Austria Factbook
Austria possesses a
rich cultural heritage in music and art.
Unfortunately, religion
of any sort is rarely part of an Austrian's life. There are a small number of
evangelicals in Austria,
but overall, this country has largely turned its back on the things of
God.
Austria is beautiful
land located in the heart of Europe. It borders on Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia,
and the Czech Republic.
The Alps
run through the western and southern portions of the country. The population of Austria is a little over 8
million. Nearly all Austrian people
are Germanic in origin.
Austria was at the
center of the Austro-Hungarian empire until 1918. Throughout the Cold War years, Austria remained neutral in the struggles between eastern and western Europe. It now a
member of the EU and employs a multiparty democratic form of
government.
Austria joined the European Economic Community on January 1, 1995. Austrians have enjoyed a prosperous economy
for quite some time. Unemployment is
low, and incomes are relatively high.
The Austrian constitution provides for
freedom of religion. Both the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches enjoy a
privileged position. The majority
of
Austrians are classified as Roman Catholic (approximately 70% of the
population). Evangelicals are rare (less than one half
percent).
Unfortunately, most Austrians have little
to do with religion. More people have been involved in occult practices
than are involved with a church. Few of
those involved with churches feel the call to full time service. Consequently, the number of Roman Catholic
priests has fallen dramatically, protestant churches are short
of
pastors, and foreign missionaries from Austria are few in number.
Many Austrians tend to view evangelicals
as cultists, and new legislation restricts many new, smaller Christian works. There are nearly twice as many Jehovah's
Witnesses and Mormons as evangelicals.
The number of evangelicals has actually grown in recent years,
but much work remains to be done.
Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison
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