Bahamas

The nation of the Bahamas consists of more than 700 low-lying islands, keys, and rocks extending [Page 107]500 miles (1 mile = 1.61 kilometers) southeast off the coast of Florida. The Bahamas was the site of Columbus's 1492 landfall in the New World. It was a British colony from 1783 to 1973. Now independent, it remains a member of the British Commonwealth.

The 37 inhabited islands have a population of about 300,000. About two thirds of the population reside on New Providence Island (the location of town of Nassau). More than 85% of the population have descended from African slaves—the majority of whom were of Yoruba ancestry. The slaves were imported directly from Africa or brought by slave-owning British loyalists following the American Revolution. In addition, there are mixed Black/Amerindians (the Black Seminoles of Andros Island). The U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices estimates are that there are between 20,000 and 40,000 illegal Haitians who are residing in the Bahamas. Fifteen percent of the population are of European origin. A majority are descendants of early British settlers and North Americans from New York, the Carolinas, and Virginia. Also included in this 15% is a community of Greek Orthodox—whose descendants worked as sponge fishermen—and a longstanding Jewish community.

The prominence of religion on the islands can be traced to the Puritans of Eleuthera, who escaped to the Bahamas to flee what they saw as religious oppression in England. Christianity was and is the dominant religion in the Bahamas. Christian rites such as baptisms and confirmations constitute the major rites of passage in Bahamian society. Festivals and quasi-religious celebrations also play an important part in the culture with the Fox Hill Festival and Junkanoo. Junkanoo—much like the Carnival elsewhere in the Caribbean—is characterized by parades, costumes, dance, and food. The tradition grew out of a break granted to slaves each year during the Christmas season. While Jamaicans claim to have the greatest number of churches per square kilometer, Bahamians say that they have the largest number of churches per capita in the world.

Religious affiliations vary from island to island. The overwhelming majority of Bahamians (more than 76%) are conservative Protestants (fundamentalists and/or evangelicals). Baptists constitute the single largest denomination and account for more than 35% of the population. Roman Catholics and Anglicans represent 13% and 15% of the population, respectively. Eight percent of Bahamians are Pentecostal; 4% are Methodists; and 5% are Church of God. The 2006 CIA Factbook reports 13,844 Seventh-Day Adventists; 1,607 Jehovah's Witnesses, and 200 Jews.

Bahamians are religious pluralists and attend their own churches and services at other churches as well. Denominations represented on the islands are Anglican, Assembly of God, Ba'hai Faith, Baptist, Brethren, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian Science, Church of God of Prophecy, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Seventh-Day Adventist. Adventists are the fourth largest religious denomination in the Bahamas, consisting of 40 churches scattered throughout the islands. Less than 2% of Bahamians self-report as “nonreligious.” Pentecostal groups are the fastest growing. Social scientist Dean Collinwood—himself a Mormon—has charted a growing Mormon community. On most islands, Obeah practices have been noted.

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