RELIGIONS OF THE DOMINION.

Shannon News, 30 December 1927, Page 3

RELIGIONS OF THE DOMINION.

WHAT THE CENSUS REVEALS. An interesting analysis of the religious professions of the people of New Zealand (exclusive of Maoris) recorded at the census of 1926 is given by the Government Statistician in the latest monthly Abstract of Statistics. Keligious or other beliefs returned by fewer than 250 persons are not shown in other parts of the table. The returns are as follow, the first column indlcat ng the number of each sect, the second column the increase per cent, in the five years 1921-26, and the third column the proportion per c«nt. of the total of specified beliefs.:—

Gli. of England 553,992 7.65 43.45 Presbyterian . : 330,598 10.37 25.93 Roman Catholic 173,332 5.60 13.60 Methodist 121,268 7.94 9.51 21,959 10.20 1.72 12,939 17.04 -1.01 Salvation Army 12,341 6.47 0.97 Ch. of Christ 7,985 -7.58* 0.63 Congregational 7.281 -8.73* 0.57 Seventh Day Adventist 2,873 29.18 0.23 2,483 -9.25* 0.20 Christian Scient. 1J382 62.97 0.11 Christadelphiari 1.079 3.25 0.08 Unitarian .;.... 1,024 -28.04* 0.08 Pentecostal 726 • — 0.26 Lat. Day Saints 599 35.21 0.05 Bible Students •■■ ... 578 119.77 0.05 So. of Friends 449 4.18 0.04 Evangelical ... 416 121.28 0.03 Liberal Catholic 329 199.09 0.03 Catholic Apostolic 280 - 26.32* 0.02 273 10..98J 0.02 Eastern Orthodox Catholic .... 268 38.86 0.02 Protestant (unde3,725 510.66 0.30 Undenominational Christian '... 1,365 0.10 Christian (unde- * 1,030 0.07 Other bodies .... 1,047 117.67 0.08 2,567 7.86 0.20 1,109 -4v .19* 0.09 Theosophist .. 779 -6.37* 0.06 3.47 - 10.10* 0.03 Other non- Christian religions 441 97176 0.03 No religion ... 2.S29 -27.81* 0.22 Spiritualist 1,271 -15.83* 0.10 No denomination 933 -32.49* 0.07 Freethinker ... 818 -32.34* 0.07 ' 804 10.74 0.06 Rationalist ... 557 29.53 0.04 254| 32.53 0.02 All other beliefs 599 43.80 0.05 Object to .state 62,567 62.13 — Unspecified ... 6.973 301.67 ._ Totals .. 1,344,469 10.30 100,00 •Decrease.