Xpat Magazine February, 2006
Taiwan’s relig
ious affiliations: mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Population of China: 1.3 billion
Worldwide Membership of the Catholic Church: 1 billion
Number of Asian conversions to Catholicism since 1978: 54 million
Nicknames earned by Pope Benedict while working for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (a descendant of the Holy Inquisition): “The Pope’s Enforcer” and “God’s Rottweiler”.
Pope Benedict’s description of homosexuality: An “intrinsic moral evil.”
Age at which Pope Benedict joined the Hitler Youth: 14
Manner in which Pope Benedict left the German Army: Deserted
Percentage of Vietnam citizens proclaiming no religious affiliation: 80.8%
Percentage of Cambodia and Thailand citizens that are practicing Buddhists, respectively: 95% and 94.6%
Number of Muslim protesters suffocated to death last October when packed into overcrowded trucks by presumably Buddhist Thai police forces: 78
Aims of the Church of Scientology according to a 1972 document entitled ‘Governing Policy’ written by founder L. Ron Hubbard: MAKE MONEY…MAKE MONEY…MAKE MORE MONEY…MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ideal fate for the Jewish state of Israel: to be “wiped off the map.”
His opinion on the holocaust: “a myth”
His suggestions for alternate locations for Israel: “Europe, the US, Canada or Alaska”
Percentage of the world population that did not feel their country was governed by the will of the people, according to a Gallup International poll taken last September: 65%
Percentage that trusted politicians: 13%
Percentage that trusted religious leaders: 33%
Winner of the BBC ‘Who Runs Your World’ contest in which participants choose their ideal leader of a fictional world government: Nelson Mandela
In same contest, rankings of Noam Chomsky, Osama BinLaden, and Harry Potter book author JK Rowling respectively: 4th, 70th, and 49th
Percentage of Americans who feel that presidential candidates must be strongly religious: 70%
Percentage of Americans who would not vote for a well-qualified Muslim for president: 38%
Percentage of Americans who believe that Islam is more likely than other religions “to encourage violence among its believers”: 44%
Percentage of Americans who would not vote for a well-qualified atheist: 52%
Number of British citizens who claimed to be Jedi Knights in 2004: 45,000
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