Group |
Where |
Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year |
Source |
Quote/ Notes |
Catholic - Uniate |
Romania |
40,434 |
3.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) |
Total population: 22,463,077. Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18% [Uniate: Technically, 3% of 6% would be .18%, but this actually means 3% total] |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Romania |
600 |
- |
9 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 |
Romania |
1,100 |
- |
16 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 the Nazarene |
Romania |
33 |
- |
2 units |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* official organization web site: Nazarene World Mission Society |
Church Statistics: Churches; 8 Jan. 1998; total population: 23,816,000 |
Convention of Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania |
Romania |
9,078 |
- |
100 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 " |
Eastern Orthodox |
Romania |
- |
83.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
Burke, Patrick. Eastern Europe. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers (1997), pg. 24. |
"In Bulgaria and Romania, most Christians belong to the country's Orthodox Church (83% of Romania's population, for example). " |
Eastern Orthodox |
Romania |
- |
69.50% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 23,816,000 |
Islam |
Romania |
200,000 |
20.00% |
- |
- |
1986 |
*LINK* Web site: "Arabic Paper "; web page: "Muslim Countries of the World " (viewed 15 June 1999). [Written 1998.] |
[NOTE: Unreliable statistical methodology.] "In 1986... Muslim Education Trust organization [U.K.] obtained... 1971 census & [info. from] Embassies of the respective countires... 1971 census showed the Muslim Minorities countries had around 308 Million Muslim.. "; "...add (784.5M [independent Muslim countries]+ 308M) = 1092.5 Million Muslims in 1971 "; Table shows country, "population " [number of Muslims in the country], & % Muslim. Total adds up to 317,391,000, so these figures are apparently intended to be estimates for 1986. |
Islam |
Romania |
- |
1.00% |
- |
- |
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% " |
Islam |
Romania |
55,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1997 |
Burke, Patrick. Eastern Europe. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers (1997), pg. 25. |
Graphic: "Muslim Populations, 1992-95 "; Bulgaria: 1,140,000; Hungary: 3,000; Poland: 4,000; Romania: 55,000. |
Islam |
Romania |
- |
1.00% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 23,816,000 |
Islam |
Romania |
300,000 |
1.20% |
- |
- |
2000 |
K. F. Bin Mohd Noor. "Muslims Statistics... for Year 2000 " [orig. src: Barrett. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982] |
Table |
Jehovah's Witnesses |
Romania |
36,405 |
0.16% |
459 units |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* official organization web site |
Adherent/member count is for "1997 Peak Witnesses "; Memorial attendance (annual sacrament meeting) for same year: 93,306. |
Jehovah's Witnesses |
Romania |
37,452 |
0.17% |
483 units |
- |
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 |
Romania |
93,306 |
0.41% |
459 units |
- |
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 |
Romania |
82,198 |
0.36% |
- |
- |
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. |
Judaism |
Romania |
- |
4.50% |
- |
- |
1925 |
Bermant, Chaim. The Jews. New York: NY Times Books (1977), pg. 128. |
"...by 1925... In Romania, where Jews formed 4.5 per cent of the population, over a third of the doctors, dentists and vets were Jews. " |
Judaism |
Romania |
800,000 |
4.80% |
- |
- |
1937 |
Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 161. |
Map: "European Jewry on the Eve of the Holocaust 1937-41 "; "Figures show Jewish populations in 1937 and percentage of total population. " |
Judaism |
Romania |
800,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1937 |
Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 220. |
"Approximately 30,000 Jews still live in Romania, out of 800,000 before the war... " |
Judaism |
Romania |
350,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1945 |
Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 220. |
"Approximately 30,000 Jews still live in Romania, out of 800,000 before the war and 350,000 at its end. " |
Judaism |
Romania |
30,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1990 |
Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 220. |
"Approximately 30,000 Jews still live in Romania... " |
Judaism |
Romania |
14,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Jewish Communities of the World web site (1998) |
Table: World Jewry. "collected our data from from demographic and other academic studies, community reports, and up-dates in the general media... consulted with experts to verify findings before reaching our assessments and estimates. " |
