Christianity in Nagaland: Difference between revisions

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{{see also|Nagaland Baptist Church Council}}
{{Short description|none}}<!--
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it!
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
 
The majority religion in [[Nagaland]] state of India is [[Christianity]]. Along with [[Meghalaya]] and [[Mizoram]], Nagaland is one of the three Christian-majority states in the country. According to the 2011 census, the state's population was 1,978,502, out of which 87.93% are Christians.
{{bar box
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Nagaland (2011)<ref name="religion2"/>
|title=Religion in Nagaland (2011)<ref name="religion2"/>
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|float=right
|float=right
|bars=
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Christians]]|yellow|87.9}}
{{bar percent|[[Christians]]|dodgerblue|87.9}}
{{bar percent|[[Hindus]]|orange|8.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Hindus]]|darkorange|8.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslims]]|green|2.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslims]]|green|2.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism|Buddhists]]|yellow|0.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhism|Buddhists]]|gold|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Others*|grey|0.6}}
{{bar percent|Others*|grey|0.6}}
|caption=Distribution of religions<br />
|caption=Distribution of religions<br />*<small>Includes [[Jainism|Jains]], [[Sikh]]s, [[Animist]]s.</small>
*<small>Includes [[Jainism|Jains]], [[Sikh]]s, [[Animist]]s.</small>
}}
}}


The predominant religion of [[Nagaland]] is [[Christianity]]. The state's population is 1.988 million, out of which 90.02% are Christians. More than 98% of the [[Naga people]] identify themselves as Christian.<ref name="Indian Census">[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/ Indian Census]</ref> The 2001 census recorded the state's [[Christians|Christian]] [[population]] at 1,790,350, making it, with [[Meghalaya]] and [[Mizoram]], one of the three Christian-majority states in [[India]] and the only state where Christians form 90% of the population. The state has a very high [[church attendance]] rate in both urban and rural areas. Huge churches dominate the skylines of [[Kohima]], [[Dimapur]], and [[Mokokchung]].


It was in the early part of October 1871, Supongmeren from Molungkimong village was baptised at Sibsagar and enrolled as an American Baptist Church member. He became the bridge between the American Baptist Missionary [[Edwin W. Clark|E.W. Clark]], Evangelist Godhula and the headhunting Ao Nagas.
== History ==
Kosasanger Council of Molungkimong Village (Dekahaimong) dispatched 60 warriors to escort Dr. E.W. Clark to escort him. It took almost three days from Sibsagar to reach Molungkimong. Clark arrived on 18 December (Wednesday) and baptized 15 new converts on 22nd (Sunday) December 1872 at a Village drinking well called 'Chungli Tzubu' which was permitted by the Village council. Another miracle for Clark after which they had a worship service and celebrated the first Lord's supper. Thus, on this day, the first Naga Church was founded with 28 Baptized members. They were Dr. Clark, Godhula and his wife, Supongmeren, 9 converts baptized on 10 November at Sibsagar, and 15 converts baptized at Molungkimong on 22 December 1872.


Nagaland was one of several regions of north East India that experienced Christian revival movements in the 1950s and 1960s. The "Nagaland [[Christian Revival Church]]", formed in 1962, grew out of the initial phase of this movement.<ref name=AA>Allan Anderson, ed., "Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia", p237-238.</ref> It had its origin in a village in Kohima district where, in 1962, an event known as "The Great Awakening" started {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}.
Christianity was introduced in the erstwhile [[Naga Hills]] to expand colonialism as well driven by missionary fervour which failed to garner numbers in the [[Brahmaputra Valley]]. Prior to Christianity, the various Naga religions had dynamic and autonomous fluid beliefs. The Nagas gradually substituted older religious structures and beliefs with Christianity.<ref name=":0" /> As the new religion started making inroads in the Naga Hills, British administrators-turned-anthropologists started criticising the missionaries for destroying distinctive Indigenous cultures. In the early 20th century, the former began to place restrictions on missionaries activities by framing rules, imposing penalties, and increasing house tax on missionaries and new converts.<ref name=":1" />


