To Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Kiribati | 39,000 | 52.70% | 22 units |
- | 1995 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 333-367. | Figures are as of Dec. 31, 1995. Number used for "congregations " is from number of Catholic parishes. |
| Catholic | Kiribati | 44,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Catholic | Kiribati | 43,698 | 53.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.); Total population: 82,449 (1997 est.). |
| Catholic | Kiribati | 38,841 | 48.00% | - | - | 1997 | Leibo, Steven A. East, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997), pg. 186. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Catholic | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Roman Catholicism: Headquarters at Teaorereke, Tarawa. The bishop is Paul Mea. Most of the priests and nuns are now I-Kiribati, though some of the French priests and Australian nuns probably remain. Dominate the Northern Gilberts. " |
| Christianity | Kiribati | - | 95.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Ethnologue Database " (viewed circa Dec. 1998) | "Religion: Christian 95%, Baha'i 5% " |
| Christianity | Kiribati | 73,775 | 95.00% | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Kiribati/Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC) " (viewed 31 May 1999). | "Kiribati... Country information: Population: 77,658... Main religions: Christianity (95%)... " |
| Christianity | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "The major organized religion is Christianity, represented by a number of sects. A small percentage of the population follow the Bahai faith. Most of the Christian sects are involved in education; usually through the running of a secondary school... Roman Catholic... Kiribati Protestant Church... Latter-day Saints... Seventh Day Adventists... Church of God " |
| Church of God | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Church of God: Headquarters at Eita, Tarawa (I believe). " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1900 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Latter Day Saints (Mormons): Headquarters at Eita, Tarawa. They operate the Moroni High School at Eita. "; Education Page of this web site: "Brigham Young University, Hawaii: Many of the students from Moroni High School go on to BYU in Hawaii. There appears to an I Kiribati Students Society active there. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | 5,100 | 6.40% | 17 units |
- | 1995 | Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1996), pg. 188-408. | "Year-end 1995: Est. population [of country]; Members, [number shown in '# of adherents' column to left] " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | 4,600 | 6.57% | - | - | 1996 | "First Stake in Kiribati formed, Islands Dedicated " in Ensign (Nov. 1996), pg. 107. | "...currently there are approximately 4,600 members among a population of 70,000 in the republic. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | 5,100 | 6.38% | - | - | 1997 | "Kiribati Flowers in the Pacific " in Ensign (Dec. 1997), pg. 69. | "Some 25 years after the Church first reached Kiribati, membership in the 33-island nation totals 5,100 out of a population of about 80,000. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | 6,000 | 7.10% | 18 units |
- | 1997 | Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1998), pg. 267-410. | Information from a variety of sources. Figures for year-end 1997. |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | "LDS Scene " in Ensign (May 1999), pg. 120. | "Teburoro Tito, president of the 36-island, mid-Pacific republic of Kiribati, was recently the guest of honor at a celebration held by members at Church-owned Moroni Community School. Focusing on the theme of 'We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law' (A of F 1:12), the celebration featured feasting and traditional dancing groups from eight wards in the Tarawa Kiribati Stake. In his closing remarks, President Tito commented on the spirit of cooperation among Latter-day Saints and on the rapid growth of the Church in Kiribati. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 2000 | *LINK* "Indonesian, LDS leaders dine together " in Deseret News (online, 27 Jan. 2000) | "President Hinckley... Earlier in the trip, he... stopped in Tarawa, Kiribati, a coral atoll in the Pacific, where 1,500 people met the plane. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 2000 | "Two New Temples Dedicated, President Hinckley Visits Saints in Pacific " in Ensign (April 2000), pg. 74-76. | "...in January... President Hinckley... met with... 1,500 at the airport in Tarawa... In Kiribati, President Hinckley was welcomed by Kaiaotika Tekee, minister of Environment and Social Welfare for Kiribati, representing the president of his country. " |
| Congregationalist | Kiribati | 32,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table [listed in table as "Congregational "] |
| Congregationalist | Kiribati | 33,804 | 41.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.); Total population: 82,449 (1997 est.). |
| Council for World Mission | Kiribati | 29,432 | 37.90% | 129 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Kiribati/Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC) " (viewed 31 May 1999). | "Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC)... Country information: Population: 77,658... Main religions: Christianity (95%)... Church information:... Members/Congregations: 29,432/129. " [KPC is the only Council for World Missions church in Kiribati] |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Kiribati | 12 | 0.02% | 1 unit |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Adherent count here is from "1983 Peak Publishers " column |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Kiribati | 83 | 0.10% | 1 unit |
- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site | Adherent/member count is for "1997 Peak Witnesses "; Memorial attendance (annual sacrament meeting) for same year: 239. |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Kiribati | 88 | 0.11% | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; This adherent/member count is for "1998 Peak Witnesses " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Kiribati | 55 | - | 1 unit |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Data from columns: "No. of congs. " and "Memorial attendance " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Kiribati | 239 | 0.30% | 1 unit |
- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site | From 1997 Statistics "Memorial attendance " column. Count of all who attend this once-a-year meeting, whether or not a "publisher " in full standing. Most would be considered adherents. |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Kiribati | 240 | 0.31% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; "Memorial attendance " column indicates attendance at yearly communion meeting. |
| Kiribati Protestant Church | Kiribati | 29,432 | 37.90% | 129 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Kiribati/Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC) " (viewed 31 May 1999). | "Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC)... Country information: Population: 77,658... Main religions: Christianity (95%)... Church information:... Members/Congregations: 29,432/129. " |
| Kiribati Protestant Church | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC): Headquarters at Tangintebu, Tarawa. Almost entirely staffed by I-Kiribati, except for some teaching positions. Dominate the Southern Gilberts... " |
| London Missionary Society | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1900 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Protestant evangelism was originally split between Hawaiian missionaries of the ABCFM and Samoan missionaries under the direction of the LMS [London Missionary Society]. The ABCFM more or less withdrew by default, formally handing over the sphere of influence to the LMS in the early part of the 20th century who established a European staffed presence from about 1900 onwards at Beru... " |
| other | Kiribati | 6,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; "other " = NOT Roman Catholic or Congregational |
| paganism | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Paganism: The original pagan religion of the islands is rarely recorded as the religion of record, but often forms an undercurrent to a christian superstructure. Belief in the power of magic and the existence of ghosts ('anti') is widespread. Small pagan 'shrines' are often to be found in the bush. Extracts from the Encyclopedia of Pacific Mythology by Jan Knappert can be found here. These describe some of the major players in the many overlapping myths of Kiribati. There appear to be several threads to Kiribati mythology, each offering different interpretations and populated (sometimes) by different beings. " |
| Protestant | Kiribati | - | 42.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% "; Protestant "includes all non-Roman Catholic denominations " |
| Protestant | Kiribati | 33,804 | 41.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.); Total population: 82,449 (1997 est.). |
| Protestant | Kiribati | 36,414 | 45.00% | - | - | 1997 | Leibo, Steven A. East, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997), pg. 186. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop.; "Principal Religions: Roman Catholic Christianity (48%), Protestant Christianity 45% (Congregational). " |
| Seventh-day Adventist | Kiribati | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Kiribati "; web page: "Religion "; Originally by Jonathan Willis-Richards. This version edited by Mike Pearson. Viewed 31 May 1999. | "Seventh Day Adventists: Headquarters at Kauma, Abemema. The president in Kiribati is Pastor David Hay (Uekera, March 15th, 1996). " |
| Baptist World Alliance | Korea | 650,000 | 2.78% | 2,215 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals "; [BWA stats. in individual countries are sum of figures for member bodies of BWA in the countries.]; [County population figures for 1998 from United Nations data available here.] |
| Buddhism | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1392 C.E. | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 113. | "Buddhism roots in Korea date back to its introduction from China around the fourth century. The Buddhist religio dominated Korea during the Silla Dynasty (668-935) and reached its height under the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392). Afterwards, Buddhism suffered a decline. To some extent, Buddhists were even persecuted during the Chosun Dynasty. " |
| Buddhism | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1919 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "During the First World War and its aftermath, the embers of nationalism within the Korean people burst into flames and anti-Japanese resistance increased. Christian, Confucian, Buddhist, and Ch'ondogyo leaders jointly decided in favor of a non-violent popular independence movement. " |
| Catholic | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1784 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 131. | "In 1784, Korean scholar Yi Sung Han converted to Roman Catholicism while studying in Peking... In 1785, the same year the first Roman Catholic missionary entered Korea, King Chongjo outlawed Christianity. Nevertheless, in 1794, the first Catholic priest arrived in Korea. " |
