How many Catholics are there in the world.

[Darwinian]

The Catholic church likes to boast that it has over a billion members throughout the world. However, I know at least half a dozen people who were baptised and are counted in that number but are in fact as atheist as I am.

So, exactly how many Catholics really are Catholics?

[ib.me.ub]

about 22.

[Shinylight]

I'd say about 550 million, it's just a guess though.

[Edwardo Piet]

Too many.

[Minimalist]

It's a good question, though. Of course, it doesn't only apply to catholics. I know plenty of Jews who consider themselves "ethnic" Jews but have no use for religion. Protestants? They are just as bad as the catholics.

Religion is something you are born into. It is a kind of forced identity. But many people cannot be bothered with it.

[Paul the Human]

The same thing applies to those that do not go to church, but give the auto-response "Yes." when asked if they are Christian. Many of them don't really believe, but never bother to think about it enough to even realize it. Others say they believe, but never think about it at all... ever... unless asked directly (aka: average 'Christian').

Any poll counting the number of believers or members of specific religions are unpredictably skewed by rampant apatheism.

[Minimalist]

But when they try to give them a test to which asks how much they know about their religion the results bum them out.

Sucks to be them!

[Edwardo Piet]

Sucks to be them and....

it also sucks to be us having to deal with them.