|
Religion in Thailand is varied. There is no official state religion in the Thai constitution, which guarantees religious freedom for all Thai citizens, though the king is required by law to be Theravada Buddhist.〔"Buddhism in Thailand: Its Past and Its Present", by Karuna Kusalasaya. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/kusalasaya/wheel085.html .〕 The main religion practiced in Thailand is Buddhism, but there is a strong undercurrent of Hinduism with its distinct priestly class.〔(The new Brahmins ). Bangkok Post, 12 October 2015.〕 The large Thai Chinese population also practices Chinese folk religions, including Taoism. Many other people, especially among the Isan ethnic group, practice Tai folk religions. A significant Muslim population, mostly constituted by Thai Malays, is present especially in the southern regions. ==Demographics== According to the latest (year 2000) official religious demographics figures, 94.6% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. However, the religious picture of the country is more complex. Of the large Thai Chinese population, most of those who follow Buddhism have been integrated into the dominant Theravada tradition, with only a negligible minority having retained Chinese Buddhism. Many other Thai Chinese have retained the practice of the Chinese traditional religion, including Taoism and other Chinese religions, but despite being practiced freely, these religions have no official recognition, and their followers are counted as Theravada Buddhists in demographic figures.〔Tatsuki Kataoka, 2012.〕 Also, many Thais and Isan practice their own Tai folk faiths. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4.6%. Thailand's southernmost provinces - Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla and Chumphon have dominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. The southern tip of Thailand is mostly ethnic Malays. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.7% of the population. A small but influential community of Sikhs in Thailand and some Hindus also live in the country's cities, and are heavily engaged in retail commerce. There is also a small Jewish community in Thailand, dating back to the 17th century. Since 2001, Muslim activists, generally described by the Thai government as terrorists or separatists, have rallied against the central government because of alleged corruption and ethnic bias on the part of officials. Thailand's Department of Religion, currently under the Ministry of Culture, is formally responsible for the registration of religious groups in Thailand 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=องค์การศาสนาต่างๆ )〕 which hold properties through legally established foundations. It has oversight, along with the Immigration Police, over the work permits of missionaries who are "expatriate religious workers"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=การเผยแพร่ศาสนาต่างๆ )〕 of all religions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Religion in Thailand」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|