Religion in Freice

Religion in Freice according to the Freician Belief Survey

  Church in Freice (61.5%)

  Spiritualists' Christian Association (13.1%)

  Spiritist Fellowship (6.7%)

  Catholicism (5.4%)

  Protestantism (2.3%)

  Qosa (3.1%)

  Other Christian (1.9%)

  Baptism (1.1%)

  Not declared (3.6%)

  Islam (0.6%)

  Other (0.7%)

Freice is an an Olivacian country that is composed of mostly Christians. Uniquely in Freice, Christianity is defined by spiritualism, with spiritualist Christianity the predominant form. The two main forms of spiritualist Christianity are the Church in Freice (61.5% of the population) and the Spiritualist Christian Association (13.1%). The Spiritist Fellowship is closely aligned with spiritualism but is not Christian, and accounts for 6.7% of the population. Other forms of Christianity are also present, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Baptism, which are mostly practiced by immigrant communities. Likewise, Qosa and Islam are practiced by Duujo and Gassasinian communities respectively.

Although Freice has no official state religion, with the promotion of a particular faith expressly prohibited by the constitution, religion continues to play an important role in politics, society, and culture. Efforts to include a broad representation of the different religious groups in politics and the economy has had a significant impact on the role of religion in government. The current prime minister of Freice, Ańiāra Neḡdx́a, is a Spiritist, the first to serve as head of government.

Religious affiliation

The last census was held in 2021, which asks respondents to declare their religious affiliation. Alongside the census, a number of official and unofficial studies are conducted, which ask people about their religious beliefts.

The 2021 census reported the following: Christian, 85.3% (61.5% Church in Freice, 13.1% Spiritualists' Christian Association, 5.4% Catholic, 2.3% Protestant, 1.9% other Christian, and 1.1% Baptist); Spiritist, 6.7%; Qosa, 3.1%; Islam, 0.6%; Not declared,3.6%; and other, 0.7%.

There is some controversy over whether Spiritist Freicians constitute a separate religious group or form part of the country's Christian population. Spiritists themselves reject being labeled as Christians, although they align with many Christian practices. Official studies list them separately, although they are sometimes included in Christian numbers.

The smaller populations of non-spiritualist Christians, Qosa, and Muslims are predominantly of immigrant descent. Most Catholics, Protestants, and Baptists are of Riamese descent, reflecting Freice's colonial past. Qosa populations come from Duujo, although there are a small number of Freician adherents. Islam, the smallest major religion in Freice, is practiced by Gassasinian immigrants.

Christianity

Church in Freice

The Church in Freice is the largest Christian denomination in Freice, and is also the largest Christian spiritualist church in the country.

Christian spiritualism in Freice is a hybrid of unitarian Christianity, spiritualism, and traditional Freician customs. The church recognises the Christian God as the ultimate creator and honour Jesus Christ as a non-divine prophet. As spiritualists, the church places heavy emphasis on communication with the dead, and believe that spirits continue to evolve as the living do. Consequently, spirits are an important source of moral guidance, with practitioners appealing to spirits as well as God.

The church is hierarchical in nature. The head of the Church in Freice is the Archbishop of Qx́ēkūeqe, who is elected by the Holy Council. The Holy Council is responsible for the internal government of the church, including financial and administrative management. The Church in Freice embraces three orders of ministry: priests, senior priests, and bishops. Three bishops (of Kēkńā, Gx́ērī, and Uqe'eḡriā) are responsible for overseeing the clergy of their respective diocese, with the Archbishop also serving as ex officio bishop of Qx́ēkūeqe with the same duties. Senior priests are appointed by bishops to oversee smaller areas of their diocese. Priests are the lowest form of clergy, leading congregations and being the focal point of religious observance for most adherents. The priesthood is open to women, but senior priests and bishops are exclusively male.

Spiritualists' Christian Association

The Spiritualists' Christian Association is also a Christian, but is distinct from the Church of Freice in its governance and theological differences. The association is presbyterian in nature, governed by Meetings. Elders are elected by these meetings to perform duties usually undertaken by priests. Their theology is controversial, rejecting the doctrine of original sin and also holding that humans were originally created mortal. They also question God's omniscience in all things, believing his knowledge to be limited to what would definitely happen rather than what might happen. They place heavy emphasis on free will and, therefore, also reject the notion of a divinely-ordained plan for all mankind.

