Religion in Europe

Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe.

This confrontation led to the Crusades, which ultimately failed militarily, but were an important step in the emergence of a European identity based on religion.

Nineteenth-century Orientalism contributed to a certain popularity of Hinduism and Buddhism, and the 20th century brought increasing syncretism, New Age, and various new religious movements divorcing spirituality from inherited traditions for many Europeans.

According to a recent study (Dogan, Mattei, Religious Beliefs in Europe: Factors of Accelerated Decline), 47% of French people declared themselves as agnostics in 2003.

A decrease in religiousness and church attendance in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden has been noted, despite a concurrent increase in some countries like Greece (2% in 1 year).

For example, in the United Kingdom, the 2001 census revealed over 70% of the population regarded themselves as "Christian" with only 15% professing to have "no religion", though the wording of the question has been criticized as "leading" by the British Humanist Association.

[15] Romania, one of the most religious countries in Europe, witnessed a threefold increase in the number of atheists between 2002 and 2011, as revealed by the most recent national census.

[18] According to the 2012 Global Religious Landscape survey by the Pew Research Center, 75.2% of the Europe residents are Christians, 18.2% are irreligious, atheist or agnostic, 5.9% are Muslims and 0.2% are Jews, 0.2% are Hindus, 0.2% are Buddhist, and 0.1% adhere to other religions.

[23] According to the same study a large majority (83%) of those who were raised as Christians in Western Europe still identify as such, and the remainder mostly self-identify as religiously unaffiliated.

[25] British, Russian, and other diplomats, businessmen, scholars, and world travelers also took note of the precursor Bábí religion[26] most notably in 1865 by Frenchman Arthur de Gobineau who wrote the first and most influential account.

In 1910 Bahá'u'lláh's son and appointed successor, 'Abdu'l-Bahá embarked on a three-year journey to including Europe and North America[28] and then wrote a series of letters that were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan which included mention of the need to spread the religion in Europe following the war.

[30] However the religion was soon banned in a couple of countries: in 1937 Heinrich Himmler disbanded the Bahá'í Faith's institutions in Germany because of its 'international and pacifist tendencies'[31] and in Russia in 1938 "monstrous accusations" against Bahá'ís and a Soviet government policy of oppression of religion resulted in Bahá'í communities in 38 cities across Soviet territories ceasing to exist.

Christianity, more specifically the Catholic Church, which played an important part in the shaping of Western civilization since at least the 4th century.

[41] The Christian culture was one of the more dominant forces to influence Western civilization, concerning the course of philosophy, art, music, science, social structure and architecture.

[41][42] The civilizing influence of Christianity includes social welfare,[43] founding hospitals,[44] economics (as the Protestant work ethic),[45][46] politics,[47] architecture,[48] literature[49] and family life.

Muslims have also been historically present in Ukraine (Crimea and vicinity, with the Crimean Tatars), as well as modern-day Russia, beginning with Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century and the conversion of the Golden Horde to Islam.

[60] Muslims make up 99% of the population in Turkey,[61] Northern Cyprus,[62][63] 96% in Kosovo,[64] 56% in Albania,[65][66] 51% in Bosnia and Herzegovina,[67] 32.17% in North Macedonia,[68][69] 20% in Montenegro,[70] between 10 and 15% in Russia,[71] 7–9% in France,[72][73][74] 8% in Bulgaria,[75] 6% in the Netherlands, 5% in Denmark, United Kingdom and Germany,[76][77][78] just over 4% in Switzerland and Austria, and between 3 and 4% in Greece.

[80] At one time Judaism was practiced widely throughout the European continent; throughout the Middle Ages, Jews were accused of ritual murder and faced pogroms and legal discrimination.

[94] During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, atheism and agnosticism have increased, with falling church attendance and membership in various European countries.

[2] Across the EU, belief was higher among women, increased with age, those with a strict upbringing, those with the lowest level of formal education and those leaning towards right-wing politics.

[18] As of May 2019[update], the top seven European countries with the most people who viewed themselves as atheists were Czech Republic (22%), France (21%), Sweden (16%), Estonia (15%), Slovenia (14%), Spain (12%) and Netherlands (11%).

[18] 17% of EU citizens called themselves non-believers or agnostics and this percentage was the highest in Netherlands (41%), Czech Republic (34%), Sweden (34%), United Kingdom (28%), Estonia (23%), Germany (21%) and Spain (20%).

[18] Heathenism or Esetroth (Icelandic: Ásatrú), and the organised form Odinism, are names for the modern folk religion of the Germanic nations.

The Natale di Roma, historically known as Dies Romana and also referred to as Romaia, is a festival linked to the foundation of Rome, celebrated on April 21.

From this date, the Roman chronology derived its system, known by the Latin phrase Ab Urbe condita, meaning "from the founding of the City", which counted the years from this presumed foundation.

[104] A number of countries in Europe have official religions, including Greece (Orthodox),[105] Liechtenstein,[106] Malta,[107] Monaco,[108] the Vatican City (Catholic);[109] Armenia (Apostolic Orthodoxy); Denmark,[110] Iceland (Lutheran);[111][112] and the United Kingdom (England alone) (Anglican).

Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Serbia, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey are officially secular.

Buddhism is thinly spread throughout Europe, and the fastest growing religion in recent years[114][115] with about 3 million adherents.

[120] Jainism, small membership rolls, mainly among Indian immigrants in Belgium and the United Kingdom, as well as several converts from western and northern Europe.