| Religion In Lithuania |
Article Index for Religion In |
Website Links For Religion |
Information AboutReligion In Lithuania |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT RELIGION IN LITHUANIA | |
| religion in lithuaniareligion in lithuania | |
| religion by country | |
| lithuania | |
| religion in europe | |
| lithuanian culture | |
| lithuanian society | |
| religion in the soviet union | |
|
Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. '' Population by Religious Confession, census ''. Updated in 2005. The other significant denominations include Eastern Orthodoxy (4.9% of the population, mainly the Russian Minority ), and Protestantism (1.9% of the population, mainly the Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Lithuania ). Judaism , Islam , and Karaism (represented by a long-standing community in Trakai ) together make up another 1.6% of the population. Roman Catholicism has been the majority denomination since the Christianization of parts of Lithuania Proper in 1387 (the Highland) and in 1413 ( Samogitia , the Lowland). The Roman Catholic Church used to be an influential factor in the country, and some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime and, after independence was regained, against socialism and Liberalism , especially in ethical questions. The nationally renowned anti-communist resistance Shrine , the Hill Of Crosses , upon which thousands of Latin Rite Crosses of all sizes have been placed, is located near the city of Šiauliai . Erecting Latin crosses on the hill was forbidden by the Czarist Russian Orthodox authorities in 1800s . Later, in the 20th Century , the Soviet authorities also forbade such explicit religious symbols. The crosses were removed in 1961 with tractors and bulldozers, but despite Soviet prohibitions, Lithuanian Roman Catholics continued to put small crucifixes and larger crosses on the ''Hill of Crosses''. Pope John Paul II visited the hill during his visit to Lithuania, primarily because it was a sign of anti-Communist Catholic resistance, as well as a Roman Catholic religious site. Lithuania was the only majority-Catholic Soviet republic. The diverse Protestant community is much smaller than the Roman Catholic Church. Small Protestant communities are dispersed throughout the northern and western parts of the country. Samogitia was historically positioned between the two German-controlled states of Livonia to the north and the Protestant Formerly Monastic, Teutonic State Of Prussia to its south. In the 16th century, from those two regions Lutheranism started to spread into the country. Since 1945 Lutheran Protestantism in the country has declined. Various Protestant churches have established missions in Lithuania since 1990, including the United Methodists , United Methodists evangelize in Lithuania with ads, brochures the Baptist Union , Baptist beginnings in Lithuania . the Mennonites , Graduation: Lithuania Christian College and World Venture. World Venture. Lithuania . A neo-pagan Romuva religion is slowly gaining popularity in Lithuania, since the country regained its independence. SEE ALSO
REFERENCES |
|
|