The revival emphasised believers having a "personal encounter with Christ", the witnessing of "signs and wonders" (such as miraculous healings), and having a missionary outreach to non-believing or nominally-Christian Nagas.<ref name=AA /> The result was that Nagaland became an overwhelmingly Christian state, known as "the only predominantly [[Baptist]] state in the [[world]]."<ref>Olson, C. Gordon. ''What in the World Is God Doing''. Global Gospel Publishers: Cedar Knolls, NJ. 2003.</ref> Among Christians, [[Baptists]] are the predominant group, constituting more than 75% of the state's population, thus making it more Baptist (on a percentage basis) than [[Mississippi]] in the southern [[United States]], where 55% of the population is Baptist.<ref>[http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Faculty/GC-Faculty-Activities/ARIS--American-Religious-Identification-Survey/Key-findings American Religious Identification Survey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414233611/http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Faculty/GC-Faculty-Activities/ARIS--American-Religious-Identification-Survey/Key-findings |date=14 April 2012 }} www.gc.cuny.edu.</ref><ref>[http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/28_2000.asp Mississippi Denominational Groups, 2000] Thearda.com. Retrieved 2010-07-30.</ref> [[Catholics]], [[Christian revival|Revivalists]], and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] are the other [[Christian denomination]] numbers. Catholics are found in significant numbers in parts of Wokha district and [[Kohima]] district as well as in the urban areas of Kohima and Dimapur.
=== British colonial era ===
[[File:Christian Mission Stations of the Indian Empire (cropped to Bengal region).jpg|thumb|[[Christian mission|Christian Mission Stations]] of the [[British Raj|Indian Empire]], 1893.]]
[[File:Brit IndianEmpireReligions3.jpg|thumb|[[Census in British India|1901 Census]] map showing [[Religion in India|prevailing religion]] of [[British India]] — [[Garo Hills|Garo]], [[Khasi Hills|Khasi]], [[Naga Hills|Naga]] and [[Lushai hills]] as Animists region in the Northeast.|left]]
The earliest Christian missionaries in the erstwhile [[Naga Hills]] (part of [[colonial Assam]] province) belonged to the [[American Baptist Mission]]. They received active support of British colonial officers. In the 1830s, Francis Jenkins, then [[Commissioner of Assam]], first invited missionaries to colonial Assam. In the 1870s, other colonial military officers such as John Butler and James Johnstone also extended the invitation to missionaries for the Naga Hills. The primary purpose of these military invitations, with assurance of state security, was to '[[Pacification (military action)|pacify]]' these Indigenous communities and subjugate them to colonial rule.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Thejalhoukho |date=2024-05-17 |title=Contested customs in the Naga hills: Baptist reformers, colonial ethnography and the construction of a modern Naga identity |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14631369.2024.2355643 |journal=Asian Ethnicity |volume=26 |language=en |pages=27–44 |doi=10.1080/14631369.2024.2355643 |issn=1463-1369|url-access=subscription }}</ref>


[[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]] practiced by the non-Naga community are minority religions in the state, at 7.7% and 1.8% of the population respectively.
While the [[American Baptist Mission|American Baptist Foreign Mission Society]] were one of the first Christian missionaries to enter the northeast frontier of [[Colonial India]], their initial projects were frustrating. Starting the proselytising mission from [[Colonial Assam|Assam]], the society's annual report in 1858 noted their 'great failure' to convert a sizeable population to Christianity after almost 23 years. Without explaining the reasons for the poor missionary performance, the report urged to 'cast their gaze elsewhere.'<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Eaton |first=Richard M. |date=1984 |title=Conversion to Christianity among the Nagas, 1876-1971 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/001946468402100101 |journal=The Indian Economic & Social History Review |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–44 |doi=10.1177/001946468402100101 |issn=0019-4646|url-access=subscription }}</ref> On the other hand, British efforts to subjugate the Nagas faced persistent and stiff resistance. Amongst these were the [[Battle of Kikrüma]], [[Battle of Khonoma]], and other skirmishes which resulted in death of several British officers.
[[File:Edwin W. Clark1.jpg|thumb|Edwin W. Clark and Mary Clark]]
After the [[Indo-Naga war]], the opposition of Naga Christian nationalists against India and Hinduism<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nagalandpost.com/christianity-and-naga-nationalism/199890.html | title = Christianity and Naga nationalism | date = July 15, 2019}}</ref> wasn't yet overcome. The [[Naga National Council]] had a popular plebiscite in 1951, culminated to the 1956 Constitution whose preamble affirmed the sovereignty of God the Almighty in all the universe and the entrustment of the nation to Him who never ended to sustain the descendents of the forefathers.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://easternmirrornagaland.com/history-of-naga-nationalism-from-the-religious-perspective/ | title= History from Naga Nationalism from the religious perspective | date = November 17, 2015}}</ref> religious relationships with India have also a specific discipline in the article A371 of the Constitution that come into force in 1963 and reserves to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland the right to approve by resolution any Act of the Indian Parliament in respect of "religious or social practices of the Nagas".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/the-needles-eye/how-do-naga-peace-and-article-371a-belong-together/ | title = How do Naga peace and Article 371A belong together? | date = September 11, 2019}}</ref>
In October 1871 Supongmeren from Molungkimong village was baptised at Sibsagar and enrolled as an American Baptist Church member. He became the bridge between the American Baptist Missionary [[Edwin W. Clark|E. W. Clark]], Evangelist Godhula and the then-animist [[Ao Naga]]s. Kosasanger Council of Molungkimong Village (Dekahaimong) dispatched 60 warriors to escort Dr. E. W. Clark. It took almost three days from Sibsagar to reach Molungkimong. Clark arrived on Wednesday, 18 December and baptized 15 new converts on Sunday, 22 December 1872 at a village drinking well called ''Chungli Tzübu'' which was permitted by the Village Council. Another miracle for Clark after which they had a worship service and celebrated the first Lord's supper. Thus, on this day, the first Naga Church was founded with 28 Baptized members. They were Dr. Clark, Godhula and his wife, Supongmeren, 9 converts baptized on 10 November at Sibsagar, and 15 converts baptized at Molungkimong on 22 December 1872.


