Have you ever wondered why the Catholic church has the largest Christian population on earth despite their seemingly quiet nature and unaggressive evangelical tactics?
Other Christian denominations hold miracle crusades with many advertorials all in a bid to attract more members but this church is so powerful yet mien and conservative even in the wake of ministerial private Jets and gospel riches, they’ve remained rather silent and calculated in most of their activities. So… Why do they have the highest population?
A catholic church building: Photo credits, ©️ Pinterest.
The Catholic Church is the largest denomination of the Christian church, with over 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide. Making up 50.1% of the total 2.42 billion Christians in the whole world with presence in church-hostile countries like Iraq. Despite their subtle approach with evangelism and church expansion they continue to grow with various branches springing up in every nook and cranny of the society.
Chart showing churches and their population.
Approximately, three percentage of Iraq is Catholic and the church has been in Iraq for over 400 years.
You would never see a Catholic going on evangelism to convert other Christians into Catholicism? The few times I encountered catholic evangelists, they only preached about salvation and holiness then adviced me to take God seriously. They are mostly unconcerned about the church you attend or how you worship.
I was brought up in a pentecostal home and had made contacts with other Christians who immediately begin to indulge me to worship with them. It begins with a lure to being compelled or emotionally blackmailed into worshipping in their church, a clear case of Christians converting christians. This is something that I noticed that Catholics don’t do, and this brings us back to the mind boggling question, “how does the Catholic church have and maintain such a large population?
Below are some of the tactics they use to achieve this enviable feat.
A Catholic cathedral with skyline in view.
~ So, it’s often common seeing Catholics who had been emotionally blackmailed into worshipping with these pentecostals starting to build interest and eventually seeking freedom from Catholicism, most times after these pentecostals have cajoled, ridiculed, downplayed and smeared catholicism for her audience.
Parents know this, Catholics know this so they take on to the catch-them-young mantra. Catholics train their children to fully understand and have full respect for the Church in what could easily be mistaken for indoctrination. These children grow up and adopt the same process which paves way for a generation of catholic faithfuls.
Cross section of worshippers standing in front of the alter.
~ According to various sources like Wikipedia, the Catholic Church is said to be the only church that was founded by Jesus Christ. This very part has been a topic of heated argument among Christians of different denominations including mine but Catholics has a biblical verse to back this claim. In Mathew Chapter 16 verses 18-19, Jesus said to Peter:
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
In my opinion, the above claim may be true because various people of different timbre and caliber attend this church and has not seen anything wrong in doing so. Some of these includes: Teachers, doctors, scientists, lawyers and a host of other reputable professional who are willed to critically think out of the box.
A quick look at the history of the Catholic Church and her leaders (Popes) shows that Peter the desciple whom Jesus said the above words to, was the first Pope of the church.
Pope Francis and a cross section of Cardinals.
Popular preacher and evangelist Benny Hinn once told his congregants that “more people are healed in a Catholic church than in Pentecostal churches,” his reasons for that assertion was not clearly stated. But we could draw a clue from the till-death stance of most Catholics and how it is unlikely of them to change to another church.
Even in the face of numerous criticisms and alleged scandals, the Catholic church continues to maintain the largest population of christian faithfuls in the whole world.
Whether you choose to agree or not, this church is definitely doing something right even when it does not make sense to people who are not members of the church. As the popular Nigerian adage goes, “Who no go, no go know.”
What do you think about the Catholic Church having the largest population world wide, is their a hidden tactics that they use to achieve this feat?
Do share your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to share.
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