Why does religion continue to grow?

[SteveII]

According to Pew Research, religion will continue to grow worldwide through 2050. 

• Christianity will grow numerically (+800,000,000), but stay the same as a % of the world's population: 31.4% (the largest)
  
• Muslims will grow in both categories and should garner about 29.7% of the world's population by 2050
  
• Unaffiliated (including atheists and agnostics) grows a little numerically, but goes down from 16.4% to 13.2% of the world's population.
  

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/relig...2010-2050/

In spite of your superior intellect, logic, and scientific proof to the contrary, your message that God is dead does not seem to be getting out. 

I'm interested to hear your theories of why by 2050, contrary to 300 years of predictions, almost 3,000,000,000 Christians will be sitting in pews around the world praying for the salvation of your grand kids. 

[FatAndFaithless]

Well..ignoring the condescending tone...

People are having more kids and kids tend to be the religion of their parents, so yeah, the number of theists will naturally rise with the population. But, in America at least, religion is going down pretty significantly.

[Longhorn]

I guess it's ironically because atheism continues to grow. More and more people are becoming irreligious, so naturally there is a response to the contrary. Sorta like the reformation and counter reformation

[SteveII]

Well..ignoring the condescending tone...

People are having more kids and kids tend to be the religion of their parents, so yeah, the number of theists will naturally rise with the population.  But, in America at least, religion is going down pretty significantly.

Actually Pew says that the US population will be 438 million by 2050

2015: 300,000,000 x 78.3% = 234,900,000
2050: 438,000,000 x 66.4% = 290,000,000

Although it drops as a % of population, Christianity is predicted to grow by 56,000,000 people. 

[Chad32]

It's hard to leave religion when you've been raised in it, and religious people love going after the vulnerable. From children to people suffering mentally, physically, or financially. Then there are the threats. Killing people who leave the faith, or refuse to convert.

[abaris]

I'm interested to hear your theories of why by 2050, contrary to 300 years of predictions, almost 3,000,000,000 Christians will be sitting in pews around the world praying for the salvation of your grand kids. 

Yeah, better provide the facts where it's growing also, since it's quite a telling fact. In general in regions where people are less educated and poorer. It's certainly not growing in first world countries.

[FatAndFaithless]

Although it drops as a % of population,

That's the point...

America's (and the world's) population is growing, and most people in Ameriac are Christians. It makes sense that their kids will be raised Christian as well, so of course the absolute number of Christians is going to increase. The fact that non-religion continues to grow as a percent is the important part.

[SteveII]

I guess it's ironically because atheism continues to grow. More and more people are becoming irreligious, so naturally there is a response to the contrary. Sorta like the reformation and counter reformation

Unaffiliated is dropping as a % of population. 

[Longhorn]

I guess it's ironically because atheism continues to grow. More and more people are becoming irreligious, so naturally there is a response to the contrary. Sorta like the reformation and counter reformation

Unaffiliated is dropping as a % of population. 

Yes. This is the counter reformation. The reformation has already happened.
Bsides Christianity will drop in the US

Also, from the link

Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Christianity IS growing....in Africa

[abaris]

Christianity IS growing....in Africa

Why do you think, the evangelical snake oil sellers are moving there? Because there's still a market for their shit.