| Catholic | Korea | 23,000 | - | - | - | 1830 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 131. | "Despite harsh persecution of Roman Catholics that began in 1801, the Catholic Church steadily grew to about 23,000. The next Protestant contact with Korea occurred in 1832... " |
| Catholic | Korea | - | 0.00% | - | - | 1863 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 131. | "...in 1863, amid such prevalent anti-Western sentiment, Taewn Gun... prohibited the propagation of Christianity... These edicts were accompanied by the Korean regents decreeing the eradication of all Catholics. Over 8,000 converts and nine French priests were executed. This harsh persecution virtually obliterated the Korean Catholic Church. " |
| Catholic | Korea | 20,000 | - | - | - | 1865 | *LINK* web site: "Little Korea "; web page: "Religion " (viewed 22 Jan. 1999) | "By 1865, there were an estimated 20,000 Catholic converts in Korea. " |
| Catholic | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1937 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 140. | "Although the Japanese had made Shinto worship a high priority in Korea, in 1937 they began to systematically enforce mandatory Shinto idolatry for all Koreans. For example, all students at Christian schools were orderred to worship at Shinto shrines. The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Holiness denominations submitted to the Japanese directive in the face of Japan'ss brutal enforcement measures. They rationalized their acquiescence to Shintoism by calling the blatant idolatry a 'cultural ritte.' " |
| Catholic | Korea | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 142. | "In 1945, the Communist Korean Workers' Party began the massive anti-religion campaign... Countless atrocities and murders were committed agains the 50,000 Catholics and 300,000 Protestants who became the first ideological targets of the new totalitarian regime. " |
| Catholic | Korea | 800,000 | - | - | - | 1977 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 341. | "In Korea, Christianity experienced a phenomenal growth in the decade immediately following the war (1950-53)... One of the most prominent Catholic spokesmen for social justice has been the bishop of Won Ju, Tji Hak Soun, who was recently arrested in connection with a demonstration of dissent. HIs conviction and sentencing to fifteen years' imprisonment has created grave tension between the government and the 800,000 Catholics. " |
| Ch'ondogyo | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1880 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 116. | "Chondokyo is a Korean syncretistic religion that emerged from the Tonghak (Eastern Learning) Movement of the mid to late 1800s. It draws from the teachings of shamanism, Buddhsim, Taoism, Confucianism, and Catholicism to emphasize the divine nature of all people. " |
| Ch'ondogyo | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1919 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "During the First World War and its aftermath, the embers of nationalism within the Korean people burst into flames and anti-Japanese resistance increased. Christian, Confucian, Buddhist, and Ch'ondogyo leaders jointly decided in favor of a non-violent popular independence movement. " |
| Ch'ondogyo | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Wilson, Andrew (ed). "The World Religions and their Scriptures " in World Scripture. International Religious Foundation, 1991. (viewed 9 July 1999) | "Korea, since the 1960s, has seen the emergence of religious movements seeking to rediscover the indigenous Korean religion, that ancient religion which is believed to have prevailed prior to the importation of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. These movements include... the Tae Jong Church, the Han Il Church, the Chun Do Church, and countless small groups of folk religionists. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 36 | - | - | - | 1653 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 130. | "In 1653, another Dutch ship, Sparrow Hawk, shipwrecked on Cheju Island in southern Korea. Twenty-eight of the sixty-four crewmen drowned; the thirty-six survivors were captures by island authorities and sent to Seoul and elsewhere in southwestern Korea. In 1666, eight of the captives escaped after a fourteen-year imprisonment. Though there are no documented conversions of Koreans to Christianity from these contacts, one may infer from the writings of Hendrik Hamel, the Sparrow Hawk's bookkeeper, that Koreans likely took note of Christianity. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 26,000 | - | - | - | 1910 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 138. | "Much of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) took place in what is now North Korea, especially around the Pyongyang area. During the war, the growth of the Korean Church [meaning Protestantism] accelerated. American missionaries did not flee the Korean war zone but instead continued to strengthen the Korean Church. In January 1907, the Korean Church experience a great revival that coincided with revivals [Pentecostalism] elsewhere around the globe, such as South Africa, China, and Los Angeles, California. Korea's revival started in Pyongyang. Thousands of people confessed their sins and a wave of repentance spread over the entire country. This revival was followed by a great spiritual awakening resulting in the Million Souls Movement of 1908-1910. As the Korean Church grew to over 26,000 believers, Pyongyan came to be called the Jeusalem of the East. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1914 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 138. | "The fact that many of the foreign Christian missionaries did not support the Japanese [during the Russo-Japanese War] helped the Church to grow rapidly. By 1914, the Church quadrupled in size to almost 100,000 belieers. Missionaries imparted a biblical Great Commission focus to the growing Korean Church. As a result, Korea's General Evangelical Council formed the Federal Council of Missions. Korean churches began sending missionaries to Shantung in China, Siberia in Russia, and elsewhere. " |
