Guatemala

Roman Catholicism

The Roman Catholic Church entered with Spanish colonization, establishing the Guatemala diocese in 1534. A shortage of priests curtailed the strength of [Page 486]the Church for centuries. After independence (1821), Conservative dictators supported the Roman Catholic Church, whereas the Liberals were anticlerical and annexed the Church properties.

Table 1 Main Global Religions in Guatemala: 1995, 2000, 2004

Mainstream Protestantism

The Liberal dictator Barrios invited U.S. Presbyterian missionaries to Guatemala in 1882. The Central American Mission arrived in 1899, followed by the Quakers (1902), Nazarenes (1904), Adventists (1908), Lutherans (1935), and Baptists (1946). None were successful in converting the Guatemalans.

Pentecostalism and Neo-Pentecostalism

Missionaries from the U.S. Full Gospel Church of God arrived in 1916, followed by the Church of God of Prophecy (1923), Assemblies of God (1937), Foursquare Gospel (1945), and many others. A successful local brand of Pentecostalism was El Príncipe de Paz (The Prince of Peace), founded in 1945. Between 1976 and 1986, the Pentecostal denominations increased from 3% to 17% of the population. Guatemalan Neo-Pentecostalism exploded with the start of Verbo (1976), Fraternidad Cristiana (1979), Shaddai (1983), and Lluvias de Gracia[Page 487](1984). Verbo and Shaddai enjoyed influence during the reigns of General Ríos Montt (1982–1983) and President Serrano (1991–1993). Brazilian Neo-Pentecostal churches, emphasizing faith healing and prosperity, started using old cinemas in the mid-1990s. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and God Is Love attracted many members.

Marginal Christians

The Jehovah's Witnesses arrived in 1920 and had 33,500 members by 1995. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sent its first missionaries to Guatemala in 1947. Mormons claimed 205,221 members in 2006, but only about one quarter were active.

Other World Religions and Transnational Religious Movements

Other global world religions in Guatemala are Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. All arrived with immigrants, and none proselytized beyond their own ethnic group.

Since the 1980s, globalization influenced the arrival of transnational new religious movements in Guatemala. These include the Baha'is, the Family, Hare Krishna, and Soka Gakkai. Except for Baha'is, their membership is modest.