{"id":73897,"date":"2010-04-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-15T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2010\/04\/15\/commitment-to-christianity-and-islam-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa\/"},"modified":"2024-06-11T14:31:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T18:31:55","slug":"commitment-to-christianity-and-islam-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2010\/04\/15\/commitment-to-christianity-and-islam-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Large majorities in every country surveyed express belief in the core tenets of Christianity or Islam. For example, roughly three-in-four or more people express absolutely certain belief in the existence of God. In eight countries, at least nine-in-ten people express this view. By way of comparison, 71% of adults in the United States, arguably the most religious country in the industrialized world, say they are absolutely convinced of God’s existence. The only sub-Saharan African nations where fewer than eight-in-ten believe in God with absolute certainty are Botswana (74%), Chad, Mozambique and Uganda (77% in each).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey finds that nearly everyone in the countries surveyed who professes belief in God adopts a monotheistic rather than a polytheistic view, with very few people saying they believe in more than one God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In keeping with the teachings of both Christianity and Islam, more than eight-in-ten people in nearly every country surveyed say they believe in heaven. Respondents in Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya are all nearly unanimous on this question, with 97% or more of the populations of these countries expressing belief in heaven. Belief in hell tends to be somewhat less common, though in every country surveyed upwards of six-in-ten people say they believe hell exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, large numbers of Christians – including at least half in every country surveyed and nearly nine-in-ten people in Nigeria and Liberia – say they believe the Bible is the word of God and should be taken literally, word for word. Most Muslims adopt a similar view of the Koran, including roughly nine-in-ten or more Muslims in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chapter includes information on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n