95% of respondents in the Latino Muslim Survey said monotheism led to their conversion, and 94% claimed it was a desire for a direct connection to the Creator.
A major factor in the conversion rate is the proselytizing (dawah) efforts Islamic evangelistic organizations like IslamInSpanish Centro Islámico in Houston, Texas, make, actively reaching out to Latino Catholics. In November 2021, Latino Muslims celebrated the grand opening of what they claim is the only Spanish-language mosque in the U.S.
“IslamInSpanish is a pioneer,” remarked Dr. Craig Considine, a practicing Catholic and senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at Rice University, noting how Islam’s directives on daily prayer and bans on alcohol, gambling and pork are a draw for disillusioned Catholics. “It’s food for the soul, food for the brain.”
Catholics Fail to Evangelize Muslims
Considine also stressed that Islam is drawing converts by building community: “It’s multi-ethnic. It’s multinational. It’s multi-racial,” he said. “It’s the quintessential American story of community building. The Irish and Italians did it. And now they’re doing it not through Christianity but through Islam.”
Robert Spencer, who has written 29 books on Islam and the Middle East, told The Stream the Catholic Church is failing evangelize Muslims, though Muslims are proselyting Catholics:
“Many Hispanic Catholics are turning to Islam, and the Catholic Church is doing absolutely nothing to counter this growing trend,” he said. “This is because the Vatican II documents have given rise to a great deal of confusion over whether Muslims should be evangelized at all, or are part of the ‘plan of salvation.’ Pope Francis has added to this confusion by conducting numerous outreach meetings with Muslim leaders and concluding the highly misleading Document on Human Fraternity.
“And so while Muslim groups make concerted efforts to convert Catholics, the Church hierarchy persists in fondly assuming that Muslims are their partners in faith.”
The American Muslim Association of North America, based in North Miami, says heavily Hispanic South Florida in particular is home to a rising number of Latino Muslims.
“What most Latinos who have embraced Islam find most amazing is their cultural affinity to the Muslim culture,” said Wilfredo Ruiz, a Puerto Rican-born Muslim who converted a decade ago and is a lawyer for the South Florida chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. “It’s like rediscovering your past. That area of our past has been hidden from us.
“Our language is nurtured by more than 4,000 words that come from Arabic. Every word in Spanish that starts with ‘al,’ for example, like alcalde, alcantarilla, almohada” comes from Arabic.
Prosperous Nations Hit by Christian Recession
According to the Pew report, the only other country experiencing a high “accession” rate to Islam is Kenya, with 11% of Kenyan Muslims saying they were raised in another religion or with no religion.
On a global level, the survey revealed that Spain, a traditionally Catholic country, suffered the largest net losses for Catholics from “religious switching” (in proportion to the size of its population) of any country surveyed.
About 36% of Spanish adults have left Christianity, while just 3% of Spanish adults have entered Christianity.
The survey also revealed that the Church has sustained net losses of 20 percentage points or more of the total adult populations in Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Chile, the United States, and Italy due to “switching.”
Most who have left the Church no longer identify with any religion, saying they are now atheist, agnostic or have no religion in particular. This trend is especially strong in many high-income countries.
The highest retention rates for Christianity are in the Philippines, Hungary, and Nigeria, where nearly all adults who were raised Christian are still Christian today, the pollsters found.
Despite the fact that Singapore is a high-income country, a larger share of adults joined rather than left Christianity. While 12% of Singaporean adults say they were raised Christian, 18% currently identify as Christians — a net gain of 6% of all Singaporean adults.
In Asia, the lowest retention rate among Christians was found in South Korea. About half of Koreans raised Christian still identify as Christian (51%), while the other half (49%) are no longer Christian.
Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral. This article has been cross-posted with the author’s permission from The Stream.
John T R Gorman says
The sooner the liberal, leftist milquetoast “Pope” Francis is removed from power the better. He is the biggest embarrassment and disaster for the Catholic Church since reformation times.
William Kemmler says
“Most people around the world raised as Christians are abandoning their religion, but nearly all adults who were raised Muslim remain within Islam, according to a Pew Research Survey of 36 countries published on March 26.”
Because the punishment for apostasy (i.e. leaving islam) is death. And there is no such punishment for those Christians that leave the faith. Once a molsem, always a moslem. There is no way out that doesn’t lead to a death sentence.
