The predominant religion in Honduras is Christianity, representing 87% of the total population according to a 2017 estimate. The country is secular and the freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution.
The pre-Hispanic peoples that lived in actual Honduras were primarily polytheistic Maya and other native groups. In the 16th century, Roman Catholicism was introduced by the Spanish Empire and still holds a 46% share of the population. Protestantism accounts for 41% of the country's population.
The Maya religion was the ancient one. It was practiced a lot in the timeline of the 4th and 7th century, AD. It was practiced in some parts of Central and South America, and it was based on polytheistic beliefs and had to do with a big number of rituals with occasional animals and maybe even human sacrifices. [ citation needed ]
The second Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in the continental New World was on August 13, 1502, in Punta Caxinas, two weeks after the so-called "discovery" of Honduras by Christopher Columbus. [2] [3] Thereafter, the Spanish began a process of converting and baptizing Honduran natives to the Catholic faith.
Honduras holds a small part of the former Mosquito Coast which came under British influence—now in the extreme southeast of the state. Protestant churches gained following in that sparsely populated area on the Caribbean coast, especially Anglicanism and the Moravian Church.
In recent years, the principal religious groups are Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Jehovah's Witness, Mennonite, approximately 300 evangelical Protestant groups, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). [4]
The Catholic Church in Honduras is composed of eight dioceses: Tegucigalpa, Comayagua, Choluteca, Olancho, Yoro, San Pedro Sula, Trujillo and Copán which are a part of the Conference Episcopal of Honduras.
The Protestant churches are structured by three confederacies: The Pastors' Association of Honduras, the Evangelical Brotherhood of Honduras and the Apostolic Network of Honduras.
Both the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Protestant churches, especially the Pentecostal denominations, have experienced growth thanks in large part to modern forms of mass communication in recent decades.
The LDS Church built a temple in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, making it one of the six LDS temples in Central America.
The most prominent evangelical churches in the country include the "Abundant Life", the "Living Love", and the Great Commission Churches. [4] A growing number of evangelical churches have no denominational affiliation. [4] The National Association of Evangelical Pastors represents the evangelical leadership. [4] There are small numbers of Muslims and Jews. [4] San Pedro Sula has a mosque and a synagogue, and Tegucigalpa has a synagogue. [4]
There are no reliable government statistics on religious affiliation in Honduras. [4] In a 2007 nationwide survey, CID-Gallup reported that:
47 percent of respondents identify themselves as Roman Catholic, 36 percent as evangelical Protestant, and 17 percent either provide no answer or consider themselves "other". [4] According to CID-Gallup 2001, 70% was Catholic, 23% Protestant, 5% Others or D/A, and 2% was irreligious.
The constitution of Honduras establishes the freedom of religion. The National Congress of Honduras has the power to legally recognize religious groups, which confers to them tax-exempt status and other privileges. The Catholic Church is the only organization legally recognized as a religious group, although other religious groups can register with the government as NGOs. Some religious groups have criticized this as constituting preferential treatment for the Catholic Church at the expense of other groups. [5]
The constitution prohibits religious leaders from holding elected office or publicly making political statements. Despite this, some Protestant pastors have been elected to government positions and serve on government advisory bodies. The government also frequently includes Catholic or Protestant prayers as part of official events and ceremonies, which has been criticized by representatives of other religious groups. [5]
Clergy are provided exemptions from being required to testify in court about information acquired from religious confessions. Vicars, bishops, and archbishops of the Catholic Church, as well as similarly high-ranking members of other religions, are not required to appear in court if subpoenaed. [5]
Public schools are required to teach secular curricula. Private religious schools also operate in Honduras. [5]
Foreign missionaries must register with the government. Some religious groups have reached agreements with the government to expedite this process. [5]
Conscientious objection to military service is protected by law, including objection on religious grounds. [5]
Some politicians, generally from opposition parties, have regularly used antisemitism rhetoric in their political statements. [5]
Freedom of religion in Colombia is enforced by the State and well tolerated in the Colombian culture. The Republic of Colombia has an area of 439,735 square miles and its population is estimated at 46 million. Although the Government does not keep official statistics on religious affiliation, a 2001 poll commissioned by the country's leading newspaper, El Tiempo, indicated that the religious demography is as follows:
Serbia has been traditionally a Christian country since the Christianization of Serbs by Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum in the 9th century. The dominant confession is Eastern Orthodoxy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in the Dominican Republic. Historically, Catholicism dominated the religious practices of the country, and as the official religion of the state it receives financial support from the government. In modern times Protestant and non-Christian groups have experienced a population boom.
