religion in uganda

church/worship expressions

In America, church is a once a week, one-hour deal. In Uganda for most people it is at least 3 times a week and on Sunday’s it is 4-5 hours. Whether you practice a religion or not, you will probably find Ugandan approaches to spirituality different from what you are used to. Most people openly discuss religion in the public.

christianity and other religions

Most people will not approach you on grounds of your denomination, rather, they will treat you simply as a Christian. Denominationalism is not big in Africa and particularly in Uganda. You will find people who only know Billy Graham as a preacher and not a Baptist or John Wesley only as a revivalist and not a Methodist. To most people these are God and people loving Christians and admirable religious leaders but nothing more. Most Ugandans will know more of European Great Awakenings, Revivalists, and modern Televangelists than most philosophers or theologians celebrated in the majority of Western educated theological circles. This is partly because the ways most people have access to Western Christianity is through television or radio. This is also a city phenomenon. In the villages, people only have their Bibles and their local pastors and that is it.

Uganda’s Religions

Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%. Nationwide, religion is predominantly divided between the following categories (Catholics, Protestants, Born-Agains or Saved, and Muslims). The Born-Agains or Saved people, include Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals etc. Really it is everything that we lump as Christian in America. Institutionalized churches such as Catholics and Anglicans are still known as Catholics or Anglicans. Rarely will people refer to them in the collective sense of Christian. Hence, in Uganda you will be received simply as a Christian sister or brother. If you are asked, “Are you Saved” all it means is, “Are you a Christian?” You may be asked if you are “saved,” and whether there are any Muslims in America etc., so feel free to answer. Some references about traditional rituals and body aches that we understand as science, in rural areas may be understood as demonic or voodoo. In Uganda people love to hear faith stories or testimonies of others. People have an exuberant faith and joyous expression of their faith through celebratory singing and dancing at church time. I encourage you to work through your faith story and think about how you might share how you have seen or where you see God working in your life. For example, you may start with how you and your family came to the Christian faith and how you have seen God work through your life. Please bring a journal and a pen with you.