2405:201:AC01:AA68:E8FF:85D3:4909:C2FD at 14:13, 16 January 2023

2023-01-16T14:13:34Z

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{{short description|Christianity in Meghalaya}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2020}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Meghalaya (2011)<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|title=Population by religion community – 2011|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=Census of India, 2011|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|archivedate=25 August 2015}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Christianity]]
|color1 = DodgerBlue
|value1 = 74.6
|label2 = [[Hinduism]]
|color2 = Orange
|value2 = 11.5
|label3 = [[Islam]]
|color3 = Green
|value3 = 4.4
|label5 = [[Sikhism]]
|color5 = DarkKhaki
|value5 = 0.1
|label4 = [[Buddhism]]
|color4 = Yellow
|value4 = 0.3
|label6 = [[Tribal religions in India|Tribal religions]]
|color6 = Chartreuse
|value6 = 8.7
|label7 = Others/not stated
|color7 = Gray
|value7 = 0.4
}}

Conversion from indigenous to Christianity began in the 19th century under the British era. In the 1830s, [[American Baptist International Ministries|American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society]] had become active in Northeast to convert indigenous tribes to Christianity.<ref>Johnson, R. E. (2010), A Global Introduction to Baptist Churches, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521877817}}</ref> Later, they were offered to expand and reach into Cherrapunji Meghalaya, but they lacked the resources to do so and declined. Welsh Presbyterian Mission took the offer and they began work at the Cherrapunji mission field. By the early 1900s, other Protestant denominations of Christianity were active in Meghalaya. The outbreak of World Wars forced the preachers to return home to Europe and America. It is during this period that [[Catholicism]] took root in Meghalaya and neighbouring region. Currently, Presbyterians and Catholics are two most common Christian denominations found in Meghalaya.<ref>Amrit Kumar Goldsmith, ''THE CHRISTIANS IN THE NORTH EAST INDIA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE'', Regional Organizer of Churches' Auxiliary of Social Action, Regional Headquarters at Mission Compound, Satribari, Guwahati</ref>

Before Christianity arrived in Meghalaya a majority of tribal peoples were following [[Animism|Animist religion]] with Ka Niam Khasi and songsarek traditions. The Christian population in Meghalaya is estimated at approximately 2.21 million which forms (74.59%) of the state population (2011 census). Meghalaya is one of three states in India to have a Christian majority. About 75% of the population practices Christianity, with [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]], [[Baptist]]s and [[Catholicism|Catholics]] the more common denominations.<ref name="census2011"/> The religion of the people in Meghalaya is closely related to their ethnicity. Close to 90% of the Garo tribe and nearly 80% of the Khasi are Christian, while more than 97% of the Hajong, 98.53% of the Koch, and 94.60% of the Rabha tribes are Hindu.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The Roman Catholic Church with a homogeneous presence spread throughout the state of Meghalaya form the largest denomination in the state with 876,132 adherents (2018 data). The Church is under the ecclesiastical province of Shillong with the following dioceses:
1) Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong (320,063 adherents),
2) Suffragan Diocese of Tura (308,772 adherents),
3) Suffragan Diocese of Nongstoin (141,270 adherents), and
4) Suffragan Diocese of Jowai (106,027 adherents).

The Presbyterian Church is another largest denomination in Meghalaya under the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Assembly with 750,989 believers in 2015. In 2018 the Church has the following number of believers under the following synod's namely Khasi Jaintia Synod Mihngi (294,320 believers), the Khasi Jaintia Synod Sepngi (370,764 believers) and the Ri Bhoi Synod (70,510 believers) adding up to 735,594 believers with slight decline from 2015. Unlike the Catholic Church, there is little or no presence of Presbyterianism among the Garos with the absence of a Garo synod.

The Baptist Church under the Garo Baptist Convention make up perhaps the largest denomination among the Garos in Meghalaya with 500,560 adherents (both baptised and unbaptised) concentrated mostly in the Garo Hills out of a garo population of 821,026 with the remaining 308,772 mostly Catholics.

The Church of God in Meghalaya, an indigenous church, established in Mylliem in 1902 is the fourth largest denomination in the state with nearly 100,000 adherents.