Spiritist Fellowship

The Spiritist Fellowship is the largest non-Christian religious group in Freice, which was formally established in 1912. The group identifies itself as a meeting of different faiths and beliefs, with an emphasis on accessing and communicating with the afterlife in order to improve morally and intellectually. However, with the development of distinct doctrines and religious practices, the Spiritist Fellowship is widely perceived to be a religious faith in its own right.

The Spiritist Fellowship argues that all living beings contain within them immortal spirits that, upon death, continue to develop and evolve before reaching eternal salvation. Like other spiritualist organisations, the Spiritualist Fellowship emphasises a personal relationship between mankind and spirits, with the latter being able to educate and guide the living towards enlightenment. They may also have a negative influence.

Fellows believe that the leader of the Spiritualist Fellowship is amongst the "most enlightened of all the living world", selected based on their "strong and positive relationship with the spirit guides". The chairman leads the church with the assistance and guidance of the most enlightened of spirits, embodying and spreading their knowledge. The fellowship, like the Church in Freice, follows a hierarchical structure, with the leader appointing senior fellows to assist them in the running of the church. Senior fellows appoint guide fellows, who lead and direct the fellowship's congregations. Unlike the Church in Freice and the Spiritualists' Christian Association, all leadership and organisational positions are open to women.

Religion and society

Religion and politics

The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.

Religion plays a big role in politics; some researchers describe the political system in Lebanon as "coming out of the womb of religion and politics". After the independence from France in 1943, the leaders of Lebanon agreed on the distribution of the political positions in the country according to religious affiliation, known as the national pact. Since then, the President is always a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is always a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of the Parliament is always a Shia Muslim.

Most parties have a sectarian identity as well, and represent the interests of their religion. A lot of clergies are involved in politics, and some are members and leaders of those parties.

Current political and religious issues

Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister must be a Sunni, and the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shia.

Although Lebanon is a secular country, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages conducted in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities.

Non-religion is not recognized by the state. However, in 2009, the Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud made it possible to have a citizen's religious sect removed from his identity card.

In April 2010, Laïque Pride, a secular group co-founded by feminist Yalda Younes, called for "an end to the country's deep-rooted sectarian system" and for a "secular Lebanon". Laïque Pride supports the enacting of a unified Civil Code for the Personal Status Law.

On April 26, 2010, in response to Hizb ut-Tahrir's growing appeal in Beirut and demands to re-establish an Islamic caliphate, a Laïque Pride march was held in Beirut. Three days later, 70,000 gathered in Martyrs' Square, Beirut for a march organized by Laïque Pride.

In 2011, hundreds of protesters rallied in Beirut on 27 February in a Laïque Pride march, calling for reform of the country's confessional political system. At the same time, a peaceful sit-in took place in Saida.

At a march in May 2012 in which 600 participated, Laïque Pride issued six demands, four concerning women's rights and two concerning media freedom. Secular student clubs from Saint Joseph University (USJ), the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), as the American University of Beirut (AUB) also participated in the march.

In October 2019, and until August 2020, a series of civil protests ensued in Lebanon, now known as the October Revolution condemning sectarian rule amongst a myriad of other issues plaguing their country. Lina Khatib, a journalist for Al-Jazeera, has labelled these protests as "cross-sectarian". She notes: "They are taking place across Lebanon, rather than only in Beirut. And they are demanding the fall of the government from the outset, while criticising political leaders from every sect."

Gallery

• Khatem Al Anbiyaa Mosque Detail.jpg

  Detail of the dome of the Khatem al-Anbiyaa Mosque in downtown Beirut

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  Saint George Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in downtown Beirut

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  Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Nejme Square

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  St. Elie and St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Beirut

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  Druze Prophet of Job Shrine

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  Listing the largest community in the Lebanese electorate, per qada and/or "minor district".
  Green = Sunni
  Purple = Shia
  Blue = Druze
  Yellow = Maronite
  Orange = Greek Orthodox
  Red = Armenian Orthodox

See also

• Christianity in Lebanon
• Islam in Lebanon
• History of the Jews in Lebanon
• Secularism in Lebanon
• Irreligion in Lebanon
• Freedom of religion in Lebanon
• Freemasonry in Lebanon
• Demographics of Lebanon