Contemporary Hungary has no official religion.
From 2001–2011, "not religious" and "atheism" are counted apart. Historically, religion in Hungary has been dominated by forms of Christianity since the State's founding in the 11th century.
Despite the various faiths practiced, the total number is mightily overshadowed by Christianity with only 1.9% of people accounting for all these other religious affiliations. Over the last millennium, the percentage of Christians has declined from almost all population to about three-fifths today who proclaim themselves as Christians.
However, this is a group of very loyal Christians who work on the preservation of their faith. In June 1990, the Hungary Budapest Mission was created, followed by the first stake in June 2006. However, it is important to note that despite being the largest group, this is no longer in clear majority and the share in populace can be observed for evidence of a declining trend. A large number of Hungarian citizens did not choose to declare their religious beliefs which may show indecisiveness or a state of transition. Allied with the Constitutional Rights enforced by the Nobility and the military pressure of the Protestant Principality of Transylvania on the eastern border, Catholic Counter-Reformation achieved partial results compared to the other Habsburg-controlled possessions, like Bohemia and Austria, where Catholicism was restored to the status of the sole religion of the realm.
It was introduced by Saxon settlers in the early 16th century, but after its brief efflorescence, the introduction of the Reformed Church and the Counter-Reformation made it almost non-existent amongst Hungarians up to the late 17th century. Over the last millennium, the percentage of Christians has declined from almost all population to about three-fifths today who proclaim themselves as Christians. Religion in Hungary is predominantly Christian. Vol 1, p. 91.
Religion of Hungary . Wicca, a religion of English origin, has spread to Hungary as in the other countries of Western Europe. They worship according to the Armenian Rite, but they have united with the Catholic Church under the primacy of the Pope. The Tengri Community (Tengri Közösség)[17] is one of the Tengrist churches of Hungary. By Bilal Aftab Usman on April 25 2017 in Society. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was legally recognized in Hungary in June 1988 and its first meetinghouse in the country was dedicated in October of the following year by President Thomas S. Monson.
Hungary’s far-right leader using Christian ... Sun 14 Jul 2019 03.01 EDT Last modified on Thu 25 Jul 2019 04.18 EDT. "Navayana" Buddhism or Ambedkarite Buddhism, a recent Buddhist denomination emerged among the Dalits of India, a form of Buddhism socially and politically engaged for the betterment of the conditions of marginalised peoples, has been spread also to the Romani ethnic minority of Hungary. 07/09/2019 .
(2006). Either way, it provides a very interesting contrast to the history when Christianity, and specifically Roman Catholicism, was the major religions.
What about Hungary? Lutheranism is the third main historical religion in Hungary. Roman Catholics still form the single largest religious entity with 37.1 % of the people. The Greek Catholic Church buildings are famous for their architecture and are subject to numerous visits from tourists and locals alike. The Traditional Church of the Order of Arpad (Árpád Rendjének Jogalapja Tradicionális Egyház),[16] the Ancient Hungarian Church (Ősmagyar Egyház), the Community of the Hungarian Religion (Magyar Vallás Közössége), the Ancient Hungarian Táltos Church (Ősmagyar Táltos Egyház), the Yotengrit, and various Táltos groups are representative of this religion.[14]. The Reformation dates back to the 16th century when Lutheranism and later Calvinism swept the population. A total of about 18.2% Hungarians do not believe in a God or proclaim themselves as non-religious. Lutherans constitute the next most significant minority faith, and relatively smaller groups belong to various other Christian denominations (Greek or Byzantine Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Unitarians). Today, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary is a small minority in Hungary today. Historically, the formation of Hungary was based on Christianity as it was declared the state religion by King St. Stephen. The shift in religious thought process is also in line as reflected in the rest of the European nations. Most Jewish people who remain in Hungary live in the centre of Budapest, especially in district VII.