The Church of North India of the Anglican Communion under the Diocese of North East India in Meghalaya is the fifth largest denomination with close to 50,000 adherents.

==Statistics==
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
|+ Christians in Meghalaya
! Year !! Number !! Percentage
|-
| 2001<ref name="religion1">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|title=Total population by religious communities|publisher=Censusindia.gov.in|access-date=20 November 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119031333/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|archive-date=19 January 2008}}</ref>|| <center>1,628,986</center> || <center>70.25</center>
|-
| 2011<ref name="religion2">{{cite web|publisher=Census Department, Government of India|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/c-01.html|title=Indian Census 2011|access-date=25 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913045700/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|archive-date=13 September 2015}}</ref>|| <center>2,213,027</center> || <center>74.59</center>
|-
|}

{{Historical populations
|title = Historical Christian Population in Meghalaya<ref name="cpsindia.org">http://www.cpsindia.org › BlogsPDF
Web results
The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies</ref>
|type =
|footnote =
|align = right
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|pop_name =
|percentages =
|source = [[census of India]]
|1901 | 20,967
|1911 | 36,699
|1921 | 48,728
|1931 | 75,530
|1941 | 1,056
|1951 | 149,390
|1961 | 270,910
|1971 | 475,267
|1981 | 702,854
|1991 | 1,146,092
|2001 | 1,628,986
|2011 | 2,213,027
}}

Christian percentage was 6.16% in 1901 (before India's independence), and after independence during the first census of 1951, it was found that 24.66% of the Meghalaya population follows Christianity. During 1991, Christian percentage was 64.58% and in recent 2011 census, it was found that 74.59% adheres to Christian faith.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indusscrolls.com/christianization-of-meghalaya-they-gave-us-a-book-bible-and-said-the-land-belongs-to-them/|title = Christianization of Meghalaya: 'They gave us a book (Bible) and said the land belongs to them'|date = 25 February 2018}}</ref>

===Trends===
'''Percentage of Christians in Meghalaya by decades'''<ref name="cpsindia.org">http://www.cpsindia.org › BlogsPDF
Web results
The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Year'''
! '''Percent'''
! '''Increase'''
|-
| '''1901'''
| '''6.16%'''
|'''-'''
|-
| '''1911'''
| '''9.31%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+3.15%'''
|-
| '''1921'''
| '''11.54%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+2.23%'''
|-
| '''1931'''
| '''15.71%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+4.17%'''
|-
| '''1941'''
| '''0.19%'''
| style="background: red" |
'''-15.52%'''
|-
| '''1951'''
| '''24.67%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+24.48%'''
|-
| '''1961'''
| '''35.21%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+10.54%'''
|-
| '''1971'''
| '''46.98%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+11.77%'''
|-
| '''1981'''
| '''52.62%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+5.64%'''
|-
| '''1991'''
| '''64.58%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+11.96%'''
|-
| '''2001'''
| '''70.25%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+5.67%'''
|-
| '''2011'''
| '''74.59%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+4.34%'''
|}

===Tribes===
'''Percentage of Christians in the Scheduled Tribes'''<ref>[https://blog.cpsindia.org/2016/10/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxx-st.html blog.cpsindia.org/2016/10/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxx-st.html]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Tribe'''
! '''Christians'''
! '''Percent'''
|-
| '''Khasi'''
| '''11,73,693'''
|'''83.14%'''
|-
| '''Garo'''
| '''7,87,029'''
|'''95.86%'''
|}

==Constitutional claim==
On 25 December 2010, Meghalaya government declared Christianity as the religion of the state by stating that here Sunday is a holdiay and everything close here at that day because it is considered as an auspicious day for Church prayer's/visitors.<ref>https://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10525.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theshillongtimes.com/2016/12/05/meghalaya-a-christian-state/#|title=Meghalaya – a Christian state?|date=5 December 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Christian denominations in North East India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Christianity in India by region}}
{{Churches in India}}

[[Category:Christianity in Meghalaya| ]]
[[Category:Christianity in India by state or union territory|Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Religion in Meghalaya]]

Christianity in Meghalaya - Revision history

2405:201:AC01:AA68:E8FF:85D3:4909:C2FD at 14:13, 16 January 2023