| Christianity | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1919 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "During the First World War and its aftermath, the embers of nationalism within the Korean people burst into flames and anti-Japanese resistance increased. Christian, Confucian, Buddhist, and Ch'ondogyo leaders jointly decided in favor of a non-violent popular independence movement. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 168,000 | - | - | - | 1935 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "Atrocities, torture, and persecution continued during the 1930s. Yet the Church in Korea continued to grow, with an estimated 168,000 believers by 1935. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 350,000 | - | 2,000 units |
- | 1945 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 142. | "In 1945, the Communist Korean Workers' Party began the massive anti-religion campaign by systematically destroying about 2,000 churches and 400 Buddhist temples. Countless atrocities and murders were committed agains the 50,000 Catholics and 300,000 Protestants who became the first ideological targets of the new totalitarian regime. " |
| Christianity | Korea | 300,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Oberdorfer, Don. The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History; Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley (1997), pg. 49-51. | "From an estimated 300,000 in North and South Korea in 1945, the number of Christians had grown rapidly by 1974 to an estimated 4.3 million in South Korea (3.5 million Protestants and 800,000 Roman Catholics). " |
| Communist | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1945 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 142. | "In 1945, the Communist Korean Workers' Party began the massive anti-religion campaign by systematically destroying about 2,000 churches and 400 Buddhist temples. Countless atrocities and murders were committed agains the 50,000 Catholics and 300,000 Protestants who became the first ideological targets of the new totalitarian regime. For example, in Yusoo, a Communist brutally murdered the two sons of Sohn Yang Won, pastor of the Wilson Leprosarium... By 1946, the Communists had also purged all Nationalist and Christian leaders from the governing coalition in the North... When the Communists came to power, one of the ways they persecuted Christians was through their children... parents were either killed outright or sent to a slow death in concentration camps. " |
| Confucianism | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1919 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "During the First World War and its aftermath, the embers of nationalism within the Korean people burst into flames and anti-Japanese resistance increased. Christian, Confucian, Buddhist, and Ch'ondogyo leaders jointly decided in favor of a non-violent popular independence movement. " |
| Dutch Reformed | Korea | 3 | - | - | - | 1628 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 130. | "Dutch seamen made the first Protestant Christian contact with Korea in the 17th century. In 1628, three sailors, all members of the Dutch Reformed Church, were shipwrecked on the Korean coast and made the country their home. " |
| Dutch Reformed | Korea | 36 | - | - | - | 1653 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 130. | "In 1653, another Dutch ship, Sparrow Hawk, shipwrecked on Cheju Island in southern Korea. Twenty-eight of the sixty-four crewmen drowned; the thirty-six survivors were captures by island authorities and sent to Seoul and elsewhere in southwestern Korea. In 1666, eight of the captives escaped after a fourteen-year imprisonment. Though there are no documented conversions of Koreans to Christianity from these contacts, one may infer from the writings of Hendrik Hamel, the Sparrow Hawk's bookkeeper, that Koreans likely took note of Christianity. " |
| Han Il Church | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Wilson, Andrew (ed). "The World Religions and their Scriptures " in World Scripture. International Religious Foundation, 1991. (viewed 9 July 1999) | "Korea, since the 1960s, has seen the emergence of religious movements seeking to rediscover the indigenous Korean religion, that ancient religion which is believed to have prevailed prior to the importation of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. These movements include... the Tae Jong Church, the Han Il Church, the Chun Do Church, and countless small groups of folk religionists. " |
| Holiness/Holy | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1937 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 140. | "Although the Japanese had made Shinto worship a high priority in Korea, in 1937 they began to systematically enforce mandatory Shinto idolatry for all Koreans. For example, all students at Christian schools were orderred to worship at Shinto shrines. The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Holiness denominations submitted to the Japanese directive in the face of Japan'ss brutal enforcement measures. They rationalized their acquiescence to Shintoism by calling the blatant idolatry a 'cultural ritte.' " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Korea | 33,171 | 0.08% | 562 units |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Adherent count here is from "1983 Peak Publishers " column |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Korea | 71,535 | - | 562 units |