An ancient indigenous religion known as the [[Heraka]] is followed by a few people (4,168) belonging to the [[Zeliangrong]] tribe living in Nagaland. [[Rani Gaidinliu#Life in independent India|Rani Gaidinliu]] was an Indian [[Indian Independence Movement|freedom fighter]] who struggled for the revival of Heraka, the traditional [[animism|animist religion]] of the Naga people.
Clark took residence in the Naga Hills in March 1876. In the following years, the American Baptist missionaries began their work with among other tribes with the help of the colonial state.{{Sfn |Thomas |2016 |p= 21}} In 1880 Rev. Charles Daniel King started a mission field in Kohima after the British defeated the [[Angami Naga]] rebellions and established their headquarters in [[Kohima]].{{Sfn |Thomas |2016 |p= 22}} Similarly, after the British occupied [[Wokha]] in 1878, and placed a sub-divisional officer and military force there, missionary activities began in the [[Lotha Naga]] areas. In 1885, with the support of Clark and deputy commissioner of the [[Naga Hills District, British India|Naga Hills]], Rev. William Ellsworth Witter started the mission station in Wokha. {{Sfn |Thomas |2016 |p= 23}}
 
=== Postcolonial era ===
Nagaland was one of several regions of [[Northeast India]] that experienced Christian revival movements in the 1950s and 1960s. The "Nagaland [[Christian Revival Church]]", formed in 1962, grew out of the initial phase of this movement.<ref name=AA>Allan Anderson, ed., "Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia", p237-238.</ref> It had its origin in Gariphema Village of Kohima District where, in 1962, an event known as "The Great Awakening" started.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}
 
The revival emphasised believers having a "personal encounter with Christ", the witnessing of "signs and wonders" (such as miraculous healings), and having a missionary outreach to non-believing or nominally-Christian Nagas.<ref name=AA /> The result was that Nagaland became an overwhelmingly Christian state, known as "the only predominantly [[Baptist]] state in the [[world]]."<ref>Olson, C. Gordon. ''What in the World Is God Doing''. Global Gospel Publishers: Cedar Knolls, NJ. 2003.</ref> Among Christians, [[Baptists]] are the predominant group, constituting more than 75% of the state's population, thus making it more Baptist (on a percentage basis) than [[Mississippi]] in the southern [[United States]], where 55% of the population is Baptist.<ref>[http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Faculty/GC-Faculty-Activities/ARIS--American-Religious-Identification-Survey/Key-findings American Religious Identification Survey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414233611/http://www.gc.cuny.edu/Faculty/GC-Faculty-Activities/ARIS--American-Religious-Identification-Survey/Key-findings |date=14 April 2012 }} www.gc.cuny.edu.</ref><ref>[http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/28_2000.asp Mississippi Denominational Groups, 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229052106/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/28_2000.asp |date=29 December 2011 }} Thearda.com. Retrieved 2010-07-30.</ref> [[Catholics]], [[Christian revival|Revivalists]], and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] are the other [[Christian denomination]] numbers. Catholics are found in significant numbers in parts of [[Wokha district|Wokha District]] and [[Kohima district|Kohima District]] as well as in the urban areas of Kohima, Chümoukedima and Dimapur.
 