Religion in Nicaragua is predominantly Christian and forms a significant part of the culture of the country as well as its constitution. Religious freedom and religious tolerance is promoted by both the Nicaraguan government and the constitution.
Christianity has dominated Guatemalan society since its Spanish colonial rule, but the nature of Christian practice in the country has changed in recent decades.
The predominant religion in Kenya is Christianity, which is adhered to by an estimated 85.52% of the total population. Islam is the second largest religion in Kenya, practised by 10.91 percent of Kenyans. Other faiths practised in Kenya are Baháʼí, Buddhism, Hinduism and traditional religions.
El Salvador's approximately 6.2 million inhabitants are mostly Christian. Evangelical Protestantism is experiencing rapid growth in recent decades while the Catholic share of the population is on decline.
Religion in Angola is diverse, with Christianity being the most widely professed faith. Roman Catholics constitute about half of the population. Other Christian denominations include Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Reformed Churches and Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses − all these denominations making up about a quarter of the population.
Freedom of religion in South Korea is provided for in the South Korean constitution. The South Korean government has generally respected this right in practice, although it provides no exemption or alternative civilian service for those who have a religious objection to serve in the armed forces.
Religion in Chile is predominantly Christian and is diverse under secular principles, due to the freedom of religion established under the Constitution.
When it comes to religion, the Ecuadorian society is relatively homogeneous, with Christianity being the primary religion. Roman Catholicism is the main Christian denomination in the country. However, affiliation with Protestant churches is increasing.
Christianity is the largest religion in Cape Verde, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents. Different sources give varying estimates on the relative sizes of various Christian denominations. More than 93% of the population of Cape Verde is Christian, with almost 80% being Roman Catholic, according to an informal poll taken by local churches. About 5% of the population is Protestant. The largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene. Other groups include the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Assemblies of God, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the New Apostolic Church and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Solomon Islands, with Anglicanism being the single largest denomination.
Christianity is the largest religion in Nauru, with Nauru Congregational Church being the largest denomination, encompassing 35.71% of the population as of the 2011 census. Freedom of religion is a constitutional right, and the country's laws and society uphold this right without any significant breaches.
Religion in Samoa encompasses a range of groups, but 98% of the population of Samoa is Christian. The following is a distribution of Christian groups as of 2011 : Congregational Christian, Roman Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Methodist, Assemblies of God and Seventh-day Adventist. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Baháʼí, Jehovah's Witnesses, Congregational Church of Jesus, Nazarene, nondenominational Protestant, Baptist, Worship Centre, Peace Chapel, Samoa Evangelism, Elim Church, and Anglican. (A comparison of the 2006 and 2011 censuses shows a slight decline in the membership of major denominations and an increase in participation in nontraditional and evangelical groups. Although there is no official estimate, there are reportedly small numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and traditional believers, primarily in Apia. The country has one of the world's eight Baháʼí Houses of Worship. There is a small Muslim community and one mosque. The history of Islam in Samoa dates back to before 1985, when Samoa had a number of Muslim workers who were working either for the government or for a United Nations program, but their number was small and hardly affected the local population. In the mid-1980s, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth began operating in the Pacific, and consequently some Samoans began converting to Islam. According to the 2001 census, the number of Samoan Muslims was 48, or 0.03% of the total population. This number has increased to 61 Muslims, or 0.04% of the population, according to the 2006 census. This number is expected to reach 73 Muslims by 2020.
Christianity is the main religion in Panama, with Catholicism having the most adherents. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, with some qualifications, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The US government reported that there were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in 2007.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Costa Rica, with Roman Catholicism being its largest denomination. Roman Catholicism is also the state religion, but the government generally upholds people's religious freedom in practice.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Croatia and a large majority of the Croatian population declare themselves to be members of the Catholic Church.
Haiti, for much of its history and up to the present day, has been prevailingly a Christian country, primarily Roman Catholic, although in some instances it is profoundly modified and influenced through syncretism. A common syncretic religion is Vodou, which combined the Yoruba religion of enslaved Africans with Catholicism and some Native American strands; it shows similarities, and shares many deity-saints, with Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The constitution of Haiti establishes the freedom of religion and does not establish a state religion, although the Catholic Church receives some preferential treatment.
Freedom of religion in Paraguay is provided in the Constitution of Paraguay, and other laws and policies contributed to the generally free practice of religion. The law at all levels protects this right in full against abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The government generally respects religious freedom in practice; however, it occasionally fails to enforce religious freedom laws when abuses occurred. There were some reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice; however, prominent societal leaders took positive steps to promote religious freedom.