Nonreligious |
Romania |
- |
16.00% |
- |
- |
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% " |
Nonreligious |
Romania |
- |
14.00% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 23,816,000 |
other |
Romania |
1,850,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1996 |
1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. |
Table; "other " = NOT Romanian Orthodox or Roman Catholic |
Presbyterian |
Romania |
600,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1963 |
Rosten, Leo (ed.). Religions in America; New York: Simon & Schuster (1963), 8th ed. [1st pub. in 1952. 8th ed. completely revised], pg. 151. |
"There are, for instance, more than two million Presbyterians in communist Hungary, six hundred thousand in Rumania, and between one-third and one-half million in Czechoslovakia. " |
Protestant |
Romania |
1,389,210 |
6.00% |
- |
- |
1989 |
*LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies |
23,153,475 [total pop.] (1989). About 70 percent Romanian Orthodox, 6 percent Uniate, 6 percent Roman Catholic, 6 percent Protestant, 12 percent unaffiliated or other. |
Protestant |
Romania |
- |
80.00% |
- |
- |
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 |
Romania |
1,347,785 |
6.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) |
Total population: 22,463,077. Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18% |
Protestant |
Romania |
- |
8.00% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 23,816,000 |
Roma |
Romania |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1990 |
Kephart, William M. & William W. Zellner. Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Life-Styles (5th Ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press (1994), pg. 127. |
"It now appears, for instance, that the number of Romanian Gypsies may be as high as 2.5 million, making them by far the largest minority in Romania. " |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
- |
80.00% |
- |
- |
1918 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 324, 326. |
"When Romania finally became one unified country in 1918, over 80% of Romanians belonged to the Romanian Orthodox Church, while 10% belonged to the Greek Catholic Church (also known as the Unite Church). The rest of the population belonged to various Roman Catholic or Protestant Churches. " |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
15,000,000 |
- |
15,000 units |
- |
1925 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 324, 326. |
"Location: Romania; Population: 23 million "; "The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate was established in 1925 with metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops to oversee the 15 million members of over 15,000 churches, served by over 18,000 priests, thus making it the second-largest Orthodox Church in the world, after the Russian Orthodox Church. " |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
16,207,436 |
70.00% |
- |
- |
1989 |
*LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies |
23,153,475 [total pop.] (1989). About 70 percent Romanian Orthodox, 6 percent Uniate, 6 percent Roman Catholic, 6 percent Protestant, 12 percent unaffiliated or other. |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
19,680,000 |
- |
- |
- |
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. |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
15,724,154 |
70.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) |
Total population: 22,463,077. Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18% |
Romanian Orthodox |
Romania |
- |
70.00% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* "Romanian Orthodox invite Pope to visit " on Golden Compass Religious Worldnews (July 20). [Orig. source: Catholic World News] |
Nearly 70 percent of the Romanian population is Orthodox, while about 12 percent is Catholic. |
Scientology |
Romania |
- |
- |
3 units |
- |
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'. " |
unaffiliated |
Romania |
4,043,354 |
18.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) |
Total population: 22,463,077. Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18% |
Unitarian/Unitarian Universalist |
Romania |
80,000 |
- |
175 units |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* directory on offical church web site |
CONGREGATIONS: more than 125 with settled ministers and about 50 small fellowships, organized into 5 Districts.; MEMBERS: approximately 80,000 |
Altays |
Russia |
60,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 31-32. |