The [[Naga National Council]] had a popular plebiscite in 1951, culminated to the 1956 Constitution whose preamble affirmed the sovereignty of God the Almighty in all the universe and the entrustment of the nation to Him who never ended to sustain the descendants of the forefathers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sakha |first=Thüpukhoto |date=17 November 2015 |title=History from Naga Nationalism from the religious perspective |url=https://easternmirrornagaland.com/history-of-naga-nationalism-from-the-religious-perspective/ |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Eastern Mirror}}</ref> Religious relationships with India have also a specific discipline in the [[Part XXI of the Constitution of India|Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution]] that come into force in 1963 and reserves to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland the right to approve by resolution any Act of the Indian Parliament in respect of "religious or social practices of the Nagas".<ref>{{cite web |date=September 11, 2019 |title=How do Naga peace and Article 371A belong together? |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/the-needles-eye/how-do-naga-peace-and-article-371a-belong-together/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029115458/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/the-needles-eye/how-do-naga-peace-and-article-371a-belong-together/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2019 |website=Economic Times}}</ref>


==Statistics==
==Statistics==
{|class="wikitable sortable"  style="text-align: right;"
|+ Christians in Nagaland
! 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|df=dmy-all}}</ref>|| <center>1,790,349</center> || <center>89.96</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|df=dmy-all}}</ref>|| <center>1,739,651</center> || <center>87.93</center>
|-
|}
{{Historical populations
{{Historical populations
|title      = Historical Christian Population in Nagaland<ref name="cpsindia.org">http://www.cpsindia.org › BlogsPDF
|title      = Historical Christian Population in Nagaland
Web results
The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies</ref>
|type        =  
|type        =  
|footnote    =  
|footnote    = <sup>*</sup> Pre-independence figure only for erstwhile Naga Hills district areas. Tuensang region incorporated into Nagaland in 1957 for which data unavailable.<br><sup>#</sup> Estimated
|align      = right
|align      = right
|width      =  
|width      =  
Line 56: Line 54:
|pop_name    =
|pop_name    =
|percentages =  
|percentages =  
|source      = [[census of India]]
|source      = [[Census of India]] – data extracted by Centre for Policy Studies, India<ref name="cpsindia.org" />
|1901 | 601
|1901 | 601
|1911 | 3,308
|1911 | 3,308
|1921 | 8,734
|1921 | 8,734
|1931 | 22,908
|1931 | 22,908
|1941 | 9
|1941<sup>#</sup> | 34,000 <!-- due to disturbance at the time of census, religious data not accurately tabulated -->
|1951 | 98,068
|1951 | 98,068
|1961 | 195,588
|1961 | 195,588
Line 67: Line 65:
|1981 | 621,590
|1981 | 621,590
|1991 | 1,057,940
|1991 | 1,057,940
|2001 | 1,790,349
|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|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | 1,790,349
|2011 | 1,739,651
|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|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | 1,739,651
}}
}}


===Trends===
The 2011 census recorded the state's [[Christians|Christian]] [[population]] at 1,739,651, making it, with [[Meghalaya]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]], and [[Mizoram]] as the four Christian-majority states in [[India]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wijunamai |first=Roderick |date=9 October 2020 |title=The early story of Christianity in Northeast India |url=https://www.himalmag.com/comment/the-early-story-of-christianity-in-northeast-india-2020 |journal=Himal Southasian}}</ref> The state has a very high [[church attendance]] rate in both urban and rural areas. The majority of churches are found in [[Kohima]], [[Chümoukedima]], [[Dimapur]] and [[Mokokchung]].
'''Percentage of Christians in Nagaland by decades'''<ref name="cpsindia.org">http://www.cpsindia.org › BlogsPDF
 