Don says
Not only that but many apparently Moslem immigrants to Europe or the US reveal that they have been secret Christians for some time. The only way to guess the numero Christians in Iran is to count the number of Farsi Bibles smuggled into Iran. Moreover MBBs Moslem born believers show up in European churches saying they have had a dream in which a man in a white robe with A golden light behind him told them to go to a church to learn the truth. We can only guess at the moment.
Wellington says
Well, this is not good. And indicative again of just how much harm Vatican II (1962-1965) did to the Roman Catholic Church. This completely unnecessary ecumenical council called by a kind but foolish man, John XXIII, has done more harm to Catholicism than the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century did.
SKA says
He SEEMED kind! But why did he disobey the instruction for the pope in 1960 to reveal the Third Message of Fatima?
Nera says
Last time Catholic Church had to compete with this gutter of ideas on the same soil it was inspired to create the Spanish inquisition. Also churches are very heavily implicated in importing these in the first place, they probably thought they’ll magically transform into good productive Christians once transported on European soil and fill in the pews while at it. It’s like expecting street dogs from Asia to do sheep herding work. They’re not genetically predisposed to be anything else but what they are. That’s completely fair. It’s how genetics produce cultures.
ConcernedReader says
The Catholic chuch has submitted to islam.
Their stating that Allah is the same as the christian or jewish God is what led to this.
For young man it is especially attractive because they can always look down on women in islam. Since the moment they become muslim, they stop being for some reason a part of the “oppressive patriarchy”. Even though there is no greater patriarchical religion or society than islamic.
For young females it is love jihad that is targetting them, and that the ummah will take care of them especially if they have kids.
Good looking young muslim starts to court them, convert them and mission accomplished, there is no escape anymore, since if they leave the religion they are apostates that can be killed, even more so since they are females.
It is even more sad, that no matter how many examples you tell them about honour killings female genitalia mutiliations and similar everyday islamic practices they reject the notion that is actually a fundamental islamic tradition. They treat every such case as an exception. And when non-muslim background people do female killings or the like they immideatly associate it with white males, white christianity and general oppression.
Vicious cycle.
Also important to note that whereas young males are always asked to be less “masculine” accused of toxic masculanity, they are also constantly undermined in their malehood. Therefore they become easy targets. Interesting to note that it is always white males (mostly christians) that are targetted by this.
They become more reclusive, lose their initiative and tend to withdraw from many in the past acceptible social actions as well. Another option is the drug useage.
UK has a serious issues with drugs. Now they are also enacting laws that make white christians secondary citizens, having the equality before law not apply to them.
There is open season for them.
And a lot of white females cheer this on.
They are willing to forgive Ali for killing 5 females randomly, and mitigating the acts of his vile deeds “because his culture is differen”, but if Jack hits her wife(for whatever reason), he will never be forgiven and driven away.
As it was said if i recall well in Kissinger’s book in the long run Islam will win.
libertyORdeath says
Well said.
SKA says
The swing of the Bergoglians and Jesuits in favor of same sex everything, and not taking strong stands on abortion, sex outside marriage and complete moral relativism and theological indifferentisn leave traditional Catholics feeling bewildered and betrayed. If Bergoglio says all paths lead to God and Islam now offers the same strict morality and theological certainty that the pre-VC2 church did then why not convert to Islam? The later realities of buyer’s remorse is another matter.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Truth be told, neither Catholicism nor islam is the native religion of the native people of Central and South America. As a result, it shouldn’t be a surprise that “Latinos” don’t feel any affiliation to Christianity, although of course, islam is hardly the alternative
The best thing for them to do is explore whatever ancient faiths they had, and revert to it. Obviously, delete barbaric practices like human sacrifice wherever that existed, but sans that, just embrace whatever religion they previously had. They’ll then be a lot less interested in joining islam
libertyORdeath says
We are completely missing the boat on this mass conversion of former Christians. It’s not surprising considering the plummeting rates of Christians and the devolution of the churches themselves.
Most non-whites seem to see Islam as the strong religion that will defend It’s values in a way that Christians rarely do these days. I’ve heard from multiple black and Hispanic families who see Islam’s conquest of the West as inevitable.
Many non-whites also see Christianity as a white European religion, with Islam as it’s non-white opposition. It’s another case where anti-White racism is moving the needle in ways that will destroy Western culture if something isn’t done NOW.