"Altays: Location: Russia (the Altay mountains of South Siberia); Population: 60,000; Religion: Native Altay religion "; "Despite conversion of numerous Altay communities by Russian missionaries in 19th century, Altays, both Christians & non-Christians, have remained firm adherents to their native religious traditions, which persisted even during Soviet period... resistance of Altays to adopting Christianity, Islam, & Buddhism... has resulted in retention of very archaic religious traditions since abandoned by most other Turkic peoples. " |
attendance - regular |
Russia |
30,000,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1988 |
Kort, Michael. Russia (series: Nations in Transition). New York: Facts on File, Inc. (1995), pg. 132. |
"Despite all the persecution and destruction, the Soviet regime could not entirely uproot religion. The Russian Orthodox Church and other religious groups were allowed to operate on a limited basis under careful state control. They continued to attract believers. During the late Soviet era, as many as 30 million people were reported to be attending church. " |
attendance - weekly |
Russia |
- |
2.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* Morin, Richard. "Keeping the Faith " in Washington Post (Jan. 12, 1998). |
"World Values Survey conducted in 60 countries and directed by the University of Michigan... attended church once a week, a figure that doesn't count attendance at weddings, funerals, christenings and baptisms... despite the fall of communism in Russia, only 2% of all Russians interviewed said they went to church once a week, the lowest level of weekly attendance of any of the countries included in the project. " |
attendance - weekly |
Russia |
- |
2.00% |
- |
- |
1997 |
*LINK* web site: "The University of Michigan News and Information Services "; web page: "Study identifies worldwide rates of religiosity, church attendance " (viewed 17 April 1999). "News Release: December 10, 1997 " By Diane Swanbrow. |
Table: weekly church attendance in various nations. "Source: Based on latest avail. data from... World Values surveys. Results with an asterisk are from the 1990-1991 survey; all others are from 1995-1997 survey. " |
Aum Shinrikyo |
Russia |
30,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* web site: New Religious Movements (University of Virginia) (viewed Sept. 1998); "Created by Jackie Fowler For Sociology 497, Fall 1998 " |
"The Internet Crime Archive reports that there are at least 30,000 Russian followers alone. " [Note: This text was originally on this web page (Fall 1998), but was no longer there after the author updated the page ( "Last updated: 12/22/98 "). This figure is of rather doubtful accuracy anyway.] |
Baptist |
Russia |
2,000,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1962 |
Rosten, Leo (ed.). Religions in America; New York: Simon & Schuster (1963), 8th ed. [1st pub. in 1952. 8th ed. completely revised], pg. 20. |
"In 1962, there were nearly 25,000,000 Baptists in the world. An accurate tabulation is impossible because religious statistics cannot be compiled in countries behind the Iron Curtain. It is estimated that there are 2,000,000 Baptists in Soviet Russia. " |
Baptist World Alliance |
Russia |
101,530 |
0.07% |
1,431 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.] |
Brahma Kumaris |
Russia |
800 |
- |
7 units |
- |
1995 |
Whaling, F. "Brahma Kumaris " in Journal of Contemporary Religion. Vol. 10, No. 1, 1995, pg. 12. |
"Russia, which now has four centres, three sub-centres, and 800 members came under the Delhi Zone. " |
Buddhism |
Russia |
- |
0.50% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 153,646,000 |
Buriats |
Russia |
500,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 83-84. |
"Location: Russia (mtns. of Southeast Siberia); Pop.: 500,000; Religion: Shamanism; Buddhism;... Orthodox, Christianity "; "traditional religion of Buriats was shamanism... Buriats east of Baikal adopted... [Tibetan Buddhism in] 1600s. Most western Buriats remained shamanists, but some adopted Buddhism or Russian Orthodox... Buddhism practiced by Buriats has incorporated many shamanist beliefs & rituals... Soviet govt. destroyed monasteries & imprisoned or killed almost all... Buriat lamas [in 1930s]... Buriat religious practices had to go underground until 1980s, when... Gorbechev abandoned... anti-religious policies... Now some of previously destroyed datsans are being rebuilt,...new ones are being opened, datsan schools... again training lamas, & shamans can practice openly without fear of persecution. " |
Catholic |
Russia |
1,306,000 |
0.88% |
- |
- |
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 |
Russia |
- |
0.50% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 153,646,000 |
Christianity |
Russia |
- |
56.00% |
- |
- |
1996 |
*LINK* web site: "Monday Morning Reality Check " (Protestant); web page (1996 list): "Eastward shift of Christianity to post-Communist world " by Justin D. Long, 1996 (viewed 12 March 1999) |
