Are there really 100,000 new Christian martyrs every year?

[dimbear]

Last edited Thu Nov 14, 2013, 12:46 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24864587

"It's often claimed that 100,000 Christians are killed every year because of their religion. Earlier this year, the Vatican called it a credible number. But is it?"
********
dimbear: any loss of life and especially for sectarian reasons is sad, but what to do with this often quoted 'statistic?' Judge for yourself.




edit: spelling

[hrmjustin]

1. No one really knows what the number is but one is too high.

The 100,000 number I think comes from a RW Christian ORG. so I am not sure they use reputable methods to determine the number.

The reality is Christians around the world are persecuted for their beliefs. The same can be said for people of all other faiths and non-believers as well.

The freedom of religious belief is a civil right.

[notadmblnd]

2. Don't you have to die to actually be a martyr?

[hrmjustin]

3. Yes.

[rug]

4. 10,000 murders a year is still a hefty number.

[dimbear]

5. I agree with Justin. Even one is too many. n/t

[struggle4progress]

6. "... I worked in the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom for several years,

I worked in the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom for several years, and I have always found this figure puzzling. My colleagues and I produced an annual report on persecution worldwide that contained accounts of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of martyrs ..."

COMMENTARY: A call for a more realistic reporting of Christian martyrs
Judd Birdsall
Nov 12, 2013

[dimbear]

7. An alternate and much more accurate estimate. BTW, I was imagining applying the methods

derided in the OP to WWII. That would have estimated millions of Christian martyrs but even more millions of atheist martyrs. That's a badly broken way of counting.