The mass importation of African and Middle-eastern Muslims exacerbates and accelerates this growing trend. Blacks and Hispanics see the solidarity of the Muslim community and compare it to the weakness and submission of Christianity and (pretty intelligently) are choosing to side with the Muslims. They see that it is almost totally Muslims alone who are standing their ground on issues like abortion and LGBT propaganda, while Christians cannot capitulate fast enough.
Weakness and socialism within Christianity will NEVER win converts or the respect of other groups. They will continue to lose members until they grow a spine and return to biblical Christianity and the strength and resilience of the ancient Crusaders. As it looks right now, I can understand why non-whites are seeking the stability of Islam over the instability of Christianity.
Bob says
I was raised Catholic and I left Catholicism for born-again Christianity when I was 20. There are devout Christian Catholics who have a biblical foundation and a real connection to the person of Jesus Christ. But most Catholics are nominal, who may go to Sunday mass basically as a ritual, and these have no foundation to make a defense against a well-trained Muslim who is trained to poke holes in Christian doctrine, expose the historical treachery of Catholicism, and present convincing lies about Allah and Muhammad.
John1 says
Poke holes in Christian doctrine? Give me a break. Four gospels, two written by first hand disciples of Christ. Documented miracles and appearances of the Virgin Mary etc over the centuries. Read what St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Bosch said about Islam. (The truth, unlike this pope, who thinks if you keep saying Islam is peace and love Muslims will actually stop all the violence inherent in their doctrines)
Islam is one big black hole. Nothing recorded for almost 200 years after Mohammed’s death. He may not have even existed, as stories passed on by word of mouth for almost 200 years are hardly reliable. It is a successful cult, however, rewarding members and punishing non members, using brute force to comply when they have political or military power. A deity that is a deceiver sounds more like Satan than the God of the Old and New Testament.
John1 says
Typo St. John Bosco.
John1 says
Typo above. St John Bosco
Joe1 says
The narrative of Islam may be a black hole, but how Islam was formed has sound historical records. From the doomsday cult of Arians that conquered Jerusalem, the moving from Petra to Mecca (along with the rock), very good descriptions of what was to become Islam from some of the best minds (John of Damascus, Sophronius of Jerusalem, etc.) and many more, history knows how Islam was formed. It is mostly the Nabatean religion (mosques, Quran, pilgrimage, diet, etc.) with some Arianism. Uthman (destroyed the copies of the Quran he could find and issued a new version) corrupted the religion by changing its core to a lust for power at any cost. That is when Islam became toxic. Muhammad was originally the Messiah. Then changed to a legend by the time of John of Damascus, and then turned into the Muhammad of the Hadith after another 150 years.
40 rounds says
A worldwide desire on the part of women to belong to something that treats them like dirt–makes total sense
John Pepple says
My unconscious assumption about feminists was that they were rational, but watching them deal with Islam has forced me to change my mind. I think they were motivated not by rational considerations, but by hatred of the men they grew up with. Since they didn’t grow up with Muslim men, they have no particular feelings of hate toward them and won’t listen to anyone who warns them that Muslim men are worse than the men they grew up with.
Donovan Nuera says
I think the female converts are usually weak and never understood the Gospels and never really tried to understand it (just as most women never read about history, war, or watch historical documentaries or movies like “Ben Hur’ or the “Ten Commandments”) and just like the exoticism of the hijab fabric. Or they like the sadism inherent in islam. Just look at the late Sinead O’Connor and Cherie Blair’s odd sister. Then it is not surprising that “masculine model” Andrew Tate is a convert now; he loves to pimp hoes.
I wish our priest would give a little story each mass about the Saint on which that day’s feast day celebrates. There are a ton of “modern” saints who are role models but we never get to learn about them.
somehistory says
I find the line “Most people around the world raised as Christians are abandoning their religion” to be somewhat suspect.
“Most people”….Perhaps “many,” but I find the “most” a little much.
Also, because Christianity has been given an unfair and untrue reputation in recent years, there are *many* who still believe, but are afraid to say so. Some find it difficult to withstand the mockery and disdain targeting those who openly identify as Christian.
In today’s very sick and very evil world, it’s easier to ‘go with the flow’ and that ‘flow’ is making islime look like the *winner.*
Just as employees in a company will claim to agree with the boss, even when they don’t, to keep their jobs secure, “group think” is growing.
That is one reason so many “students’ who never had any idea about things in the ME, are rioting, chanting, breaking laws, etc. to support hamas and other terrorists.