Web results
{{Pie chart
The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies</ref>
|value1=96.6
{| class="wikitable"
|label1=[[Scheduled Tribes]]
|-
|value2=3.4
! '''Year'''
|label2=Non-ST population
! '''Percent'''
|caption=Adherents of Christianity by social groups<ref name="TribalREL"/>}}
! '''Increase'''
The state comprises 96.6% of Scheduled Tribes population, who are the adherent of Christianity.<ref name="TribalREL"/>
|-
 
| '''1901'''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
| '''0.59%'''
|+ Christianity among Scheduled Tribes<ref name="TribalREL">{{cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11901/download/15014/ST-13-00-014-DDW-2011.XLS |title=ST-14: Scheduled tribe population by religious community (State/UT level), Nagaland - 2011 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
|'''-'''
! Scheduled Tribes !! Adherents of Christianity !! Percentage of Tribes practices Christianity !! Percentage of Christian among Tribal Christians
|-
|-
| '''1911'''
| [[Garo people|Garo]]|| 1,834 || 78.18 || 0.11
| '''2.22%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+1.63%'''
|-
|-
| '''1921'''
| [[Kachari people|Kachari]]|| 3,938 || 30.21 || 0.23
| '''5.5%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+3.28%'''
|-
|-
| '''1931'''
| [[Kuki people|Kuki]]|| 18,514 || 98.65 || 1.1
| '''12.81%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" |
'''+7.31%'''
|-
|-
| '''1941'''
| [[Mikir]]|| 132 || 60.55 || 0.01
| '''0%'''
| style="background: red" |
'''-12.81%'''
|-
|-
| '''1951'''
| [[Naga people|Naga]] — || 1,647,480 || 98.79 || 98.04
| '''46.05%'''
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| style="background: lightgreen" |
| — [[Angami Naga|Angami]]|| 139,781 || 98.62 || 8.32
'''+46.05%'''
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Ao Naga|Ao]]|| 224,525 || 99.07 || 13.36
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Chakhesang Naga|Chakhesang]]|| 153,740 || 99.27 || 9.15
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Chang Naga|Chang]]|| 63,603 || 99.03 || 3.78
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Chirr Naga|Chirr]]|| 138 || 100 || 0.01
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Khiamniungan people|Khiemnungan]]|| 61,246 || 99.35 || 3.64
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Konyak Naga|Konyak]]|| 232,619 || 97.92 || 13.84
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Lotha Naga|Lotha]]|| 171,771 || 99.23 || 10.22
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — Makware || 9 || 90 || 0
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Phom Naga|Phom]]|| 52,255 || 99.19 || 3.11
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Rengma Naga|Rengma]]|| 62,285 || 98.94 || 3.71
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Sangtam Naga|Sangtam]]|| 74,439 || 99.26 || 4.43
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Sema Naga|Sema]]|| 234,762 || 99.34 || 13.97
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Tikhir Naga|Tikhir]]|| 7,468 || 99.08 || 0.44
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Yimchunger Naga|Yimchaungre]]|| 66,514 || 99.32 || 3.96
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — [[Zeliangrong|Zeliang]]|| 71,305 || 95.23 || 4.24
|- style="font-style:italic;"  
| — [[Pochury Naga|Pochury]]|| 21,704 || 98.89 || 1.29
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — Viswerna || 3,536 || 96.51 || 0.21
|- style="font-style:italic;"
| — Any other Naga  || 5,780 || 98.92 || 0.34
|-
| Generic Tribes etc. || 8,526 || 95.85 || 0.51
|-
|-
| '''1961'''
! All Schedule Tribes || 1,680,424 || 98.21 || 100
| '''52.98%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+6.93%'''
|-
| '''1971'''
| '''66.76%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+13.78%'''
|-
| '''1981'''
| '''80.21%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+13.45%'''
|-
| '''1991'''
| '''87.47%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+7.26%'''
|-
| '''2001'''
| '''89.97%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.5%'''
|-
| '''2011'''
| '''87.93%'''
| style="background: red" | '''-2.04%'''
|}
|}


===Tribes===
===Trends===
'''Percentage of Christians in the Scheduled Tribes'''<ref>[https://blog.cpsindia.org/2016/10/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxxi.html blog.cpsindia.org/2016/10/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxxi.html]</ref>
{{multiple image
| align      = center
| total_width =640
| direction = horizontal
| image1 = Growth of Religions in Nagaland (1901–2011).svg
| caption1 = Decadal growth of religious groups.
| image2 = Religious Composition of Nagaland (1901–2011).svg
| caption2 = Decadal changes in the religious composition.
| header = Religious trends of Nagaland}}
 
