South Slavs - Religion

Religion

The religious and cultural diversity of the region the South Slavs inhabit has had a considerable influence on their religion. Originally a polytheistic pagan people, the South Slavs have also preserved many of their ancient rituals and traditional folklore, often intermixing and combining it with the religion they later converted to.

Today, the majority of South Slavs are Orthodox Christians- the most Bulgarians, Macedonians, Serbs and Montenegrins, whilst most Slovenes and Croats are Roman Catholics. Bosniaks, other minor ethnic groups (Gorani, Muslims by nationality) and sub-groups (Torbesh and Pomaks) are Muslims.

South Slavic ethnic groups by religion:

  • Mainly Orthodox Christians
    • Bulgarians
    • Serbs
    • Macedonians
    • Montenegrins
  • Mainly Roman Catholics
    • Croats
    • Slovenes
  • Mainly Muslims
    • Bosniaks

Read more about this topic:  South Slavs

Famous quotes containing the word religion:

    Religion is an attempt to get an irrefragably safe investment, and this cannot be got, no matter how low the interest, which in the case of religion is about as low as it can be.
    Samuel Butler (1835–1902)

    We seem to be pariahs alike in the visible and the invisible world, with no foothold anywhere, though by every principle of government and religion we should have an equal place on this planet.
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)

    All the sweetness of religion is conveyed to children by the hands of storytellers and image-makers. Without their fictions the truths of religion would for the multitude be neither intelligible nor even apprehensible; and the prophets would prophesy and the philosophers celebrate in vain. And nothing stands between the people and the fictions except the silly falsehood that the fictions are literal truths, and that there is nothing in religion but fiction.
    George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)