Religion in Colombia

The Colombian Constitution of 1991 abolished the previous condition of the Roman Catholic Church as state church, and it includes two articles providing for freedom of worship:

• Art. 13: States that "all people are legally born free and equal" and that they will not be discriminated on the basis of "sex, race, national or familial origin, language, religion, political or philosophical opinion".
• Art. 19: Which expressly guarantees freedom of religion. "Freedom of religion is guaranteed. Every individual has the right to freely profess his/her religion and to disseminate it individually or collectively. All religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law."

Bridge over the Guáitara at Las Lajas Sanctuary, Ipiales

Sculpture of the creation of man in the central nave of the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá.

Christianity (Catholicism) was the official religion of the country from the Spanish colonization until the 1991 constitutional reform (National Constituent Assembly), which granted egalitarian treatment from the government to all the religions. However, Catholicism is still the main religion in Colombia by number of adherents, with an estimated 70% of the national population in nominal Catholicism, from which about 25% are practicing Catholics.

In the colonial period, the Catholic Church was created and in charge of most of the public institutions, such as teaching facilities (schools, colleges, universities, libraries, botanical gardens, astronomical observatories); health facilities (Hospitals, nurseries, leper hospitals) and jails. It also "inherited" a huge amount of land, approx. 1/4 of all the productive land, which was later acquired by the government.

Colombia is often referred as the "Country of the Sacred Heart", due to the annual consecration of the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a Te Deum directed by the president of the republic. Colombia has been re-consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 2008, in a country-wide ceremony celebrated by the main bishops and with the presence of the Colombian president (also a Catholic).

Protestantism, primarily Evangelicalism, now represents 13% of the Colombian populace, and is growing faster than the national growth rate. "Evangelicos" (as they are called in Colombia) hold to the authority of the Bible and the necessity of belief in Jesus Christ to be saved. Many of them belong to Pentecostal churches, but other churches are active as well.

The Bahá'í Faith in Colombia begins with references to the country in Bahá'í literature as early as 1916,[4] with Bahá'ís visiting as early as 1927.[5] The first Colombian joined the religion in 1929[6] and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in Bogotá in 1944[7] with the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers from the United States and achieved an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1961.[8] By 1963 there were eleven local assemblies.[9] In the 1980s institutions were developed in Colombia that have influenced activities inside and independent of the religion in other countries: FUNDAEC[10][11] and the Ruhi Institute.[12] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 68,000 Bahá'ís (0.2% of the population) in 2005.[13]

The Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab is the third largest mosque in Latin America

The Mosque of Abou Bakr Alsiddq in Bogotá.

Approximately 100,000 adheres to Islam according to some.[14] There are a number of Islamic organizations in Colombia, including Islamic in San Andrés, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Guajira, Nariño, and Santa Marta. There are also primary and secondary Islamic schools in Bogotá and Maicao. Maicao plays host to the continent's third largest mosque, the Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Most Muslims in Colombia are either of Arab or Madurese descent.

Various denominations have their own statistics:

• Seventh-day Adventist Church: 270,256 members as of June 30, 2017[15][16]
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 193,350 members (2016)[17]
• Jehovah's Witnesses: about 165,089 members (2015)[18]
• Bahá'í Faith: about 68,000 (2005)[13]
• Judaism: between 5,000 and 10,000 members
• Buddhism: approximately 9,000

Bogotá Latter-Day Saints Temple

Although the government does not keep official statistics on religious affiliation, a 2010 limited survey found[2]

• 70.0% Catholic
• 0.9% Charismatic Catholic
• 14.4% Evangelical Christian
• 1.6% Pentecostal
• 0.3% Charismatic Evangelicals
• 0.4% Protestant
• 2.5% Agnostic
• 2.2% Atheist
• 3.5% Theistic but no religion
• 1.3% Jehovah's Witnesses
• 0.5% Adventist
• 0.1% Muslim
• 2.2% no response

As of 2013, there seems to be no social controversy or problem arising from religious conflict. Religious discrimination is prohibited by the constitution and there is no official religion; however, the state is also explicitly not supposed to be indifferent to religious sentiments and the Catholic church has a special status.[14] All cities and towns in Colombia have a church, but there are also some temples, mosques and synagogues in the largest cities.

A Colombian-grown Taoist movement has spread significantly in recent years. In the 2000s, temples and congregations were target of a paramilitary repression whose motivations are still unclear.[19] Entire Taoist communities were massacred and leaders kidnapped.[19]

In 2008 Taoist communities organised and participated to various peaceful protests in some cities of Colombia.[20]

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism (primarily Evangelicalism). Some 4.7% of the population is atheist or agnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere to Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Hare Krishna movement, Rastafari movement, Orthodox Catholic Church, and spiritual studies. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. In addition to the above statistics, 35.9% of Colombians reported that they did not practice their faith actively.[2][3][21]

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by baptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.[22]

Some syncretic or native religious figures in the country are: The healing ghost of José Gregorio Hernández, the Purgatory souls (Animas del Purgatorio), the Lonely Soul (Anima Sola), the Powerful hand, the Black Christ of Buga, Valle del Cauca, 20 July Baby Jesus (Divine Infant Jesus), Father Marianito (beatified Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos 1845–1926),[23] the fertility rites of St Isidro and local variations of syncretism from other countries, such as Santería and Maria Lionza cult.[24]

• 
  The Black Christ Icon in the Basilica of Señor de los Milagros (Buga, Valle del Cauca) is visited by thousands of people every week
• 
  Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá (16th century). Virgin de Chiquinquirá is the patroness saint of Colombia. Chiquinquirá is a major point of religious pilgrimage
• 
  Virgin of Rosary in las Lajas Cathedral
• 
  Pilgrims visit Monserrate and the "Saint Christ Fallen by the whips and nailed into the Cross" Icon in Bogotá
• 
  The Anima Sola (lonely soul) often interpreted as a soul in purgatory
• 
  Virgin of Regla is the syncretic form of Yemaja

• Muisca religion