It isn’t just the trend in ugly hairdos, body piercings, unattractive clothing, etc, it’s that islime is the *trendy* thing to believe. One thing that has helped, is the ‘world day” for the ugly mozlum scarf.
True Christians who actually Know God and Know Christ, will remain Christian.
Jesus asked the question, “When the Son of Man arrives, will he really find *the* faith on the earth?”
He will, but it may be evident only in small numbers. One very large reason: Persecution, even to the point of murdering thousands at the bloody hands of mozlums.
Troybeam says
Forgive them Father for they have been told lies in which there is no return to you.
Anna Yelena says
There are Bible studies but I heard no Koran studies I wonder why. Anyone leaving any religion for Islam is doomed in the long run. A few years ago two Lebanese women were on a vacation in Tunisia where British tourists and the women were taking camel rides. The two women were speaking French. They heard the Muslim guides bad mouthing the British especially the women where one of them said:” A camel is more valuable than a woman.” The women spoke Arabic and told the tourists what these men were saying. In Islam women are nothing. Men claim they will get 72? virgins in Paradise but nothing is said of what will women get. People who are leaving for Islam are to be pitied. In God we trust.
James Lincoln says
Anna Yelena says,
“There are Bible studies but I heard no Koran studies I wonder why.”
Devout muslims do not want their “not so holy koran” to be analyzed objectively.
ConcernedReader says
There are Quaran studies.
But they start of differently, if they wish to convert. (Elsewise they are madrassas)
They are called “Talks about Quaran”.
Where the local imam will be placing out posters(even if there is no mosque nearby, so they gather someplace that is not a mosque) or approach persons on the street to ask them to come visit one of their talks.
So actually there are Quaran studies as well.
The official Quaran studies, which is similar to the sunday schools, or the more classical education style Bible studies, happens in madrasas(islamic schools, similar to sunday schools, but also different) for the muslims.
somehistory says
In the madrassas, the young boys memorize the words of the foul book of demon filth, but they don’t really get an understanding of it. Nothing like kids are told stuff about what they read in the Bible.
They are frequently whipped and abused if they do not do exactly what they are told.
It is nothing like “Sunday school Bible study.”
James Lincoln says
ConcernedReader says,
“There are Quaran studies.”
I think it depends upon how you define “studies”.
It does not include critical thinking using factual evidence-based logic.
What is left is a whitewashed version of islam.
somehistory says
Exactly James,
It is nothing like studying the Bible…learning about the good things people did and also the bad things, even the people who showed great faith, such as Moses and King David….and seeing these as examples for how we should treat others, etc.
If the book of demon filth was analyzed in the madrassas like Mr. Spencer and others have done, there might be fewer mozlums out there murdering others and believing they would be rewarded.
ConcernedReader says
Sorry folks cannot reply individually to each of you as the forum does not allow. (No reply button just to my own :P)
I will try to answer here.
somehistory: in most, but not all. There are madrassas in non-islamic lands too, where such is not yet tolerated/accepted/allowed. Of course until they gain more numbers.
But i understand what you mean.
Also in some catholic sunday schools folks used to be beaten in the 90-s as well in Europe. Hell even in normal catholic schools, where mass, sunday school etc was mandatory.
Somehistory and James Lincoln: Regarding Quaran Studies i meant what i saw.
A certain imam was walking down a certain street handing out fliers and posting them as well, on certain days every week.
“Talks about Quaran and Islam” was something like this the message. Each week twice or thrice a week it was available, and it was targetting christians. Who were/are still very hostile here towards islam.
He was prepared to counter the arguments of folks. So actually he was one that was prepared in as to say participate in theological debates to draw folks in.
But indeed you are right, that such an attitude is less likely. The one i mention is present in places where muslim population is very low, and they need all the folks they can get.
Finally again for somehistory’s reply:
Even then it would not matter, i mean if they analyzed the book properly. They are getting a different kind of upbringing and education then folks get in non islamic countries. Differing values and so on.
There was a very good video explaining this, sadly i cant recall the persons name, i think he was an ex-major.
Anyway he made a great example. Like muslims know that Muhammad has taken a child as a wife and also later slept with her. However pointing this out is “muslimophobia”. Because it makes islam look bad for westerners.
And everything is looked through this kind of lense.
Finally it does not matter if someone would start to think critically regarding islam, or ask the questions. The others would beat him out of it, or murder him.
As the imams themselves said, if apostasy would not be punishable by death, islam would have likely stopped existing already.
