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:

    “When Religion and Royalty are swept away, the people will attack the great, and after the great, they will fall upon the rich.”
    —Honoré De Balzac (1799–1850)

    “This is one of the paradoxes of the democratic movement—that it loves a crowd and fears the individuals who compose it—that the religion of humanity should have no faith in human beings.”
    —Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)

    “But is it not the fact that religion emanates from the nature, from the moral state of the individual? Is it not therefore true that unless the nature be completely exercised, the moral state harmonised, the religion cannot be healthy?”
    —Harriet Martineau (1802–1876)