"Over 56% of Russia is Christian, with most affiliated with the Orthodox church. " |
Christianity |
Russia |
37,400,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1997 |
Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, DK Publishing, Inc.: New York (1997), pg. 160-161. |
List: "Top 10 Largest Christian Populations in the World "; (Rank: 10) |
Christianity - practicing |
Russia |
3,300,000 |
2.24% |
- |
- |
1998 |
"Restrictions on Religion Get Uneven Enforcement " in Christianity Today (Apr. 6, 1998), pg. 20. |
"According to World Churches Handbook there are 23 million Russian Orthodox believers among Russia's 147 million people... 3.3 million practicing Christians, including Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. " |
Chukchi |
Russia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1968 |
Pinney, Roy. Vanishing Tribes. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (1968), pg. 81. |
"In the northeasternmost part of Siberia, bordering on the Bering Strait, is the Chukchi Peninsula. On and around this peninsula live the Chukchi, one of the most ancient peoples of this section of the world... The Chukchi are the most prosperous people of the area. They make a livelihood either by fishing for sea mammals or by breeding reindeer. These two different occupations mark the distinction between the two groups--the Reindeer Chukchi and the Maritime Chukchi. " |
Chukchi |
Russia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 100, 102. |
"Chukchi: Alternate name: Lygoraveltlat; Chukchee; Location: Russia (Chukchi peninsula in northeastern Siberia); Population: 15,000; Religion: Native form of Shamanism "; pg. 102: "Chukchi religious beliefs and practices are best described as a form of shamanism... Chukchi shamanism... may be considered to have suffered less than other religions from the Soviet government's anti-religious policies. Since most shamanist activity took place in the home, there was no stable religious hierarchy to attack, and so it was relatively easy for shamanism to survive underground. " |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Russia |
3,700 |
- |
59 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 |
Russia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1997 |
Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1998), pg. 12. |
"On Feb. 22, 1997, Church members pulling a pioneer-style handcart embarked from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia on a trek through key cities in Russia and Ukraine. The cart eventually joined the Sesquicentennial commemorative Mormon Trail Wagon Train in the U.S. " |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Russia |
8,000 |
0.01% |
96 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 |
Russia |
8,500 |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* "Despite pessimists, Mormons achieve legal status: Mormon Church Now Official in Russia " (AP); cited on web site: "Russian Religious News " |
"...certificate of registration allows the Mormon church to continue its humanitarian and missionary efforts and provide meeting places for its roughly 8,500 members in Russia. " |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Russia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1998 |
Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1998), pg. 14. |
"The Church was formally recognized in Russia May 14, 1998, with a certificate allowing it to continue its humanitarian and missionary efforts in the country. " |
Church of the Nazarene |
Russia |
123 |
- |
5 units |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* official organization web site: Nazarene World Mission Society |
Church Statistics: Churches; 8 Jan. 1998; total population: 153,646,000 |
Chuvash |
Russia |
1,773,645 |
- |
- |
- |
1989 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 105-107. |
"Chuvash: Location: Russia (Chuvash Republic in Middle Volga River region); Population: 1,773,645 (1989 census); Language: Chuvash; Religion: Christianity; some pagan rituals surive "; "The majority of Chuvash were forcibly Christianized in the middle of the 18th century.. Animistic mortuary rites were practiced by the great majority of Bulgars as late as 1400 AD, and the Chuvash continued to observe these rites until they were Christianized... The majority of Chuvash profess Christianity, but some remnants of paganism survive in their religions idea of the universe. Wedding & funeral rites, worship of kiremet (a sacred tree, an offering palce), & agricultural festivals... area all indicative of the vitality of paganism. " |
Dialouge Centre |
Russia |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
1996 |
*LINK* Rothstein, Mikael. "Patterns of Diffusion and Religious Globalization: An Empirical Survey of New Religious Movements " in Temenos 32 (1996), 195-220. (Viewed online, Temenos web site, 30 Jan. 1999) |