Now this combined with the number of ignorant masses that convert, and among them a lot of folks who realize far too late what they have done.
And the worst is their children will also not be able to escape. As if the child is born after they converted to islam, they will consider the child a muslim. No matter what happens.
(beside apostasy-> which is punishable by death, another viscious cycle)
somehistory says
Sorry but you are sadly missing the points I made about madrassas and the difference in Sunday school. (not all of those are Catholic….Baptists and others have them too, no beatings or abuse. Reading, then questions and discussions, etc.)
and you are missing the points we made about the analyzing, questions, reasoning…..because they do none of that, which is the point.
And please, I’m accustomed to only my relatives addressing me and kin as *folks.* Some person with whom I might speak can ask about my “folks,” and that person may not be related to me, or may be, depending on which of my “folks” he is inquiring.
bo misused the word, too.
Folks is not a word I would ever connect or associate with mozlums and their filthy islime.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Somehistory.
Personal anecdote: back when I was a wise *ss teenager, I had a friend ask me to go with her to Bible study. I did–and asked every uncomfortable question I could think of every week all summer. (I was *not* anti-Christian–I just wanted to give grown ups a run for their money).
The minister running the program could not have been nicer–when I was wrong (which was quite frequent) he corrected me, but gently and always with respect. He took all of my questions and challenges very seriously, even though some were based on misunderstandings and a spotty knowldge of history.
At the last session it occurred to me that I had been a pain–and sometimes for its own sake. I apologized to him. He demurred, and said my being there was great–that a lot more of the students really thought about the issues and morals as a result, and that it was good for he himself to be challenged. Even though my friend was aging out of the program, he asked me if I wanted to return and assured me that I would be welcome! I never was able to, but I missed attending.
Can anyone imagine an Imam reacting in this way?
Donovan Nuera says
We should ask muslim women and non-muslim women this theological question; “What exactly do Women and Girls have to look forward to in Paradise?”. Washing the soiled bedding from the orgy-mad men? Cooking and cleaning? Such FUN!!!!
gravenimage says
Just not being in hell. But watching your husband raping Houris and “pearly boys” might not be all that different…
Westman says
“Our language is nurtured by more than 4,000 words that come from Arabic. Every word in Spanish that starts with ‘al,’ for example, like alcalde, alcantarilla, almohada” comes from Arabic
Seriously? Spanish was not your ancestor’s language before Cortez, and those Arabic words come from the Islamic conquest in Spain that became al-Andalus. “Your language” is the result of two conquests – some nurturing.
Imagine MS-13 as Muslim converts. It would be a natural fit allowing all kinds of mayhem on, and booty from, “unbelievers”.
somehistory says
Westman, you made some good points. I found the article to have some things with which I must disagree.
No “nurturing” from anything about the arabs and islime.
Many times it has been stated that Egypt was *Christian* until mozlums overwhelmed and *forced conversions.*
There are many historical examples of mozlums *making converts by the sword.* And we have modern day examples of mozlums *making converts* using politics instead of outright murder (as they are doing in Africa)
Revelation 13 foretold of this ‘sword conversions’ to the worship of the “wild beast and its image.”
gravenimage says
A lot of Hispanic converts to Islam are violent felons, who convert in prison.
Tim gallagher says
It is completely beyond my comprehension why any person would join Islam. Maybe such people think Islam is going to win so they get on board. The only other thing that is possible is that they see how Muslims are really serious about their evil religion and some Christians think the Christians are a bit slack about their religion. How insane a woman would have to be to join Islam. She would have to be a masochist. Islam is sheer evil and nobody should join it.
somehistory says
Tim, I think a lot of it is fear….they fear mozlums and see *converting* as a way to stay alive. You know, “conversion by the sword.” “Compelled” to comply.
And some are psychopaths, which makes islime appealing to their mindset.
Tim gallagher says
You are probably right, somehistory. What I said about how Muslims are seen as really serious about their religion is something that I vaguely remember a person I knew, who was a Christian, maybe 20 years said to me. I didn’t impress me back then because I already knew the evil content of islam. You are surely right about psychopaths just loving the pile of filth that islam is. I hope you are going well and your health is ok in spite of your lupus. I hope your daughter going well and also the dog is in good form.
gravenimage says
From Rome to Mecca: The Surprising Surge of U.S. Latino Catholics Joining Islam
………………………………….
More insanity.