Definition
Colombia is 1.142 million km2 big and has 48.65 million inhabitants. While a majority is Catholic (79%), there are many types of Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal churches (13%) and an increasing number of non-affiliated people (6%). The presence of other religions, new religious movements, and nonreligious people is comparatively smaller at 2% (Pew Research Center 2014). There are also diverse forms of religious practices that reflect the indigenous and African heritage in Colombia. Judaism has been present in the country since colonial times and Islam entered the country in the nineteenth century. Catholic and evangelical churches have an important influence in the political life of the country, particularly in the aftermath of the peace process signed in 2016.
Introduction
The power of the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church transformed the demography and religious landscape of the land that became known as Colombia. At the time of the conquest, the encomiendawas...
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Rios Oyola, S.M. (2019). Colombia. In: Gooren, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Religions of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27078-4_344
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