Science in South Africa- In the history of science in South Africa, there have been several of the most important discoveries and developments. Today, despite the government's efforts to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in biotechnology, information technology and others ... ... Wikipedia

    Whites in South Africa- White South Africans Modern habitat and population Total: 4,590,200 (2010) (9.2% of the population) ... Wikipedia

    Winemaking in South Africa- South Africa is a fairly large wine producer (8th place in the world, 1,157,895 million tons in 2005). Contents 1 History of winemaking 2 Main regions of winemaking ... Wikipedia

    Hinduism in South Africa- Hinduism is the third largest religion in South Africa after Christianity and Islam. Historically, the majority of South African Hindus have lived in the province of KwaZulu Natal, but nowadays a significant number of Hindus can ... ... Wikipedia

    Orthodoxy in South Africa- Orthodoxy in South Africa appeared primarily among the Greeks. Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 Notes ... Wikipedia

    Rail transport in South Africa- Subway train near Cape Town South African Railways South Africa's rail network, which plays an important role in the country's transport infrastructure. Are the most ... Wikipedia

    Counties of South Africa- (English Municipalities of South Africa) refer to a lower level of administrative division than the provinces. They form the lowest self-governing level of administrative territorial division, and operate on ... ... Wikipedia

    Languages ​​of the Republic of South Africa- In the Republic of South Africa, according to its 1996 Constitution, 11 official languages ​​are recognized (more than 23 in India alone). Before the official languages ​​of the state were English and Afrikaans, but after the fall of apartheid on ... ... Wikipedia

Full freedom of religion is legally enshrined.

More than 80% of the population are Christians (the majority are Protestants). The spread of Christianity began in the middle. 17th century and is associated with the activities of European missionaries.

The country's oldest Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (operates among Afrikaners, Colored, Indians and Bantu). There are subsidiary national churches.

The Anglican Church unites Anglo-South Africans (people from the British Isles). Among the descendants of immigrants from Scotland are Presbyterians.

There are a number of Christian-African churches that arose in the 1880s on the basis of schismatic movements among the Bantu. About half of Africans adhere to traditional African beliefs (animalism, fetishism, the cult of ancestors, keepers of the home, the forces of nature, etc.).

There is a sizable Hindu community.

Judaism is widespread, there are approx. 200 Jewish societies.

There is no official religion. According to the 2001 census, about 80% of the population are Christians of various persuasions, and 11.1% of all residents are adherents of the Zion church, 8.2% are Pentecostals, 7.1% are Catholics, 6.8% are Methodists, 6 , 7% are parishioners of the Dutch Reformed Church, 3.8% are Anglicans. 15% of residents adhere to traditional beliefs or do not practice any religion. Muslims and Hindus account for 1.5 and 1.3% of the population, respectively.

Calvinism became one of the components of the national identity of the Boers, predetermining such traits of politicians and ordinary people as perseverance, resilience in the face of failure, fatalism, moderation and unpretentiousness. On the other hand, he contributed to the formation of the idea of ​​the exclusivity of the emerging people.

The ethnos, which arose on the basis of several generations of immigrants and refugees, was perceived by its representatives as a new "people of the covenant" (by analogy with the ancient Jews who concluded the Old Testament with God), chosen for great achievements. As a result, the massive Boer migrations in Africa itself ("Great Track"), caused mainly by economic reasons, received a strong ideological foundation, which strengthened the determination of the "trekkers" who were leaving the British rule in the same way as the ancient Jews once left from under the power of the Egyptian pharaoh to the Promised Land.

During the apartheid era, the state sponsored churches, seeing them as an important tool for maintaining the "traditional" Afrikaner ethnos. At the same time, Christianity played a large role in the ideological argumentation of the division of races, reinforcing spontaneous racism (almost inevitable during contacts between various racial groups) with quotations from Holy Scripture and near-biblical mythology.

