Christianity in Nagaland
The largest religion in Nagaland is Christianity. The state's population is 1,978,502, as of 2011, out of which 87.93% are Christians. The 2011 census recorded the state's Christian population at 1,745,181, making it, with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram as the four Christian-majority states in India.[2] The state has a very high church attendance rate in both urban and rural areas. The majority of churches are found in Kohima, Chümoukedima, Dimapur and Mokokchung.
It was in the early part of October 1871, Supongmeren from Molungkimong village was baptised at Sibsagar and enrolled as an American Baptist Church member. He became the bridge between the American Baptist Missionary
Nagaland was one of several regions of Northeast India that experienced Christian revival movements in the 1950s and 1960s. The "Nagaland Christian Revival Church", formed in 1962, grew out of the initial phase of this movement.[3] It had its origin in Gariphema Village of Kohima District where, in 1962, an event known as "The Great Awakening" started [citation needed].
The revival emphasised believers having a "personal encounter with Christ", the witnessing of "signs and wonders" (such as miraculous healings), and having a missionary outreach to non-believing or nominally-Christian Nagas.
The Naga National Council had a popular plebiscite in 1951, culminated to the 1956 Constitution whose preamble affirmed the sovereignty of God the Almighty in all the universe and the entrustment of the nation to Him who never ended to sustain the descendants of the forefathers.[7] religious relationships with India have also a specific discipline in the article A371 of the Constitution that come into force in 1963 and reserves to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland the right to approve by resolution any Act of the Indian Parliament in respect of "religious or social practices of the Nagas".[8]
An ancient indigenous religion known as the
Statistics
Year | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
2001[9] | 1,790,349 |
89.96
|
2011[1] | 1,739,651 |
87.93
|
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1901 | 601 | — |
1911 | 3,308 | +450.4% |
1921 | 8,734 | +164.0% |
1931 | 22,908 | +162.3% |
1941 | 9 | −100.0% |
1951 | 98,068 | +1089544.4% |
1961 | 195,588 | +99.4% |
1971 | 344,798 | +76.3% |
1981 | 621,590 | +80.3% |
1991 | 1,057,940 | +70.2% |
2001 | 1,790,349 | +69.2% |
2011 | 1,739,651 | −2.8% |
Source: census of India |
Trends
Percentage of Christians in Nagaland by decades[10]
Year | Percent | Increase |
---|---|---|
1901 | 0.59% | - |
1911 | 2.22% |
+1.63% |
1921 | 5.5% |
+3.28% |
1931 | 12.81% |
+7.31% |
1941 | 0% |
-12.81% |
1951 | 46.05% |
+46.05% |
1961 | 52.98% | +6.93% |
1971 | 66.76% | +13.78% |
1981 | 80.21% | +13.45% |
1991 | 87.47% | +7.26% |
2001 | 89.97% | +2.5% |
2011 | 87.93% | -2.04% |
Tribes
Percentage of Christians in the Scheduled Tribes[11]
Tribe | Christians | Percent |
---|---|---|
Konyak | 2,32,619 | 97.92% |
Sümi | 2,34,762 | 99.34% |
Ao | 2,24,525 | 99.07% |
Lotha | 1,71,771 | 99.23% |
Chakhesang | 1,53,740 | 99.27% |
Angami | 1,39,781 | 98.62% |
Sangtam | 74,439 | 99.26% |
Zeliang | 71,305 | 95.23% |
Yimkhiung | 66,514 | 99.32% |
Chang | 63,603 | 99.03% |
Rengma | 62,285 | 98.94% |
Khiamniungan | 61,246 | 99.35% |
Phom | 52,255 | 99.19% |
Pochury | 21,704 | 98.89% |
Kuki | 18,514 | 98.65% |
Tikhir | 7,468 | 99.08% |
Kachari | 3,938 | 30.21% |
Viswerna | 3,536 | 96.51% |
See also
- Christianity in India
- List of Christian denominations in North East India
References
- ^ a b "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "The early story of Christianity in Northeast India". 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b Allan Anderson, ed., "Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia", p237-238.
- ^ Olson, C. Gordon. What in the World Is God Doing. Global Gospel Publishers: Cedar Knolls, NJ. 2003.
- ^ American Religious Identification Survey Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine www.gc.cuny.edu.
- ^ Mississippi Denominational Groups, 2000 Archived 29 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Thearda.com. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "History from Naga Nationalism from the religious perspective". 17 November 2015.
- ^ "How do Naga peace and Article 371A belong together?". 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ a b http://www.cpsindia.org Archived 18 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine › BlogsPDF Web results The Christianisation of the Northeast – Centre for Policy Studies
- ^ blog.cpsindia.org/2016/10/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxxi.html