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Are Religious Countries More Likely To Be Poor? / Why Is Africa The Most Religious Continent Yet The Most Undeveloped??? / Ghana Is The Most Religious Country On Earth. (2) (3) (4)
Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 11:12pm On Oct 10, 2013 |
Every day millions of people around the world turn to religion for comfort, strength and enlightenment as a moral compass. Some people do it more than other people and some countries do it more than other countries. What countries in the world can be considered the most religious? These are the top 10 most religious countries in the world, according to a Gallup study conducted in 2012. These were chosen based on their religious practices and how they viewed themselves. 10. Brazil This South American country is a land of contrasts, a land of both immense wealth yet great poverty, a land of sin and salvation. When it comes to playtime Brazil lets loose with its Carnival, a celebration bordering on the obscene, but when it comes to pray time Brazilians also give it their all. Catholicism in Brazil was brought over by its Portuguese colonizers and the religion is now the one with most followers with 64%. Protestants are next at 22%. The rest of the figures are shared by atheists and those belonging to other faiths. Of the worshipping Brazilians, 85% consider themselves actively religious. 9. Peru Religion is alive and well in the mountains and valleys of Peru. The natives have had their Pachamama (Mother Earth religion) since before the modern era, the Spanish conquerors brought Catholicism over with them, the missionaries brought Protestantism and still other groups came with Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism and other different faiths, and all of them seem to be sharing the same country without any sign of conflict. There just might be enough space for all faiths, 86% of Peruvians consider themselves as religious, compared to only 8% who don’t. There are almost no atheists or agnostics there. 8. Kenya Christianity, in its various forms, dominates in Kenya. Forty-seven percent of those are Protestants while 23.5% are Roman Catholics. Other denominations include the Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Independent Presbyterian Church in Kenya and the Reformed Church of East Africa. There are also Muslim and other faiths, most of them residing in the Coast Province. Kenyans who actively practice their faith were placed at 88% while only 9% said they were not actively religious. 7. Iraq The only Islamic country in the list, Iraq is dominantly Muslim with the country’s population estimated at 95% Islamic. Most of others belonging to various faiths have long since fled after the American Invasion in 2003 to avoid fighting and persecution. Eighty-eight percent of Iraqis are active in their faith while only 9% are not. Why is Iraq so religious? Experts say this is more of a social phenomenon as it is cultural. According to them uncertainty, unrest and instability bring people closer to their god, and this is what has been happening in Iraq since its liberation. 6. Romania There are several religions in this European country but the majority of the population or 86% practice the Orthodox Christian faith, Protestants are only 5.2% of the population while Roman Catholics are at 4.7%. The rest of the figures are shared among other different religions. Of the worshipping Romanians 89% consider themselves as actively religious. Romania’s strong religious ties can be traced to its past. Its folklore is filled with spirits and monsters, most notably vampires and werewolves, fueled by the country’s huge, precipitous forests. Such beliefs proved fertile ground for superstition and religious practices to take root. 5. Macedonia Nestled between Bulgaria and Albania in southern Europe, the country of Macedonia has a rich history. It was conquered many times in the past by many factions that also brought their own religions. Among these were the Ottoman Turks who brought Islam, the Byzantines who brought Christianity and the Bulgarian tsars who brought the Orthodox faith. Today Orthodox is the most predominant religion. Catholicism, Islam and Judaism also have strong roots and a presence there. Macedonian practicing worshipers are estimated at 92%. 4. Fiji For those who have heard of Fiji but don’t know where it is, it is located in the Melanesian region of the South Pacific, that’s far to the east of Australia. It is one of the most remote countries in the world. So how did religion get there? It was brought there by Methodist missionaries in the middle of the 19th century. Methodist is now also the leading religion there followed by Catholicism, Assemblies of God, Seventh-Day Adventist, Anglican and others. Religiosity among Fijians is estimated at 93%. 3. Armenia This was one of the countries that immediately returned back to its religious past after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country also has a proud Christian history; Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 A.D. Legend has it that what is now known the modern-day Armenian Church was founded in the first century by no less than Thaddeus and Bartholomew, two of the disciples of Jesus Christ himself. Today an estimated 92% of Armenians are active worshippers, almost all of them Christian. The local Muslim and Jewish populations have been dwindled by emigration, although their mosques and synagogues and architecture still remain. 2. Nigeria The different regions of Nigeria are dominated by different religions, but rough estimates place 50.8% of Nigerians as Christians, Muslims are at 47.8% while other religions and beliefs share the remaining figure. Missionaries have come to Nigeria as early as the 16th century but it was not until after World War 1 that churches were founded. While active participation in religious practices is recorded at a high of 93%. This may come at a price, those practicing traditional religious beliefs are allegedly being oppressed. 1. Ghana Ghana seems to be split between a Muslim northern region and Christian southern region. Ghanaian Christians are estimated to make up 71% of the population while Muslims make up 17%. Relations between the religions are described as peaceful and cooperative. Apart from the two most dominant religions; Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and Judaism are also represented and on the rise. Ghanaians have been described as the most religious nationality in the world with an estimated 96% of them claiming to be actively religious while only 2% were non- practicing. The rest were split as to theirt beliefs. |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 11:18pm On Oct 10, 2013 |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by Odunharry(m): 11:36pm On Oct 10, 2013 |
ok... Tanx 4 d info |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by tobechi20(m): 11:44pm On Oct 10, 2013 |
Claap for urself |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by Andyblaze: 12:44am On Oct 11, 2013 |
