Soigá is a small country, but it has a relative large diversity of religions. According to the census, about 80% of the country's population adheres to a religion. Religion had always divided Soigá, and to this date some people still primarily identify themselves with a religion. Christianity is the largest religion, with about 7 of every 10 people being Christian. The second largest religion is Firrobatism, and Soigá has the third largest Firrobatist population in the world (after United States and Brazil).
History of religion in Soigá[]
Historically, religions could be described as: Merdivozians became Catholic, Goa became Protestant and Inkians became half Catholic and half stayed Firrobatist. For centuries, if not millenia, people were Firrobatist in Soigá. However, things started to change when Catholicism was introduced by the Suevians when they came to Soigá. Merdivozians baptised themselves, and as they had a powerful position on the island, they could spread Christianity. In more remote parts of the island, people stayed Firrobatist, but gradually Inkians as well converted to Catholicism. The Goadii were more reluctant, but forced conversions happened. Islam was brought to Soigá in the Moorish period. The Moors were generally tolerant of other religions, and Islam wasn't as well spread through the island as Firrobatism and Catholicism were. That said, the Muslim population did grow. Protestantism arrived in the late Middle Ages, and the people of the East, who were generally of Goadii heritage, converted to Protestantism, as they were still oppressed and by having a clear separate identity they could have pride in what they were. In the Middle Ages, Firrobatism declined, but still it formed a sizeable minority: Čárösart himself, the first king of the Soigan Kingdom, was of Firrobatist heritage. Sephardic jews who fled from Spain and Italy to escape persecutions there, came to Soigá and thus brought Judaism. At the time (~1500 AD) Soigá was a relative tolerant place, as the Hofátur-Bilenzú era was primarily trade focused, which made good contact with other cultures important. In the 1850's, thousands of Maruiqis (Muslims) from nowadays Senegal fled to Soigá, with the help of Soigan captain Hífard Pešilek. From this man Grezemír's famous quote "We Soigans are all Hifards" came to exist. They were generally welcomed, as the common myth was that they were far relatives of the Soigan people.
Area chart of adherence to religion (or the lack of) from 1900 to 2010. Blue is Catholicism, red Protestantism, green Firrobatism and purple other (including Atheism/Agnosticism).
When King Hálámír became king in 1877, things started to change radically. King Hálámír was a extremely conservative Catholic, who believed that it was a shame that there were living so many "heretics" in Soigá. Hard persecutions followed for Protestants, Firrobatists, Muslims and Jews. According to estimates, 20% of the country's population was Protestant, 8% Firrobatist and about 70% Catholic. In 1920, this was as following: about 15% Protestant, just 4% Firrobatist and nearly 80% Catholic. This was mainly due to Firrobatists and Protestants having, because of the persecutions, a higher emigration rate, but also due to the higher birth rates of Catholics (mainly due to a lowering of the birth rates of the other two religious groups because of the persecutions).
Under socialist rule, atheism and agnosticism was encouraged, and children had to learn in school that theological explanations of observations and theories were all "made up" and scientifically false, but unlike other socialist republics, religious people were not forcibly deconverted. Religious activities were reluctantly tolerated, but often obstructed. Atheism and agnosticism grew rapidly after 1950, grewing from nearly zero percent to the nowadays number of 20%. However, after the proclamation of the Republic (1982) atheism and agnosticism grew less rapid. Still though, Catholicism and Protestantism have declined to about 60% and 12% nowadays. Firrobatism, however, actually grew after the proclamation of the Republic. This is mainly due to their higher birth rates. Expected is that Firrobatism will grow to reach the 10% in 2050, while Catholicism and Protestantism will be declined to 45% and 7% in 2050 (unaffiliated will grow to about 35%).
Geographical distribution[]
Catholic, Protestant and Firrobatist percentage by municipality
In Soigá, there is a clear distribution of the three "main" religions: Catholicism, Protestantism and Firrobatism. Catholics are most heavily concentrated in the South, with northern municipalities in Firečá being the most Catholic (94% Catholic in the Kríjá-Bazíl municipality). Hárýpé has been described as a "Catholic island" due to being surrounded by Protestant and Firrobatist areas and being mainly Catholic but separated by other Catholic areas quite a lot. Hárýpé was historically Firrobatist and in the South mainly Protestant, but colonists from Milatese areas under King Hálámír settled in the regio mainly to delve for minerals and cut woods for timber. Nearly the same story can be told for Gázimirgá. Gázimirgá was nearly fully Protestant, but Catholics from Mišömerá and Deverná crossed over the Sutífeln (Soigá's partly second longest river) to settle in the South of the regio. The West and North West of Soigá have become mainly Catholic in Medieval times, but don't have such a large majority Catholicism as in the South. Hitíká is, after Firečá (81.4%) and Mišömerá (77.2%), the most Catholic regio, with 72.6% Catholic, but it has also a significant Protestant minority (of around 7.5%).