- | 1983 | Botting, Heather & Gary Botting. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press (1984), pg. 53-59. | Table: "1983 Service Year Report of JWs Worldwide "; Data from columns: "No. of congs. " and "Memorial attendance " |
| JeungSanDo | Korea | 10,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* web site: JeungSanDo home page (viewed 27 Feb. 1999) | "In this century, ten million people in Korea have had spiritual experiences through TaeUlJu. Currently, all over the world people are experiencing the miracles of TaeUlJu through the New Age Expos held in the US and England. " |
| Korea Baptist Convention | Korea | 650,000 | - | 2,215 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals " |
| Methodist | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1937 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 140. | "Although the Japanese had made Shinto worship a high priority in Korea, in 1937 they began to systematically enforce mandatory Shinto idolatry for all Koreans. For example, all students at Christian schools were orderred to worship at Shinto shrines. The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Holiness denominations submitted to the Japanese directive in the face of Japan'ss brutal enforcement measures. They rationalized their acquiescence to Shintoism by calling the blatant idolatry a 'cultural ritte.' " |
| Methodist | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 478. | "[Methodist] Churches having more than 20,000 members are found in... India, Malaysia-Sinagpore, Korea, the Philippines... " |
| Methodist Protestant Church | Korea | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1991 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991), pg. 191. Section: Pietist-Methodist Family: Non-Episcopal Methodism. | "Methodist Protestant Church... Monticello, MS [H.Q.]... Mission work has been established in Korea and in two locations and in British Honduras... Membership: Not reported. " |
| New Religionists | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Wilson, Andrew (ed). "The World Religions and their Scriptures " in World Scripture. International Religious Foundation, 1991. (viewed 9 July 1999) | "Korea, since the 1960s, has seen the emergence of religious movements seeking to rediscover the indigenous Korean religion, that ancient religion which is believed to have prevailed prior to the importation of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. These movements include the Tan Goon Church, named after Tan Goon, the ancestor of the Korean people; the Tae Jong Church, the Han Il Church, the Chun Do Church, and countless small groups of folk religionists. " |
| Presbyterian | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1937 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 140. | "Although the Japanese had made Shinto worship a high priority in Korea, in 1937 they began to systematically enforce mandatory Shinto idolatry for all Koreans. For example, all students at Christian schools were orderred to worship at Shinto shrines. The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Holiness denominations submitted to the Japanese directive in the face of Japan'ss brutal enforcement measures. They rationalized their acquiescence to Shintoism by calling the blatant idolatry a 'cultural ritte.' The Presbyterians were an exception. Rather than submitting, their denomination's leaders opted to close all of their Christian schools. " |
| Protestant | Korea | 3 | - | - | - | 1628 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 130. | "Dutch seamen made the first Protestant Christian contact with Korea in the 17th century. In 1628, three sailors, all members of the Dutch Reformed Church, were shipwrecked on the Korean coast and made the country their home. " |
| Protestant | Korea | 250 | - | - | - | 1905 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 137-138. | "By 1894, Protestant missionaries had won almost 250 people to Christ, mostly in the ruling class. In the decade that followed, the Church in Korea grew slowly in size as well as in self-sufficiency. Then, in 1904, Russian activities in the North sparked a new conflict, this time between Japan and Russia. " |
| Protestant | Korea | 300,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 142. | "In 1945, the Communist Korean Workers' Party began the massive anti-religion campaign... Countless atrocities and murders were committed agains the 50,000 Catholics and 300,000 Protestants who became the first ideological targets of the new totalitarian regime. " |
| Scientology | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* web page (OPPOSING VIEW): "Scientology Worldwide " (viewed 13 Feb. 1999); "Last Update on 10th Feb. 1999 " | Number here ( "# congregations ") represent total of all orgs: Dianetic Centers, Celebrity Centers, missions, etc.; "CoS web sites have lists of Missions (1998) & Orgs (1996) from which the Table below is derived. Original concept and research by 'Inducto'. " |
| Shinto | Korea | - | - | - | - | 1935 | Belke, Thomas J. Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion. Bartlesville, OK: Living Sacrifice Books Co. (1999), pg. 139. | "Meanwhile, the Japanese were looking for a way to break the power of the Korean churches--and they found it. Since the beginning of Japan's occupation, the Japanese had required Koreans to bow before their Shinto shrines as a political statement of allegiance to Japan's emperor. However, this also had a spiritual significance. These Shinto shrines commemorated the spiritual union between the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, and the Japanese emperor-god. This meaning clearly marked both the goddess and emperor as pagan deities and the associated shrines as religious idols. Thus, any Korean who bowed before a Shinto shrine was engaging in an act of worship. " |