DONT TELL ME NONSENSE Compare Nigeria's population and size to Ghana's. Take into consideration the fact that every nigerian street has an average of 1 church and two pastors. Then You'll know we deserve number one! |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by Kendzyma(m): 6:38am On Oct 11, 2013 |
O my God,..wer z isreal!!!! |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 7:57am On Oct 11, 2013 |
Andyblaze: DONT TELL ME NONSENSEit's not abt population size. It's basically abt the percentage of the population truely dedicated to religion. |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 7:59am On Oct 11, 2013 |
Kendzyma: O my God,..wer z isreal!!!!israel having a holy land and religious monuments doesn't necessarily mean that the people are more religious than nigerians |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by Nobody: 8:04am On Oct 11, 2013 |
Ok, would love to see the top secular countries instead, sure they'll be global leaders in development,human rights and standards of living....eg Norway,Denmark,South Korea etc Most Religious and Least Religious Countries... An article in Slate last week unveiled the results of a recent poll, and it's looking good! In the United States, self identified atheists have shown a five-fold increase since 2005 alone. This is a trend that is seen across the globe, with a total 13% of respondents worldwide labelling themselves as "convinced atheists". It should come as no surprise that the highest concentration of atheists were from Asia, namely China, Japan, and south Korea. These societies have been secular (at least by Western standards) for quite some time. Another influencing factor is the nature of Eastern religions, which often lack a supernatural deity; so, while they may be "atheists" in the purest sense of the word, they are not necessarily proper skeptics. I think this shows as we read almost daily of reports of rapidly rising demand for animal parts, such as rhinoceros horns, believed to act as magical cures for a myriad of ailments. So while, overall, I would suggest that increased atheism is a good thing, we still have a long way to go. On of the flip side of the poll, we also get a look at the most religious societies. Not surprisingly, a significant majority of the top 10 "most religious" countries are underdeveloped and riddled with social strife. Not that I'm saying religious belief causes this (although there is good reason to believe this is/can be the case) but another factor here is that difficult situations attract religious believers as well as religious promoters. Think about it for a second: Christian churches across the United States don't sent thousands of missionaries to Scandinavia which has a very secular government and society (and also, coincidentally, one of the highest standards of living in the entire world). Instead, they send them into war-torn Africa, or poor, rural Southeast Asia. They target those whose living conditions are as miserable as possible, knowing that they can sell their message of hope and salvation. It is a simple economic equation: Where there is demand, their will be salesmen knocking at the door to sell the product. A few other noteworthy results of the study, quoted directly: "RELIGIOSITY IS HIGHER AMONG THE POOR: People in bottom income groups are 17% more religious than those in top income groups" No real surprise here. Going back to the quality of life argument: those whose quality of life is lower therefore seek more hope and inspiration, and religion is a common source of both. "RELIGIOSITY IS LOWER AMONG COLLEGE EDUCATED: College educated are 16% less religious than those without secondary education." Also unsurprising. The more one learns about the world, the less mysterious it becomes. The less likely one is to accept oversimplified "god did it" type answers. This could also relate to the previous point, in that those with higher income are more likely to have access to higher education, so I think the two go hand in hand. "TRENDS SINCE 2005: Religiosity drops by 9%, while atheism rises by 3%." As I said before, this is great news. While some people have pointed out that the number of actual atheists may not have increased as much as represented, but merely more people are willing to be out with their atheism, I still think this is a great indicator of things to come. Before we can have widespread change in society, atheism needs to become seen as common and accepted, not something to hide or be ashamed of. The study provided one graphic which I though was quite interesting to see, showing a true visual correlation between religiosity and income. www.secularthinker.com/2012/08/most-religious-and-least-religious.html?m=1 |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by UyiIredia(m): 8:13am On Oct 11, 2013 |
That's Nigeria for you, most religious but not most developed. 1 Like |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 8:52am On Oct 11, 2013 |
@emik4lif, exactly the point i was trying to make. None of the top 10 most religious countries is anywhere near the top 20 economically strong countries. Religion has most visibly been evident in the promotion of capitalism and clapping down on the growth of most economically downgraded countries. No wonder the steady rise in atheism as the statistics in ur write up above suggests. I bet Countries like US, Germany and many Scandinavian countries will top the list of top 10 secular countries if we were to research into that. |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by plantation(m): 8:54am On Oct 11, 2013 |
Uyi Iredia: That's Nigeria for you, most religious but not most developed.thats it |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by italo: 10:14am On Oct 11, 2013 |
plantation: @emik4lif, exactly the point i was trying to make. None of the top 10 most religious countries is anywhere near the top 20 economically strong countries. Religion has most visibly been evident in the promotion of capitalism and clapping down on the growth of most economically downgraded countries. No wonder the steady rise in atheism as the statistics in ur write up above suggests. I bet Countries like US, Germany and many Scandinavian countries will top the list of top 10 secular countries if we were to research into that. Dear friend, I wish to inform you that Germany and the Scandinavian countries are NOT secular countries. In fact, the US, which is secular, has the economy and society in the WORST state among those you listed. Also just to inform you that the following countries are also secular: Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Benin, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Chad etc. The above countries are all worse of than all the countries in that 'religious top 10.' Thank you. |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by jimmybrion99: 11:00am On Oct 22, 2013 |
The most religious countries were: Ghana - 96% Nigeria - 93% Armenia - 92% Fiji - 92% Macedonia - 90% Romania - 89% Iraq - 88% Kenya - 88% Peru - 86% Brazil - 85% ---the Best--- 1 Like |
Re: Top 10 Most Religious Countries In The World by Ayobami7(m): 7:12pm On Dec 23, 2018 |
越南足坛年底重磅转 |
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