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The Religion of Fiji

The Fijian people follow most of the main religions, but the prominent religion that is
practiced is Christianity. Visitors will find Christian churches, mosques, and Sikh and Hindu
temples throughout the country (Fiji Bureau, 2015). Christianity started in in Israel and then
Jesus spread the word of God through Jewish religion and accidently created a new religion
Christianity. The other religions in Fiji are Islam which originated in Arabian Peninsula, and
Hinduism which started in India. Before the 19th century the Fijian people were practicing
cannibalism, but once the missionaries arrive in the 19th century and taught the head chiefs the
way of Christianity the Fijian people stopped cannibalism and started living their lives as
Christians.
Religion in Fiji was a big help to the development of the country, before Christianity the
people of Fiji practice Shamanism religions till the missionaries arrived and converted them to
Christianity. But they did not get freedom of religion till there independence in 1970, and then in
1990 they made a constitution to protect their religious rights. Finally in 1997 the constitution
was revised granting power to the people to have the freedom to practice the religion they want.
Before Christianity hit Fiji every tribe had a temple where they could go worship and
offer gifts to their old Gods. But in modern day Fiji there are many religions being practice by
the Fijian people so naturally there are many sacred places on the islands for them to worship
their God. On the Islands you will find Churches, Mosques and Hindu temples throughout Fiji.
Where people practice diverse religions and keep alive the mystical stories of their old religion,

sacred sites, such as Temples, Mosques and churches lie in abundance(Fiji travel, 2009). In Fiji
no matter what your religion is you will most likely find a scared place to worship.

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The Islands of Fiji are independent which make it open to all religions. The religious
policy of the government of Fiji is open to all religions (Fiji times, 2008). The government in
Fiji is independent in the fact that they just elect leaders as their government but they remain
independent and are free to believe and practice any religion they please. Fiji is a great place for
diverse religion because all is accepted; throughout Fiji you will find many different places of
worship. Although 80 percent of the Fijian people are Christian so there are plenty of Christian
churches you will also find many Hindu Temple and Mosques. But it wasnt always that way
1987, two military coups overthrew Fiji's democratic institutions, supposedly in the interests of
the indigenous population. Power was handed over to a civilian government and the constitution
of 1990 provided that the prime minister and president would always be ethnic Fijians (Walker,
2001). After this in 1990 the people of Fiji fought to be independent and have the right to
practice what they wish.
Overall I believe the religion in Fiji has helped the community to grow and become more
independent. Without Christianity finding Fiji I feel the people would be behind in todays world.
When the Fijian people converted to Christianity I feel the world around them changed, for one
they stopped cannibalism. Before 1990 they did not have much religious freedom but the people
of Fiji fought for their right to practice the religion they wish, and I feel that right there shows
how much religion helped them because they were willing to fight for their independence.

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Graphics

The islands of Fiji are the small purple dots to the right of the map (Major religious
Groups).

This one of the many Christians churches located in Fiji

(Travel bug, 2013)

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This is a Hindu temple in Fiji and is a very popular destination for tourist (Travel Fiji,
2010).

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Bibliography
Walker, A. (n.d.). Fiji. Retrieved October 20, 2015
The relationship between religion and politics in Fiji. (2006). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Sacred Places in Fiji. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 201
The Origin of Christianity - Biblical Archaeology Society. (2015, April 1). Retrieved October 20,
2015.
Major religious groups. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Religion in Fiji. (2013). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Don't Miss Places In Fiji - TravelMagma blog shown in 785015 blogs. (n.d.). Retrieved October
20, 2015.