France Facts... Sort Of

Today I was (once again) researching religion in France. It's pretty fascinating, if you ask me, yet terribly frustrating to study. It's so difficult to tell through the internet where people's hearts really are, and how they actually view protestant Christianity, Islam, Roman Catholicism, etc.

Apparently they really hate scientology though. "In this trial, which is expected to last until mid-June, prosecutors are likewise trying to portray Scientology as merely a large-scale scam while ignoring the organization's religious conceits" (Read more here). 


According to Christianity Today, there is a growing acceptance of Christianity in France, something unheard of and unexpected. Yet 6 years after that article was published, the spiritual climate seems to be hardly different at all. 


Things still don't look great. It's difficult to find current statistical information, but this is what I've seen the most:


Somewhere between 50-80% of the country is Catholic, though less than 5% actually go to church on a weekly basis


5% of the country is Muslim.


2% of the country is Protestant Christian


1% of the country is Jewish


And there's also random statistics about agnosticism and atheism. 


Bottom line, France needs Jesus. We don't really need statistics to tell us that. The Bible's already made it clear. And I'm getting more and more anxious to get there myself and see how open people are to the best news they'll ever hear. It hurts me to know that so many French live and die without ever knowing that they could have had a Savior.