Religion in the Marshall Islands
Christianity has been the main religion in the Marshall Islands ever since it was introduced by European missionaries in the 19th century.
The government generally supports the free practice of religion,[1] although the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim community has reported some harassment and discrimination.
Demographics
At the September 2021 census, approximately 96.2% of the population identified with one of fourteen established
In 2014 there were 150 members of the
Religious freedom
The constitution of the Marshall Islands establishes the freedom of religion, although it provides that this freedom may be limited by "reasonable restrictions". The constitution further states that no law may discriminate against any person on the basis of religion.[1]
Religious schools are operated by the
There is no religious education in public schools, but school events and government functions typically begin and end with a Christian prayer. The government provides some funding to private religious schools.[1]
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the Marshall Islands has reported that it faces difficulties interacting with the government, as well as harassment in general society. Representatives attributed these attitudes to prejudice against Muslims due to perceptions that Islam is linked to terrorism.[5]
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[6]
History of religious beliefs
Prior to the arrival of Europeans to the islands, and with them the introduction of
Indigenous religious beliefs & mythology
Although polytheistic, the Marshallese indigenous beliefs prior to the introduction of Christianity had one higher god, one higher above the rest.[7] According to James George Frazer, the Marshallese people respected this certain God, and offered him tributes like breadfruit, coconut, fish, etc. In their language, they referred to this deity as Iageach which signifies, "god".[7] Prior to when there was a serious undertaken they would solemnly bring offerings to their gods.[7] Or, if a man would go out in search of food or fishing, he would have to offer something in his family's name to the gods.[7] Some other deities they worshipped included spirits. It was believed that some types of spirits would appear in dreams or sometimes they possessed a body of a human in order to be seen in the flesh.[7] Some spirits were considered good and some were considered evil.[7] The evil spirits were called Anjilik. These evil spirits were thought to cause disease and sometimes possess the body of humans by stealing the souls out of their bodies. However, most of the spirits honored by indigenous Marshallese religion "...resided at a much lower level." "They included the spirits of dead relatives who might return at times to possess someone in the family so as to provide valuable information or other assistance."[7] Another category, are nature spirits. Usually these spirits were associated with certain plants or places.[7] One example might have been a particular spot, or reef that could have been considered dangerous because of the harmful spirits there.[7] To the "Marshallese people, like that of other Micronesians, was filled with dangers, many of them caused by superhuman forces". Although some of these spirits were "fixed" to the spot others could roam widely.[7] Sickness and disease was considered caused by spirits, and "so the most effective remedies for sickness also had to be sought from the spirits".[7] To determine who had caused the sickness and how it could be treated, the " Marshallese turned to the spirits for the knowledge that they were unable to attain on their own".[7] They used different kinds of divinations to try to answer and find a solution on their problems and diseases that afflicted them. One divination was throwing a handful of pebbles on the ground and from their pattern tried to discern the answer to their question. Another type of divination was tying knots randomly in strands of coconut or pandanus leaves and counting the number of knots afterwards to find the answer to their dilemma.[7]
See also
- Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands
- Baháʼí Faith in the Marshall Islands
- Islam in the Marshall Islands
References
- ^ a b c d US State Dept 2022 report
- ^ "Republic of the Marshall Islands 2021 Census Report, Volume 1: Basic Tables and Administrative Report". Pacific Community (SPC): Statistics for Development Division. May 30, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ The Muslim Times, article by Zia H Shah MD, dated September 1, 2014
- Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2017 § Marshall Islands US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
- ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Religion in the Marshall Islands – Micronesian Seminar". micronesianseminar.org. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b c d "Religious Beliefs In The Marshall Islands". WorldAtlas. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
External links