Hungary has warned Christians and Christianity are being driven out of public life in Europe, as well as being persecuted around the world. In 2018, according to a study jointly conducted by, This page was last edited on 26 July 2020, at 02:04. In the second half of the 16th century, however, the Catholic Habsburg Kings and Jesuits led a successful campaign of Counter-Reformation among the Hungarians. Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom July 26, 2019 Hungary has protected Christianity many times throughout its history, and is still proud to be Christian nowadays as well, and argues in favor of Christianity and Christian culture to be given the priority in Europe. According to the 2011 census, 39% of Hungarians are Catholic, (37.2% Western Catholic and 1.8% Eastern Catholic) 13.8% are Protestants, (11.6% Calvinist and 2.2% Lutheran), 1.9% have Other religions or denomination, 18.2% have no Religion, and 27.2% refused to answer. The Reformed Church supports 129 educational institutions and has 4 theological seminaries, located in Debrecen, Sárospatak, Pápa, and Budapest.[7]. Only about 1.8% of the people in Hungary practice Greek Catholic Christianity. [6] The church has 1,249 congregations, 27 presbyteries, and 1,550 ministers. The mission, its districts, and the Budapest Hungary Stake together contain twenty-two wards and branches serving approximately 5000 members. Hungary claims no official religion and guarantees religious freedom. From censuses of the years 1920 to 1998 the category also includes "not religious" and "atheist". Using both political and apologetic efforts, most of the High Nobility composing the Diet was already predominantly Catholic by the 1640s, a process consolidated as the new reconquered estates were granted to the converted aristocracy, who supported in Counter-Reformation. Historically, the formation of Hungary was based on Christianity as it was declared the state religion by King St. Stephen. The other major religions practiced in Hungary are Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Paganism. Hungary remained predominantly Catholic until the 16th century, when the Reformation took place and, as a result, first Lutheranism and then soon afterwards Calvinism became the religion of almost the entire population. At first blush, the country has a far better claim to Christian-ness that the United States. The Jesuits not only founded educational institutions, including Péter Pázmány Catholic University, the oldest university that still exists in Hungary, but also organized missions in order to promote popular piety. Despite this, the lower nobility, the town burghers and the common people still retained a largely Protestant – specially Calvinist – identity, opposing the catholic German-likeness of the Habsburg courtly politics. Religion in Hungary (Eurobarometer September 2019)[3].
Of these, only 1.5% identify themselves as atheists while the other 16.7% declare themselves as non-religious but do not discount the possibility of there being a God. [10], The influence of Muslims in Hungary was especially pronounced in the 16th century during the time of the Ottoman rule. The unaffiliated people made up 21.2% of the respondents and were divided between atheists with 2.7% and agnostics with 18.5%. [14][15] Traditional Hungarian paganism, based on Hungarian mythology and shamanism (Táltos tradition), has been revived and is known as Ősmagyar Vallás ("Ancient Hungarian Religion"). [6] Eastern Orthodoxy in Hungary has been the religion mainly of certain national minorities in the country, notably Romanians, Rusyns, Ukrainians, and Serbs.
Since in Hungary religions are encouraged to institutionalise into church (egyház) bodies in order to be recognised by the government, various institutions have formed, including the Hungarian Buddhist Church (Magyarországi Buddhista Egyházközösség),[11] the Gate of Dharma Buddhist Church (A Tan Kapuja Buddhista Egyház),[12] and others, mostly Vajrayana. This trend is fairly modern and can only be dated back to the last two decades and these numbers are expected to be higher in the future as more modernistic thoughts pave their way into the Hungarian society. While the constitution "recognizes Christianity's nation-building role",[4] freedom of religion is declared a fundamental right. In recent decades Buddhism has spread to Hungary, primarily in its Vajrayana forms through the activity of Tibetan missionary monks.
[6] Some Hungarian Jews were able to escape the Holocaust during World War II, but most (perhaps 550,000)[9] either were deported to concentration camps, from which the majority did not return, or were murdered by the Arrow Cross fascists. A népesség nyelvismeret és nemek szerint (population by spoken language), 1.1.6.1 A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint (population by mother tongue and ethnicity), 2.1.7.1 A népesség vallás, felekezet, és fontosabb demográfiai ismérvek szerint (population by religion, denomination and main demographical indicators) (Hungarian)", Special Eurobarometer 493, European Union: European Commission, September 2019, pages 229-230, 1.1 – A népesség száma és megoszlása vallás és nemek szerint, 1.2 – A népesség száma és megoszlása vallás és főbb korcsoport szerint, "Facts and Statistics: General information of the Reformed Church in Hungary in figures", "Budapest Dohany street Great Synagogue – the largest synagogue in Europe", "European Dalits: The role of Buddhism in social integration of young Roma in Hungary", "Romanian and Hungarian Ethno-Pagan Organizations on the Net", "Árpád Rendjének Jogalapja Tradicionális Egyház", "Területi adatok (Territorial data) – 2011 Census", "Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe", Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe: National and religious identities converge in a region once dominated by atheist regimes, Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe: 1.
This is in continuation with the historical tradition on which the state was formed.
Later it was re-introduced through inward migration by Saxons and Slovaks. Hungary has also been the home of a sizable Armenian Catholic community. According to the findings, 31 percent of respondents believed discrimination on the basis of religion or belief was widespread in Hungary, while 62 percent said it was rare; 80 percent would be comfortable with having a person of different religion than the majority of the population occupy the highest elected political position in the country.
The largest synagogue in Europe, the Dohány Street Synagogue, is located in Budapest. More than half the people are Roman Catholic, most of them living in the western and northern parts of the country.