One major reason, though, for the increasing birth rates in Islam is the birth rates where Islam is strong and growing the fastest- "third world" areas, especially Africa.

I don't the think increasing/decreasing birth rates in the monotheistic religions are necessarily an expression of piety or sexual devoutness, but more an expression of post-industrial reproduction trends.
Thom | Homepage | 03.30.08 - 4:23 pm | #

Thom,

By post-industrial, you surely also mean "post-modern" or even "modern." Such are the politically correct trade names of the movements which subsume the culture of death. If you think that "post-industrial" doesn't mean "post-christian" for most Westerners, where have you been and why should I not force you to read Nietzsche until you pass out?
Teep | 03.30.08 - 5:30 pm | #

I think you're reading too much into my comment. Social-scientifically, "post industrial" is the most accurate terminology.
Thom | Homepage | 03.30.08 - 5:34 pm | #

Re your line on Philip Jenkins: "I don't always agree with his ecclesiology, but his knowledge of the worldwide landscape is unparalleled, and especially the situation in Africa."

Perfectly put.
Ed Peters | Homepage | 03.30.08 - 7:35 pm | #

There are so many different sects of Islam each one of them disliking the other sect, even more so then prots dislike us. They aren't unified as in the Church.
Billy | 03.30.08 - 7:55 pm | #

Thom,

My follow up is then: what are these post-industrial trends? That is, in what do they consist? Labeling something as reflecting or expressing a trend does not point to a cause, just to a new name. "Expressing a trend" is trivially true because all you've done is relabeled the concept you're isolating. It's like saying sleep is the "dormitive virtue." My response to you "reads in" to your response perhaps because I don't think what your claiming makes any sense or actually matters without some more distinct claim. Sigh. I'm sorry, I don't mean to pick nits. Anyway, I'm interested in what you mean is all, insofar as you seem to be claiming that you want to dissociate reproductive rates from piety or a lack thereof in monotheistic, post-industrial regions/cultures.
Teep | 03.31.08 - 1:01 am | #

industrialization of course plays a large factor in these numbers, but i think the cause of low replacement levels is not *only* that.
AmericanPapist | Homepage | 03.31.08 - 8:30 pm | #