"Another striking similaritry is the fact that the Dialogue Centre's members outside Denmark are very few. In Russia, where an attempt is being made to influence the Orthodox Church as well as government officials, those representing the organization are, apart from two Danish theologians, one or two priests of the Orthodox Church " |
Dolgany |
Russia |
6,571 |
- |
- |
- |
1989 |
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 125-127. |
"Dolgany: Location: Russia (Taimyr peninsula and along the Yenisei River); Population: 6,571 (1989 census); Religion: Orthodox Christianity; native form of shamanism "; "Traditional Dolgan religion is a form of Siberian shamansim... By the beginning of the 20th century, the Dolgan people were said to have all been converted to Orthodox Christianity. Traditional beliefs never completely disappeared, however, but instead were practiced secretly or incorporated into Christian ritual and practice. Although religious practices were prohibited in the Soviet Union, Orthodoxy is still strong and the role of shamanism in traditional culture is being revived in some areas. " |
Doukhobors |
Russia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1750 |
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. 231. |
"Dukhobors. Pacifist Russian sect which appeared in the mid-eighteenth century near Kharkov, later moving to the Caucasus. " |
Doukhobors |
Russia |
11,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1966 |
Woodcock, George & Ivan Avakumovic. The Doukhobors, Oxford University Press: New York, NY (1968), pg. 17. |
"...a Canadian leader of the sect visiting in Russia in 1966 was told that there were eleven thousand declared Doukhobors in the country. " |
Eastern Orthodox |
Russia |
- |
55.00% |
- |
- |
1998 |
*LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) |
Table "Religions "; total population: 153,646,000 |
Eastern Orthodox - active |
Russia |
- |
4.00% |
- |
- |
2000 |
*LINK* Moore, Carrie A. "Pastor faces hurdles in Russia " in Deseret News (26 Feb 2000) |
"Igor Volovodov, pastor of St. Apostles Peter and Paul United Methodist Church in Voronezh, Russia, said this week that... Though the vast majority of Russians align themselves with the Russian Orthodox Church, Volovodov says it's because 'of tradition, rather than belief. It's cultural rather than religious. Only about 4 percent of the people consider themselves Orthodox and go to church.' " |
EuroAsiatic Federation of the Union of the Evangelical Christians-Baptists |
Russia |
16,530 |
- |
231 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 " |
Evangelical |
Russia |
3,000,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1972 |
Marty, Martin E. Protestantism (History of Religion Series). New York: Hold, Rinehart and Winston (1972), pg. 15. |
"Russia... has scores of sects operating at the edges of the Russian Orthodox Church. At their side are numbers of small Protestant groups... the only well-known remaining Protestant groups are Russian Baptists. Some are evangelicals of native growth and some are the result of earlier formal missionary enterprises. Religious yearbooks give the number of these evangelicals as around 3,000,000, but it is difficult to get accurate statistics... " |
Evangelical |
Russia |
860,418 |
0.56% |
- |
- |
1995 |
*LINK* web site: "SEND in Russia and Ukraine " (SEND International, an Evangelical missionary org.); (Dec. 1998) |
"Population - Russia: 153,646,000; Ukraine: 53,770,000 (1995)... Religion - Russia: Secular, Christian, Muslim; Ukraine: Secular, Traditional Orthodox; Evangelical - Russia: .56%, Ukraine: 2.74% " |
Evangelical Mennonite Conference |
Russia |
- |
- |
1 unit |
1 country |
1814 |
Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991), pg. 309. Chapter: European Free-Church Family; section: Russian Mennonites. |
"Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Kleine Gemeinde)... Steinbach, MB, Canada [H.Q.]... The Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) came about as a result ofa renewal movement among a small gropu of Mennonites in Southern Russia in 1812. Their leader was Klaas Reimer, a Mennonite mnister... Around 1812 Reimer and several others began to hold separate worship services. By 1814 the Reimer group had separated entirely from the main body of Mennonites. They became known as the Kleine Gemeinde (small fellowship). " |
Evenki |
Russia |
28,000 |
- |
- |
- |
1979 |
*LINK* web site: "Ethnologue "; web page: "Russia, Asia " (Viewed 7 July 1999). |
"EVENKI (EWENKI, TUNGUS, CHAPOGIR, AVANKI, AVANKIL, SOLON, KHAMNIGAN) [EVN] 12,000 mother tongue speakers (43%) out of an ethnic population of 28,000 in Russia (1979 census); 10,000 in China (1990); 2,000 in Mongolia; 24,000 in all countries... Shamanist, lamaist, Christian. " |