Protestants are largely concentrated in the East. The regio with the highest percentage of Protestants is Tópesemá, with 74.3%. In fact, one third of all Protestants in Soigá live in this regio. It is the only regio with an absolute majority of Protestants. Hertúmóper also has a large percentually wise Protestant population, of about 42.6%, and Protestantism is the largest religion in this regio. In Hertúmóper, Catholicism also has a large presence in Hertúmóper (26.3%). Regios with significant Protestant minorities, in absolute number order, are Deferná (10.0%, mostly in the city of Makán and northenmost municipalities), Gazimirgá (25.1%, mostly in the North), Hinkíjá (11.2%, mostly in the South) and Hitíká (7.5%).
Firrobatists are mainly in the North, most notably in the regio of Hinkíjá, of which nearly all municipalities have a Firrobatist majority. The regio has a Firrobatist population of 34.6%, more than one third, the highest of every regio. It has also the largest Firrobatist population in absolute numbers of any regio. Other regios with large Firrobatist populations are all in the North, again in absolute number order, with Höngeví (20.2%, mostly in the East) and Čonmíjá (23.4%, mostly in the East as well) having also a Firrobatist population exceeding 10%. Other notable regios with a significant Firrobatist minority are Higormöz (9.1%, Far East and Far West) and Polčímer (7.6%, especially in the North). Notable Firrobatist populations live also in the main cities.
Christianity[]
Firrobatism[]
Firrobatism is one of the oldest religions in Europe, with the first artifacts of the religion dating way back, thousands of years before Christ. Firrobatism is often described as more of a way of living than a religion. The fundamental part of Firrobatism is about Zídarí, in English literature written as Sídar. Sídar means literally "to shake/friction". According to Firrobatists, Sídar is a force that feeds of hatred, "friction" between humans, nature and Jelevoz ("Dead Earth"). How more Sídar can feed off this, the faster Time ("Frímirájín") will go, and the lower the conscious level of everyone will be. Inner (Milí-Berdoz) and Outer (Totí-Berdoz) Harmony is needed to balance Sídar. Firrobatists believe that this can be achieved by giving as much as one takes, both innerly and outerly. Sídar is created as the Hímjáloríjá (lit. everything) was created by Omró, which is often described as Fatá Bejarai ("Father of Consciousness"), and as Omró created Everything from two materials: Ceroz, and Zídarí. This was needed to create Conscious people. Consciousness is thus there because of balance of The Good (Ceroz, done by Humans) and Zídarí (The Bad). Thus, a Firrobatist should strive for absolute Harmony and Balance. If this is reached, Time will stop which causes the People to reach the Čičápedemem, The Outer. This is yet unconceivable for humans, but it will be if Balance and Harmony will be perfect. This means the following: Firrobatists believe that anyone has Good, and Bad, as Omró created Everything from the two materials, and that the Earth is not our final destiny. Although not all Firrobatists believe in the following, Firrobatism is also quite apocalyptical. They believe that if Time continues, at a given moment Sídar will, helped by randomness, destroy the balance which will not only fasten the time extremely, it will also cause people to kill each other and destroy nature for nothing as there is too much friction. That's why Time must be stopped.
There are many myths and gods in Firrobatism, but these are not believed by everyone. Firrobatism puts the focus on the way of living. Firrobatists don't believe in punishment: they believe in enlightening to the path of Firrobatism. Punishment would only deteriorate the situation. This is so as they believe One has Good and Bad, and to reach the goal One must be in inner and outer Harmony. Firrobatist means One who follows the path of and for Firá. This is a name chosen, because Firá is The Goal, the concept of why we live, why Omró created us, why everything exist and behave as they do etc. There are many "spiritual" songs/mantras in Firrobatism, and common believe is that singing these songs will strenghten Harmony in One. Firrobatists often form thight-knit communities, and believe in doing tasks for the community while receiving help from others. This is why they generally reject taxation, as they believe it to be part of Zídarí. Firrobatists often live simple, as having for example a big house means that a lot had to be taken from nature (wood, stone, gold etc.) which would deteriorate much the Balance between taking and giving.
According to the 2016 census, 5.6% of the total population of Soigá is Firrobatist. This comes down to about 220 thousand Firrobatists. Firrobatists were about 10% of the total population before the accession of King Hálámír, but numbers dwindled due to hard persecution and high emigration rate. However, currently Firrobatists are the fastest growing community in Soigá, and expected is that in 2050 nearly 10% will be Firrobatist in Soigá. This is mainly due to the high birth rate Firrobatists have (around 3 children per Firrobatist woman, more than twice as much as the non-Firrobatist woman). Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Firrobatists also live in the United States, Brazil and Argentina due to the emigration to these countries in the late 19th and early 20th cenury. Because Firrobatists often form "community chains", if one Firrobatist village decides to emigrate, this jeopardizes the community chain which makes the others also more likely to emigrate. This domino-effect caused much of the profounded emigration of Firrobatists.