Micronesia

Micronesia (formally called the Federated States of Micronesia) covers an area within what is known as Oceania and includes a number of islands within the western Pacific Ocean, including Saipan, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, and others. Melanesia lies to its south, while to its east is Polynesia. To the west lie the Philippines.

Christianity is the most practiced religion in Micronesia. A number of Protestant and Roman Catholic churches are found in each Micronesian state. The majority of Protestants are direct descendants of the original American Congregationalists who came to Micronesia to engage in missionary activities. For example, in Kosrae, one of the islands within the chain, the population is around 8,000, with 95% Protestants. In Pohnpei, there are 35,000 inhabitants, with an even split between those calling themselves Protestant and those stating that they are Roman Catholic.

On the islands of Chuuk and Yap, approximately 60% of churchgoers are Roman Catholic, whereas the remaining 40% attend Protestant services. Religious organizations with adherents in Micronesia include the Protestant groups, Baptists, the Pentecostals (primarily found within the Assembly of God), and the Seventh-Day Adventists, as well as other beliefs not classified as Protestant or Roman Catholic, that is, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Baha'i Faith (a monotheistic faith founded in [Page 789]Persia during the 1800s). One can also find a minor enclave of Buddhists on Ponhepi. Members of the various churches often attend ceremonies; thus, the churches perform a crucial function in Micronesian society.

During the last decade of the 19th century in Ponhepi, quarrels arose between the various faiths and their missionaries, which caused religious partitions that are still visible today. For example, individuals living in the western side of Ponhepi tend to be Protestant, whereas Roman Catholics primarily inhabit the eastern side. In today's world, missionaries from a number of denominations are free to travel and spread their faith anywhere within Micronesia. One primary reason for this freedom comes from the Micronesian constitution, which permits personal autonomy for religious beliefs. While Christianity is the majority religion, indigenous religious beliefs are still adhered to in Yap and in several of the Coral Islands found within the central Carolines.

Before the importation of nonnative religious beliefs, Micronesians worshipped a small number of “high gods” and felt that a great number of spirits performed explicit tasks while protecting particular locales. In addition, they believed that it is possible for dead ancestors and deceased neighbors to make contact with living progeny and friends.

The native islanders believed that there were a varying number of heavens—a common belief throughout Oceania at that time. Ancient myths and folk tales state that the islanders descended from a group of individuals who either were the first to find the islands or took them from the natives originally living there. The Micronesians never believed that supernatural beings were the creators of anything—that is, “God” or a number of “gods” did not create humanity or the world.