Christianity in Europe
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Europe
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Christianity is the largest religion in Europe. Christianity has been practiced in Europe since the 1st century, and a number of the Pauline Epistles were directed at Christians living in Greece, as well as Rome. Today 76.2% of European consider them self as Christians,[1] Catholics are the largest Christian group in Europe, accounting for more than 46 % European Christians.[2] The second-largest Christian group in Europe is the Orthodox, who make up 35% of European Christians.[2] Although the Protestant Reformation began in Europe, today fewer than 18% of European Christians are part of the Protestant tradition.[2] Russia is the largest Christian country in the Europe by population, followed by Germany and Italy.[2]
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[edit] History
[edit] Early history
Historians believe that St. Paul probably wrote his first epistle to the Christians of Thessaloniki around A.D. 52.[3] His Epistle to the Galatians, was perhaps written even earlier, between A.D. 48 and 50.[4] Other epistles written by Paul were directed to Christians living in Greece (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Phillipians, 2 Thessalonians) and Rome (Romans) between A.D. 50-70s.
In 301 AD, the Kingdom of Armenia became the first country to establish Christianity as its state religion. Soon after, the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity in AD 380, although the first Christian monastery in Europe was established in 344 AD. During the Early Middle Ages, most of Europe underwent Christianisation, a process essentially complete with the Christianisation of Scandinavia in the High Middle Ages. The emergence of the notion of "Europe" or "Western World" is intimately connected with the idea of "Christendom", especially since Christianity in the Middle East was marginalized by the rise of Islam from the 7th century, a constellation that led to the Crusades, which although unsuccessful militarily were an important step in the emergence of a religious identity of Europe. At all times, traditions of folk religion existed largely independent from official denomination or dogmatic theology.
[edit] Great Schism and Protestant Reformation
The Great Schism of the 11th and Protestant Reformation of the 16th century were to tear apart "Christendom" into hostile factions, and following the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, atheism and agnosticism became widespread in Western Europe. 19th century Orientalism contributed to a certain popularity of Buddhism, and the 20th century brought increasing syncretism, New Age and various new religious movements divorcing spirituality from inherited traditions for many Europeans. The latest history brought increased secularisation, and religious pluralism.[5]
[edit] Denominations
- Roman Catholicism: European countries or areas with significant Catholic populations are[citation needed]Andorra, Austria, west Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, France, south Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latgale region in Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, central and south Switzerland, west Ukraine, and Vatican City. There are also large Catholic minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina [13-17%] (Herzegovina, Central, Western and Northern Bosnia), Albania [10-15%],[6] the United Kingdom (especially in Northern Ireland [40%] and Scotland [18%]), and most European countries such as the Netherlands [25%],[7] In the Czech Republic, Serbia, Greece, and Romania Catholics are a small minority.
- Eastern-Rite Catholicism also known as "Eastern Catholic Churches", is found mostly in western Ukraine and southern Italy. It also exists in very small numbers in Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, France (Corsica).
- Orthodox Christianity:
- The countries with significant Eastern Orthodox populations are[citation needed]Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan (European sector). There are a large minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and small minority in easternmost Hungary, Southern Italy, sizable minorities in Albania, Latvia and Lithuania, small minority in Poland, Finland (Karelia).
- Armenia is the only Oriental Orthodox state in Europe[citation needed].
- Protestantism: Countries with significant Protestant populations include[citation needed]Denmark, Estonia, Finland, northern part of Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden; east, north and west Switzerland; and the United Kingdom. There are significant Protestant minorities in France, the northwestern Piedmont region of Italy, Slovakia, the southern part of Germany, eastern part of Hungary, and smaller minorities in the eastern part of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
- Anglicanism In the United Kingdom (England and Wales) with minorities in Ireland, Malta (through tourism) and Scotland.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-europe.aspx Christianity in Europe
- ^ a b c d Christianity in Europe
- ^ Johannes Schade (2006), The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Foreign Media Books, ISBN 978-1-60136-000-7
- ^ Howard Clark Kee, Franklin W. Young (1957), Understanding the New Testament, Prentice Hall, ISBN 978-0-13-948266-3
- ^ Henkel, Reinhard and Hans Knippenberg "The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe" edited by Knippenberg published by Het Spinhuis, Amsterdam 2005 ISBN 90-5589-248-3, pages 7-9
- ^ [1]
- ^ (Dutch) roman catholic church 4 million members out of a total Dutch population of 16,5 million
[edit] See also
- Religion in Europe
- Religion in the European Union
- Christianity in Belarus
- Christianity in Malta
- Christianity in France
- Christianity in Italy
- Protestantism by country
- Roman Catholicism by country
- Islam in Europe
- Christianity by country
- List of religious populations
- No Faith by Country
- Major world religions
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