According to many researchers, the myth of the descendants of Ham ("the curse of Canaan") played an important role in the formation of the racist worldview of Christian Europeans. In the Christian environment, it was believed that the peoples of the southern countries (including Africans) descended from Ham - one of the sons of Noah, punished by his father for his disrespectful attitude. The curse of Noah pronounced against Canaan, the son of Ham, doomed him and his offspring to slavery by the brothers, which later became one of the excuses for the Europeans for the African slave trade.

In addition, the images of the Devil and his servants, in the absence of a sufficient number of detailed descriptions in the Bible, were largely formed under the influence of Holy Tradition and Christian apocrypha, where the forces of Darkness were often identified with the geographical South (including a part of Africa known to the authors of these writings ) and black skin. This also further contributed to the formation of racist stereotypes and the justification of racial inequality.

On the other hand, a significant number of denominations opposed the practice of apartheid. In the recent history of South Africa, religious subjects (often in a sectarian interpretation) have become a source of inspiration for Afrikaner right-wing extremists.

The response of Africans to the racist position of the Dutch Reformed Church, which did not accept black parishioners into its ranks, and the troubles of the colonial and apartheid eras, was the creation of Afro-Christian churches, doctrinally different from other Christian denominations and more in line with the spiritual aspirations of Africans.

At present, in South Africa, as in many other developing countries, the popularity of Pentecostalism (one of the branches of Christianity) continues to grow, which a number of researchers explain by the presence in this teaching of premises that many Africans associate with progress and success. Pentecostalism presupposes a symbolic break with the past during baptism, considers wealth and well-being more pleasing to God than poverty, and actively fights against alcoholism and other social vices. Thus, in the difficult post-reform period, religion again allows a significant part of the country's population to find the goal of life and the strength to achieve it.

Despite the fact that religious organizations remain important as participants in charitable activities, in general it should be recognized that the influence of religion on politics in modern South Africa is much less than during the period of the formation of statehood and apartheid. There are several Christian co-democratic parties operating in the country, but their role in the political process is very insignificant.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former supreme hierarch of the Anglican Church in South Africa, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1996-2001, continues to be considered an important figure in South African public policy, although assessments of his activities and the role of the Commission in overcoming the consequences of apartheid are very controversial.

The junior partner of the Democratic Alliance is the Muslim Party of Africa, which is not very popular in the elections. On the problem of politicized Islam, see the section "External and Internal Threats to State Security".

The situation with traditional African beliefs differs from city to village. In the first, a significant part of the population (especially young people) has already largely Westernized, and the influence of religion on the way of life is mainly manifested in the rudiments of the old worldview (superstitions, etc.), formal observance of religious norms, etc. The village continues to demonstrate a more consistent approach to traditional beliefs.

An element of traditional culture that still influences the behavior of South Africans is the belief in the destructive power of witchcraft. The most notorious manifestation of this belief is the public reprisals against suspected witchcraft that periodically occur in certain localities.

The advertising industry of South Africa (South Africa) actively exploits the religiosity of buyers - this is the conclusion made by the authors of a study by the marketing company McCann Erickson. According to marketers, religion has ceased to be a taboo for advertisers who do not miss the opportunity to use it to spur sales, - reports Christian Megaportal invictory.org with reference to Blagovest-Info.

According to McCann Erickson, modern South Africans are becoming more open about their religious affiliation, and marketers are adapting their businesses to this trend.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will take place in South Africa, and more and more fans attending the event are looking for a "Christian hotel" where like-minded people from different countries can be neighbors and business is conducted according to their faith. The query "Christian hotel in South Africa" ​​is one of the most popular queries on religioustraveldirectory.com, says company spokesman Rob van Royen.

Mobile operator Cell C offers its subscribers a service for downloading sacred music to their phones, which is very popular among South Americans. Another popular trend in the country is dating sites for Christians, Muslims and Jews.

The country's two football clubs have formed a joint venture with the Christian Church of Zion, a denomination most of whose followers live in the impoverished province of Limpopo. The firm, called ZOK, sells home appliances and mobile phones to church members. The trade is carried out in the countryside with mobile vans.

According to van Rooyen, believers are more difficult to fool with unfair advertising. "If you want to 'tie' your brand to religion, advertising must be transparent and honest, otherwise you will not succeed," says the marketer.

