Women keep the faith as majority of men say they do not believe in God
Muslims have the strongest faith in modern Britain while only one in six who identify with Anglicanism or other mainstream protestant churches are convinced of the existence of God. Women are almost two-thirds more likely than men to believe in God, a major study of attitudes among middle-aged Britons has found. Atheism and agnosticism are now the majority creed among the male population but almost two thirds of women believe in Heaven or an afterlife. The findings also suggest that Muslims have by far the strongest faith , with Christians from smaller evangelical churches the only group coming close to the same levels of certainty. By contrast only one in six members of the main Protestant denominations say they believe without doubt in God. Just a third of Roman Catholics in the study said the same compared to 88 per cent of Muslims and 71 per cent of those categorised as evangelical Christians.
Benin: Growing tolerance, reduced persecution
The 2015 World Watch List from Open Doors ranks 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is most severe. The worst 10 are Muslim nations, yet Christians need to be aware that not all Muslim countries persecute Christians. Take the West African nation of Benin. It's one of 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the body which describes itself as ‘the collective voice of the Muslim world.’ Benin’s president, Boni Yayi, was born into a Muslim family. However, he is now a devout Evangelical Christian. He worships at his local Pentecostal church, where he sometimes also preaches the sermon, and has expressed a desire to ‘evangelise the world’ when his presidential term ends in 2016.
The paradox of the rapid spread of Christianity in China
In China there are more Christians today than there are members of the 87 million-strong Communist Party. They grow by an average of 10% a year, which means there will be 250 million Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world. While in the 1980s the faith grew most quickly in the countryside, in recent years it has been burgeoning in cities. A new breed of educated, urban and socially and economically active Christians has emerged. This rapid growth of the Church is forcing an official re-think on religion. In fact, the Party is even asking Christians for their help.
Ebola nurse no longer critically ill
Pauline Cafferkey, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with Ebola in December after returning from Sierra Leone. On 4 January it was announced she was in a critical condition. (See last week’s Prayer Alert.) The hospital has now said in a statement that she was ‘showing signs of improvement’. The 39-year-old had volunteered with other UK NHS staff for the charity Save the Children in West Africa. The full statement from the hospital said: ‘The Royal Free Hospital is pleased to announce that Pauline Cafferkey is showing signs of improvement and is no longer critically ill. she remains in isolation as she receives specialist care for the Ebola virus.’ Ms Cafferkey has been treated with experimental drugs and has received blood plasma from another British nurse, Will Pooley, who recovered from an Ebola infection last year.
