Religion in the Dominican Republic

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The many kinds of religion in the Dominican Republic have been growing and changing. Historically, Catholicism has dominated the religious practices of the small country. In modern times Protestant and non-Christian groups, like Jews and Muslims, have experienced a population boom.

1 Catholicism
2 Protestantism
3 Afro-Caribbean religions
4 Other religions
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Catholicism

Main article: Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic

Although there are several different religions practiced in the Dominican Republic, Roman Catholicism is the island's state-sanctioned official religion. Around 95 percent of the Dominican Republic's population practices Roman Catholicism according to a recent survey, though numbers have declined in recent years. Catholicism was established on the island by a Concordat with the Vatican, and during the end of the 1980s the DR's Catholic church consisted of 1 archdiocese, 12 dioceses, and 250 parishes, and over 500 clergy.

The Catholic church influences many facets of life in the Dominican Republic including strong ties to the government, and the country's education system, despite troubles in the past with Rafael Trujillo. Public schools are required to include the Holy Bible as a part of their curriculum. Private schools are not subject to this law, which is not heavily enforced. The influence of the Catholic church also affects the DR's marriage laws. Only marriages that are performed in Catholic ceremonies are recognized by the law. The only other marriages that are legally recognized the government of the Dominican Republic are non-religious civil unions, which can be performed outside of the Catholic church.

[edit] Protestantism

During the 1820s, Protestants migrated to the Dominican Republic from the United States. West Indian Protestants arrived on the island late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, and by the 1920s, several Protestant organizations were established all throughout the country, which added diversity to the religious representation in the Dominican Republic. Many of the Protestant groups in DR had connections with organizations in the United States including Evangelical groups like Assemblies of God, Dominican Evangelical Church, and Seventh-day Adventists. These groups dominated the Protestant movement in the earlier part of the 20th century, but in the 1960s and 1970s Pentecostal churches saw the most growth. Protestant sects active in the Dominican Republic now include:

Missionaries, Episcopalians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Mennonites, also travel to the island.

[edit] Afro-Caribbean religions

Of all the religions practiced in the Dominican Republic, the Creole religions of the Caribbean are the most secretive. African slaves practice their belives using catholic saints and imagery as cover. This gave birth to Santería and Vodou, or Voodoo. Although, the Dominican Republic has religious freedom, and citizens are allowed to practice whichever they please,the majority of native islanders believed Creolized religions to be paganist and therefore unacceptable. The number of people in the Dominican Republic who practice either Vodou or Santería is somewhat ambiguous, since these religions were meant to be hidden from the Catholic church.

Santería is a Cuban religion with a foundation in African beliefs mixed with Spanish Catholicism. The slaves that were brought to the island were given a simplistic introduction to the Roman Catholic religion, which included the worship of saints, and combined these beliefs with African traditions of worshiping many gods and goddesses. Vodou was established much in the same way, except for that it originated in Haiti. These two Creolized religions are similar in many ways, such as in their ceremonies in contacting their gods or spirits as well as the offering of sacrifices, and use of drum rhythms and dance. But, Vodou and Santería come from different African tribes, and Vodou incorporates elements of magic, while Santería includes possession rituals and beliefs. Beliefs in brujeria, witchcraft, are not dominant but exist among the population particularly in areas where Haitian immigrants have settled.

[edit] Other religions

Islam and Judaism are both showing a great deal of development in the Dominican Republic. With the recent completion of a mosque in Santo Domingo it's important to note the changing importance of religious diversity. Similarly, a Jewish synagogue also exists in Santo Domingo. Buddhism and Hinduism are both showing expansion of their adherents as well.