'''Percentage of Christians in Nagaland by decades'''<ref name="cpsindia.org">http://www.cpsindia.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518174007/http://www.cpsindia.org/ |date=18 May 2021 }} › BlogsPDF
Web results
The Christianisation of the Northeast – Centre for Policy Studies</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! '''Tribe'''
! Year
! '''Christians'''
! Percent
! '''Percent'''
! Increase
|-
|-
| '''Konyak'''
| 1901
| '''2,32,619'''
| 0.59%
|'''97.92%'''
|'''-'''
|-
|-
| '''Sema'''
| 1911
| '''2,34,762'''
| 2.22%
|'''99.34%'''
| +1.63%
|-
|-
| '''Ao'''
| 1921
| '''2,24,525'''
| 5.5%
|'''99.07%'''
| +3.28%
|-
|-
| '''Lotha'''
| 1931
| '''1,71,771'''
| 12.81%
|'''99.23%'''
| +7.31%
|-
|-
| '''Chakhesang'''
| 1941
| '''1,53,740'''
| 0%
|'''99.27%'''
| style="color: red" | -12.81%
|-
|-
| '''Angami'''
| 1951
| '''1,39,781'''
| 46.05%
|'''98.62%'''
| +46.05%
|-
|-
| '''Sangtam'''
| 1961
| '''74,439'''
| 52.98%
| '''99.26%'''
| +6.93%
|-
|-
| '''Zeliang'''
| 1971
| '''71,305'''
| 66.76%
| '''95.23%'''
| +13.78%
|-
|-
| '''Yimchungre'''
| 1981
| '''66,514'''
| 80.21%
| '''99.32%'''
| +13.45%
|-
|-
| '''Chang'''
| 1991
| '''63,603'''
| 87.47%
| '''99.03%'''
| +7.26%
|-
|-
| '''Rengma'''
| 2001
| '''62,285'''
| 89.97%
| '''98.94%'''
| +2.5%
|-
|-
| '''Khiemnungan'''
| 2011
| '''61,246'''
| 87.93%
| '''99.35%'''
| style="color: red" | -2.04%
|-
| '''Phom'''
| '''52,255'''
| '''99.19%'''
|-
| '''Pochury'''
| '''21,704'''
| '''98.89%'''
|-
| '''Kuki'''
| '''18,514'''
| '''98.65%'''
|-
| '''Tikhir'''
| '''7,468'''
| '''99.08%'''
|-
| '''Kachari'''
| '''3,938'''
| '''30.21%'''
|-
| '''Viswerna'''
| '''3,536'''
| '''96.51%'''
|}
|}


==See also==
== See also ==
* [[Religion in Nagaland]]
* [[Nagaland Baptist Church Council]]
* [[Christianity in India]]
* [[List of Christian denominations in North East India]]
* [[List of Christian denominations in North East India]]


==References==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book |title=Evangelising the Nation: Religion and the formation of Naga political identity |first=John |last=Thomas |publisher=Routledge  |year=2016 |isbn=978-1138639928}}
== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{Wikiquote inline}}


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


[[Category:Christianity in Nagaland| ]]
[[Category:Christianity in Nagaland| ]]

Latest revision as of 21:45, 21 March 2026


The majority religion in Nagaland state of India is Christianity. Along with Meghalaya and Mizoram, Nagaland is one of the three Christian-majority states in the country. According to the 2011 census, the state's population was 1,978,502, out of which 87.93% are Christians.

Religion in Nagaland (2011)[1]
Religion Percent
Christians
 
 87.9%
Hindus
 
 8.7%
Muslims
 
 2.5%
Buddhists
 
 0.3%
Others*
 
 0.6%
Distribution of religions
*Includes Jains, Sikhs, Animists.


History[edit | edit source]

Christianity was introduced in the erstwhile Naga Hills to expand colonialism as well driven by missionary fervour which failed to garner numbers in the Brahmaputra Valley. Prior to Christianity, the various Naga religions had dynamic and autonomous fluid beliefs. The Nagas gradually substituted older religious structures and beliefs with Christianity.[2] As the new religion started making inroads in the Naga Hills, British administrators-turned-anthropologists started criticising the missionaries for destroying distinctive Indigenous cultures. In the early 20th century, the former began to place restrictions on missionaries activities by framing rules, imposing penalties, and increasing house tax on missionaries and new converts.[3]

British colonial era[edit | edit source]

Christian Mission Stations of the Indian Empire, 1893.
1901 Census map showing prevailing religion of British India — Garo, Khasi, Naga and Lushai hills as Animists region in the Northeast.

