Religion Of Uruguay
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Since the colonial period Roman Catholicism has been the dominant religion but Uruguay has shown secular nature with the government separating state from religion and favoring a secular attitude towards all ethnic groups in the nation. |
The 9163 census has declared that nearly 62 percent of the population of Uruguay is Catholic followers but the attendance ratio to Churches and mass congregation has been only 4%. In the late 1980s it was estimated that nearly 66% of the population of Uruguay belong to Roman Catholic.The secular attitude of Uruguay goes back to colonial period when relatively the small number of Uruguay’s Indians protest against the ecclesiastical authorities and after Independence the anti-church ideas spread from France to the entire Uruguay thus reducing the influence of clerical dominance in the nation. In 1837 civil marriages were recognized and the state tool over the public cemeteries in 1837. Since independence the country started with secular outlook where the state maintains strict humanitarian outlook rather than Religious intentions.
Slowly the state started making the country a free nation from religious influence. In 1907 divorce was legalized and all religious instructions were banned from state schools. And it was under the radical Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez, the church was completely separated from Church and State was introduced with new constitution in 1917.
According to latest official survey nearly 47.1% of Uruguayans define themselves as Roman Catholic. There are 23.2% who believe in God but not in any religion, 17.2% as Atheist and almost 11.1% "Non-Catholic Christian" (Protestants). While a small portion that is 0.6% are followers of Umbanda and other similar "afro" religions and only 0.3% are Jewish in the country.
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