Religion in Tuvalu
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The Church of Tuvalu, which has historic ties to the Congregational Church and other churches in Samoa, has the largest number of followers.[1] Government estimates of religious affiliation as a percentage of the population include: Church of Tuvalu, 91 percent; Seventh-day Adventist, 3 percent; Baha'i, 3 percent; Jehovah's Witnesses, 2 percent; and Roman Catholic, 1 percent.[1] There are also smaller numbers of Muslims, Baptists, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and atheists.[1] The Tuvalu Brethren Church, a new charismatic Protestant group, is said to have as many as three hundred adherents, some 3 percent of the population, but this could not be confirmed by independent sources.[1]
All nine island groups have traditional chiefs who are members of the Church of Tuvalu.[1] Most followers of other religions or denominations are found in Funafuti, the capital, with the exception of the relatively large proportion of followers of the Baha'i Faith on Nanumea Island.[1]
Missionaries are present and operate freely.[1]
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice.[1] Societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice occur, but they are relatively infrequent.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tuvalu. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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