The earliest Christian missionaries in the erstwhile Naga Hills (part of colonial Assam province) belonged to the American Baptist Mission. They received active support of British colonial officers. In the 1830s, Francis Jenkins, then Commissioner of Assam, first invited missionaries to colonial Assam. In the 1870s, other colonial military officers such as John Butler and James Johnstone also extended the invitation to missionaries for the Naga Hills. The primary purpose of these military invitations, with assurance of state security, was to 'pacify' these Indigenous communities and subjugate them to colonial rule.[3]

While the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society were one of the first Christian missionaries to enter the northeast frontier of Colonial India, their initial projects were frustrating. Starting the proselytising mission from Assam, the society's annual report in 1858 noted their 'great failure' to convert a sizeable population to Christianity after almost 23 years. Without explaining the reasons for the poor missionary performance, the report urged to 'cast their gaze elsewhere.'[2] On the other hand, British efforts to subjugate the Nagas faced persistent and stiff resistance. Amongst these were the Battle of Kikrüma, Battle of Khonoma, and other skirmishes which resulted in death of several British officers.

Edwin W. Clark and Mary Clark

In October 1871 Supongmeren from Molungkimong village was baptised at Sibsagar and enrolled as an American Baptist Church member. He became the bridge between the American Baptist Missionary E. W. Clark, Evangelist Godhula and the then-animist Ao Nagas. Kosasanger Council of Molungkimong Village (Dekahaimong) dispatched 60 warriors to escort Dr. E. W. Clark. It took almost three days from Sibsagar to reach Molungkimong. Clark arrived on Wednesday, 18 December and baptized 15 new converts on Sunday, 22 December 1872 at a village drinking well called Chungli Tzübu which was permitted by the Village Council. Another miracle for Clark after which they had a worship service and celebrated the first Lord's supper. Thus, on this day, the first Naga Church was founded with 28 Baptized members. They were Dr. Clark, Godhula and his wife, Supongmeren, 9 converts baptized on 10 November at Sibsagar, and 15 converts baptized at Molungkimong on 22 December 1872.

Clark took residence in the Naga Hills in March 1876. In the following years, the American Baptist missionaries began their work with among other tribes with the help of the colonial state.[4] In 1880 Rev. Charles Daniel King started a mission field in Kohima after the British defeated the Angami Naga rebellions and established their headquarters in Kohima.[5] Similarly, after the British occupied Wokha in 1878, and placed a sub-divisional officer and military force there, missionary activities began in the Lotha Naga areas. In 1885, with the support of Clark and deputy commissioner of the Naga Hills, Rev. William Ellsworth Witter started the mission station in Wokha. [6]

Postcolonial era[edit | edit source]

Nagaland was one of several regions of Northeast India that experienced Christian revival movements in the 1950s and 1960s. The "Nagaland Christian Revival Church", formed in 1962, grew out of the initial phase of this movement.[7] It had its origin in Gariphema Village of Kohima District where, in 1962, an event known as "The Great Awakening" started.[citation needed]

The revival emphasised believers having a "personal encounter with Christ", the witnessing of "signs and wonders" (such as miraculous healings), and having a missionary outreach to non-believing or nominally-Christian Nagas.[7] The result was that Nagaland became an overwhelmingly Christian state, known as "the only predominantly Baptist state in the world."[8] Among Christians, Baptists are the predominant group, constituting more than 75% of the state's population, thus making it more Baptist (on a percentage basis) than Mississippi in the southern United States, where 55% of the population is Baptist.[9][10] Catholics, Revivalists, and Pentecostals are the other Christian denomination numbers. Catholics are found in significant numbers in parts of Wokha District and Kohima District as well as in the urban areas of Kohima, Chümoukedima and Dimapur.

The Naga National Council had a popular plebiscite in 1951, culminated to the 1956 Constitution whose preamble affirmed the sovereignty of God the Almighty in all the universe and the entrustment of the nation to Him who never ended to sustain the descendants of the forefathers.[11] Religious relationships with India have also a specific discipline in the Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution that come into force in 1963 and reserves to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland the right to approve by resolution any Act of the Indian Parliament in respect of "religious or social practices of the Nagas".[12]

Statistics[edit | edit source]

Historical Christian Population in Nagaland
YearPop.±%
1901 601—    
1911 3,308+450.4%
1921 8,734+164.0%
1931 22,908+162.3%
1941# 34,000+48.4%
1951 98,068+188.4%
1961 195,588+99.4%
1971 344,798+76.3%
1981 621,590+80.3%
1991 1,057,940+70.2%
2001[14] 1,790,349+69.2%
2011[1] 1,739,651−2.8%
* Pre-independence figure only for erstwhile Naga Hills district areas. Tuensang region incorporated into Nagaland in 1957 for which data unavailable.
# Estimated
Source: Census of India – data extracted by Centre for Policy Studies, India[13]

The 2011 census recorded the state's Christian population at 1,739,651, making it, with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram as the four Christian-majority states in India.[15] The state has a very high church attendance rate in both urban and rural areas. The majority of churches are found in Kohima, Chümoukedima, Dimapur and Mokokchung.