Christians make up about 75% of South Africa's 45 million people. Muslims in the country are about 1.5%.

Read also:

1 130 900,

  • Presbyterians - 832,500,
  • Baptists - 691,100,
  • Congregationalists - 508 800,
  • Bandla Lama Nazaretha - 249 100,
  • Mission of the Apostolic Faith - 246,200,

    • Believers from small denominations are also taken into account in the following directions:

    • Other Apostolic churches - 5,627,000,
    • Other Christian churches - 2 890 000,
    • Other Zionist churches - 1,886,000,
    • Ethiopian type churches - 1,150,000,
    • Other African independent churches - 656 600,
    • Other Reformed churches - 226,500.

    Other religions

    • African traditional beliefs - 125,900,
    • Hinduism - 551 600,
    • Islam - 654 100,
    • Other beliefs - 283,800.

    2007 census

    The 2007 census showed the following results:

    Religion Followers % Followers %
    2001 2007
    Christianity 35,750,641 79.77 29,684,861 73.52
    Irreligiousness 6,767,165 15.10 3,262,428 8.08
    Other 283,815 0.63
    Buddhism / Chinese Traditional Religion 12,113 0.03
    Islam 654,064 1.46 985,460 1.45
    No answer given 610,974 1.36
    Hinduism 551,668 1.23 504,707 1.25
    African traditional religions 125,898 0.28 6,056,487 15.00
    Judaism 75,549 0.17 68,640 0.17

    see also

    Write a review on "Religion in South Africa"

    Notes (edit)

    Excerpt Characterizing Religion in South Africa

    Princess Marya returned to her room with a sad, frightened expression that rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly, sat down at her writing desk, laden with miniature portraits and littered with notebooks and books. The princess was as disorderly as her father was decent. She put down the geometry notebook and eagerly opened the letter. The letter was from the princess's closest friend since childhood; This friend was the same Julie Karagina, who was at the Rostovs' birthday:
    Julie wrote:
    “Chere et excellente amie, quelle chose terrible et effrayante que l“ absence! J ”ai beau me dire que la moitie de mon existence et de mon bonheur est en vous, que malgre la distance quinous separe, nos coeurs sont unis par des liens indissolubles; le mien se revolte contre la destinee, et je ne puis, malgre les plaisirs et les distractions qui m "entourent, vaincre une certaine tristesse cachee que je ressens au fond du coeur depuis notre separation. Pourquoi ne sommes nous pas reunies, comme cet ete dans votre grand cabinet sur le canape bleu, le canape a confidences? Pourquoi ne puis je, comme il ya trois mois, puiser de nouvelles forces morales dans votre regard si doux, si calme et si penetrant, regard que j "aimais tant et que je crois voir devant moi, quand je vous ecris. "
    [Dear and invaluable friend, what a terrible and terrible thing is separation! No matter how much I repeat to myself that half of my existence and my happiness is in you, that, despite the distance that separates us, our hearts are united by inseparable bonds, my heart is indignant against fate, and, despite the pleasures and scatterings that surround me, I I cannot suppress some hidden sadness that I have felt in the depths of my heart since the time of our separation. Why are we not together, like last summer, in your big office, on the blue sofa, on the sofa of "confessions"? Why can't I, as I did three months ago, gain new moral strength in your gaze, meek, calm and insightful, which I loved so much and which I see before me the minute I write to you?]
    Having read this point, Princess Marya sighed and looked back into the pier, which stood to her right. The mirror reflected an ugly weak body and a thin face. The eyes, always sad, were now looking especially hopelessly at themselves in the mirror. "She flatters me," thought the princess, turned away and continued to read. Julie, however, did not flatter her friend: indeed, the eyes of the princess, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so good that very often, despite the ugliness of the whole face, these eyes were made more attractive than beauty. But the princess never saw the good expression of her eyes, the expression that they took in those moments when she was not thinking about herself. Like all people, her face took on a strained, unnatural, evil expression, as soon as she looked in the mirror. She continued to read: 211