Rating: 7,8/10 (710 votes) Czech Republic Czech Republic is a European state with the most atheists. More than half of the country's population does not profess any faith. In terms of the number of atheists, the Czech Republic ranks first in Europe and second in the world. The majority of believers live in Moravia, less in the south and east of the country. Most atheists live in the north of the Czech Republic and in large cities. Despite the fact that the Czech Republic is a traditionally Christian country, recently interest in Islam has begun to appear. Islamic preachers are actively promoting Islam in the east of the country. The largest number of Catholics in the Czech Republic, they make up 39.2% of the country's population and 86.5% of the number of Czech believers. All Catholic priests take the vow of celibacy, which makes them different from other denominations. In addition, Catholics venerate the Mother of God, recognizing her immaculate conception and ascension after death. The second largest denomination of believers is Protestantism. Protestants - 5% of the total population and 11.1% among believers. The Czech Protestant Church consists of a large number of independent churches and sects related with each other only by their origin. Protestantism emerged from a powerful anti-Catholic reform movement that began in Europe in the 14th century. The Catholic Church underwent great changes thanks to the Reformation. The result of the changes was the abolition of many sacraments; only the sacrament of communion and baptism remained unchanged. There is no concept of celibacy. The rights of the clergy have changed. The Protestant Church does not allow forgiveness and the confession of parishioners by priests. The Protestant priest only reports to the community. The premises where church services are held have also changed. There are no icons, altars, statues and bells in Protestant prayer houses. There is no monasticism and monasteries. For Protestants, the source of doctrine is the Bible alone. Worship is simplified to a minimum and consists of preaching, praying and singing hymns and psalms in the native language. The third largest number of believers in the Czech Republic is the Orthodox faith. Orthodoxy has its roots in the Byzantine Empire. It is the oldest religion in the country. Unlike other Christian denominations in Orthodoxy, lengthy services are held, which include many different rituals. The main divine service in Orthodoxy is the liturgy. The main holiday is Easter. Worship can take place both in native languages and in the dead. In Orthodoxy, the clergy is divided into two types: white and black. The white clergy includes married parish priests. The black clergy are monks who have taken a vow of celibacy. In Orthodoxy, there are male and female monasteries. There is another large Christian community in the Czech Republic - the Hussite Church, which has about 700 thousand believers. It emerged as an independent denomination in 1920, separating from the Vatican. Rome condemned Jan Hus and his teaching, this was the reason for the formation of the Hussite church after the Czech Republic gained independence. Many Czech Catholics believe that Hus should be canonized, We also recommend reading Nudist beaches in Bulgaria Topic: What is the religion in the Czech Republic?. |