Adherents of Christianity by social groups[16]

  Scheduled Tribes (96.6%)
  Non-ST population (3.4%)

The state comprises 96.6% of Scheduled Tribes population, who are the adherent of Christianity.[16]

Christianity among Scheduled Tribes[16]
Scheduled Tribes Adherents of Christianity Percentage of Tribes practices Christianity Percentage of Christian among Tribal Christians
Garo 1,834 78.18 0.11
Kachari 3,938 30.21 0.23
Kuki 18,514 98.65 1.1
Mikir 132 60.55 0.01
Naga — 1,647,480 98.79 98.04
— Angami 139,781 98.62 8.32
— Ao 224,525 99.07 13.36
— Chakhesang 153,740 99.27 9.15
— Chang 63,603 99.03 3.78
— Chirr 138 100 0.01
— Khiemnungan 61,246 99.35 3.64
— Konyak 232,619 97.92 13.84
— Lotha 171,771 99.23 10.22
— Makware 9 90 0
— Phom 52,255 99.19 3.11
— Rengma 62,285 98.94 3.71
— Sangtam 74,439 99.26 4.43
— Sema 234,762 99.34 13.97
— Tikhir 7,468 99.08 0.44
— Yimchaungre 66,514 99.32 3.96
— Zeliang 71,305 95.23 4.24
— Pochury 21,704 98.89 1.29
— Viswerna 3,536 96.51 0.21
— Any other Naga 5,780 98.92 0.34
Generic Tribes etc. 8,526 95.85 0.51
All Schedule Tribes 1,680,424 98.21 100

Trends[edit | edit source]

Religious trends of Nagaland
Decadal growth of religious groups.
Decadal changes in the religious composition.

Percentage of Christians in Nagaland by decades[13]

Year Percent Increase
1901 0.59% -
1911 2.22% +1.63%
1921 5.5% +3.28%
1931 12.81% +7.31%
1941 0% -12.81%
1951 46.05% +46.05%
1961 52.98% +6.93%
1971 66.76% +13.78%
1981 80.21% +13.45%
1991 87.47% +7.26%
2001 89.97% +2.5%
2011 87.93% -2.04%

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eaton, Richard M. (1984). "Conversion to Christianity among the Nagas, 1876-1971". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 21 (1): 1–44. doi:10.1177/001946468402100101. ISSN 0019-4646.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thejalhoukho (17 May 2024). "Contested customs in the Naga hills: Baptist reformers, colonial ethnography and the construction of a modern Naga identity". Asian Ethnicity. 26: 27–44. doi:10.1080/14631369.2024.2355643. ISSN 1463-1369.
  4. ↑ Thomas 2016, p. 21.
  5. ↑ Thomas 2016, p. 22.
  6. ↑ Thomas 2016, p. 23.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Allan Anderson, ed., "Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia", p237-238.
  8. ↑ Olson, C. Gordon. What in the World Is God Doing. Global Gospel Publishers: Cedar Knolls, NJ. 2003.
  9. ↑ American Religious Identification Survey Archived 14 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine www.gc.cuny.edu.
  10. ↑ Mississippi Denominational Groups, 2000 Archived 29 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Thearda.com. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  11. ↑ Sakha, Thüpukhoto (17 November 2015). "History from Naga Nationalism from the religious perspective". Eastern Mirror. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "How do Naga peace and Article 371A belong together?". Economic Times. 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 http://www.cpsindia.org Archived 18 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine › BlogsPDF Web results The Christianisation of the Northeast – Centre for Policy Studies
  14. ↑ "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  15. ↑ Wijunamai, Roderick (9 October 2020). "The early story of Christianity in Northeast India". Himal Southasian.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "ST-14: Scheduled tribe population by religious community (State/UT level), Nagaland - 2011". censusindia.gov.in.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Thomas, John (2016). Evangelising the Nation: Religion and the formation of Naga political identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138639928.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Christianity in India by region

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