RELIGIONS OF THE PEOPLE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume VI, Issue 286, 4 May 1875, Page 6

RELIGIONS OF THE PEOPLE.

,-rrr^ —r ’ •- ‘ i From 1871, when the .last general census was taken, till March, 1874, when the volume of statistics just issued by the RegistrarGeneral was compiled, there has been an increase in the religious denominations of the people of 43,121 souls. The greatest increase, strange to say, has been of those who delight to call themselves Pagans—viz., 88.39 per cent. There are now 4764 such persons in the Colony. The Church of England now returns 127,171 persons, or an increase of 18.58 percent.; the Presbyterians, 72,477, or 13.91 per cent.; Baptists, 6355, or 34.30 per cent.; the Congregational Independents, 5441, or 38,06 per cent.; Lutherans, 3914, or 67.19 per cent.; Unitarians, 349, or 29.74 per cent.; Roman Catholics, 40,371, or 13.38 per cent.; Jews, 1215, or 3.72;-., per cent.; while no less than 6760 persons decline to state their religion, and nearly a thousand prefer to be “ undescribed.” Turning to the table which subdivides the religion into groups, one is surprised at the great number of such groupings. The Presbyterians include fourteen of the Reformed Church; the Methodists comprise Bible/ Christians, new connection Methodists, In j dependents, and Ranters; while “other Prt/ testants” include Christadelphians, Christs Church, Church of the New Testament, Dhciples, Dutch Reformed Church, the F/ee Christian Church, the French, Reformed Church, Followers of Christ, Gospel. Brethren, Jehovistic Nonconformists, Morflkonians, Nazarenes, the New Church, Swgdenborgians (forty-live of them), a single, Puritan, eight male Shakers, and a solitary member of the Welsh Church. Included in the Catholics are 382 “ undefined.” aid fortyone members of the Greek Church There are fifty-six men and women who are Mormons, seventeen men who are Mahometans. The “ other denominations” comprise Anythingarian, Hindoos, Rechabite/, Spiritualists (fifty-three men and thirty-one women), and Universalists ; while “jio denominations” include Apostles of Christ, Believers in Christ, Believers in God, Relievers in the Lord Jesus, Believers in the Kingdom of God, Bible Thumpers, Broth'erites, Calathumpians, Christian Theists, tie Church of God, the Church of Omotoze, Cosmopolites, Deists (twenty-one men and seven women), one Evolutionist, 135 Freethinkers, two Followers of the Lamb, General Christians, Justis, Latitudinarians, Mystics, a couple of New Lights, one Neutral, seven of “ no particular sect,” two of no church, 4?4 men and 310 women of no denomination, six who are not decided, one whose religion is of the “ old identity” kind, three who are Pantheists, one Platonist, four women who profess “what Christ preached 1800 years ago," ten who are Progressionalists, 13 Rationalists, one Theist, four Truth-seekers, one who says he obeys “ the voice of God,” three who belong to the Unleavened Brethren of Christ, 198 who are Unsectarian, and one who is “ upright and fair.” Those of “no religion” include four mrie Atheists, one Heathen, two Infidels, a couple of Materialists, sixty-five men and twelve women of no religion at all, six of no creed, three who delegated to be classed as “nothing,” a brace of Sceptics, a single Unbeliever, and a couple of Utilitarians. In a note, the Registrar-General says that thirtyeight'of the Chinese population of the Colony were returned as professing Christianity : they belonged to the undermentioned denominations : —Church of England, 20 males', and 2 females; Presbyterians, 7 males; Wesleyans, 4 males ; Roman Catholics, 5 males. Fifteen were returned as Mahometans ; the remainder were stated to be Pagans or Confucians, but some doubt existing as to whether the latter word was used advisedly by the sub-enumerators, the whole are given in the tables as Pagans. In the Dunstan electoral district, there are returned as Episcopalians 1046 persons, of whom 339 are' females ; Presbyterians number 633 males and 383 females, or a total of 1016, There are 117 Methodists ; 37 Baptists ; 53 Congregational Independents ; 33 Lutherans; 6 members of the Church of Christ; the same number of Unitarians, and one adherent of the Society of Friends. Two males and one female are Catholic and Apostolic, while two of each sex are undefined Protestants. 637 persons—3s9 males and 278 females—embrace the Roman Catholic faith, and two males belong to the Greek Church. Of other denominations, there are two Mormons, one of either sex; three Jews; 13 Mahometans, and 471 Pagans. 11 persons are classified as belonging to no denomination ; four as of no religion ; while 48 object to state their religion.