Religion in Tonga

Tongans are ardent churchgoers. Church service usually follows a call and response structure. Singing in the church is often done a cappella. Although a church attends primarily to the spiritual needs of the population, it also functions as the primary social hub.

Sunday is celebrated as a strict sabbath, enshrined so in the constitution, and despite some voices to the opposite, the Sunday ban is not likely to be abolished soon. No trade is allowed on Sunday, except essential services, after special approval by the minister of police. Those that break the law risk a fine or imprisonment.{{cite web |url=https://religiousliberty.tv/tonga-mandatory-sunday-rest-laws-and-the-international-date-line.html |title=Tonga – Mandatory Sunday Rest Laws and the International Date Line |publisher=ReligiousLiberty TV |date=7 February 2022 |access-date=5 October 2022}}

Along with others from Oceania, some Tongan Christians have attempted to develop their own unique theology which addresses the contextual questions offered by people of the Pacific. This includes the coconut theology of the Methodist Sione 'Amanaki Havea or the incarnational theology of the Catholic Bishop of Tonga Patelesio Finau.{{Cite journal|last=Forman|first=Charles W.|date=July 2005|title=Finding Our Own Voice: The Reinterpreting of Christianity by Oceanian Theologians|url=http://www.internationalbulletin.org/issues/2005-03/2005-03-115-forman.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615084223/http://www.internationalbulletin.org/issues/2005-03/2005-03-115-forman.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 15, 2016|journal=International Bulletin of Missionary Research|volume=29|issue=3|pages=115–122|doi=10.1177/239693930502900301|s2cid=147338574}}

File:Nuku alofa Tonga Temple 2007-11-17.jpg

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga had 66,361 members on record (about 60% of the population) with 173 congregations as of 2019.[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/tonga The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temples] According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tonga has a higher per-capita number of Latter-day Saints than any other country in the world.^ Jump up to: a b Church News: Country information: Tonga, churchofjesuschrist.org, accessed 2013-12-15 However, according to the 2011 census, only 18.01% of Tongans belong to LDS Church and Tongans belonging to mainstream Christian denominations represent majority of the population.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spc.int/prism/tonga/index.php/component/docman/cat_view/124-population-census/118-2011?Itemid=23|title = Home | Statistics for Development Division}}

Buddhism has begun to gain traction, growing from 0.2% to 0.4% of the population in five years.[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90156.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tonga]. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Hinduism decreased from 104 people in 2006 to 100 in 2010.

The Baháʼí Faith in Tonga started after being set as a goal to introduce the religion in 1953,{{Citation

| first = Graham

| last = Hassall

| editor-last = H. Rubinstein

| editor-first = Donald

| contribution = Pacific Baha'i Communities 1950-1964

| contribution-url = http://bahai-library.com/hassall_bahai_pacific

| title = Pacific History: Papers from the 8th Pacific History Association Conference

| year = 1992

| pages = 73–95

| publisher = University of Guam Press & Micronesian Area Research Center, Guam

}} and Baháʼís arrived in 1954.{{Citation

| last1 = Tuitahi

| first1 = Sione

| last2 = Bolouri

| first2 = Sohrab

| title = Tongan Baha'is parade to the palace

| newspaper = Baháʼí World News Service

| date = 2004-01-28

| url = http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story/286 }} With conversions and pioneers, the first Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1958.{{Citation

| last = Hassall

| first = Graham

| title = Baháʼí Faith in the Asia Pacific Issues and Prospects

| periodical = Baháʼí Studies Review

| volume=6

| pages = 1–10

| year = 1996

| url = http://bahai-library.com/hassall_bahai_asia-pacific_issues }} Less than forty years later, in 1996, the Baháʼís of Tonga established their paramount Baháʼí school in the form of the Ocean of Light International School.{{Citation

| last = Baháʼí International Community

| author-link = Baháʼí International Community

| title = Ocean of Light School celebrates 10th anniversary

| newspaper = Baháʼí World News Service

| date = 2006-07-17

| url = http://news.bahai.org/story/461 }} Around 2004 there were 29 local spiritual assemblies and about 5% of the national population were members of the Baháʼí Faith though the Tonga Broadcasting Commission maintained a policy that does not allow discussions by members of the Baháʼí Faith of its founder, Bahá'u'lláh on its radio broadcasts.{{cite web | url = https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71356.htm | title = International Religious Freedom Report - Tonga | date = 2006-09-15 | access-date = 2008-09-15 | author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | publisher = United States State Department}}

In the early 20th century, there were two early Sikh pioneers residing in Tonga who came from the Garhshankar tehsil of the Punjab.{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |title=The Sikh Diaspora: Migration and the Experience Beyond Punjab |publisher=South Asia Books |year=1989 |isbn=9788170010470 |editor-last=Barrier |editor-first=Norman Gerald |edition=1st |page=33 |chapter=The First Forty Years of Sikh Migration: Problems and Some Possible Solutions |quote=The ripples from Singapore certainly spread as far as New Zealand and Fiji, and the two Sikhs from Garhshankar tahsil who were in Tonga early this century (McLeod 1986: 103) should serve to remind us that few territories were so remote as to be beyond their range. |editor-last2=Dusenbery |editor-first2=Verne A.}}

According to the 2021 Tonga Census, the largest religious group in the country was the Free Wesleyan Church, comprising approximately 34.44% of the total population of 98,575. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints followed with 19.62%, and Catholics made up 13.84%. The Free Church of Tonga accounted for 11.59%, while the Church of Tonga represented 6.88% of the population. Other notable denominations included the Seventh Day Adventist Church (2.50%), the Assembly of God (2.49%), and other Pentecostal denominations (1.97%). Tokaikolo adherents made up 1.48%, and the Constitutional Church of Tonga accounted for 1.17%. Smaller religious groups included the Baha’i Faith (0.74%), Mo’ui Fo’ou ‘ia Kalaisi (0.60%), the Anglican and Gospel churches (both at 0.48%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.36%), and The Salvation Army (0.33%). Minority religions such as Hinduism and Islam each comprised around 0.08% of the population, while Buddhists made up 0.06%. Additionally, 0.58% of the population reported no religious affiliation, 0.17% did not state their religion, 0.72% identified with other religions, and 0.12% refused to answer.{{Cite report|url=http://tonga.prism.spc.int/tdos-documents-library?view=download&fileId=1010|title=Tonga 2011 Census of Population and Housing, Volume 2: Analytical Report|date=January 2014|publisher=Secretariat of the Pacific Community, New Caledonia|volume=2|page=33|access-date=28 September 2017}}{{Cite web |title=Census Report and Factsheet. {{!}} Tonga Statistics Department |url=https://tongastats.gov.to/census-2/population-census-3/census-report-and-factsheet/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |language=en-US}}

The constitution of Tonga establishes the freedom of religion, with the qualification that this freedom is not used to "commit evil" or to otherwise violate the law. The constitution forbids commercial transactions on Sundays in accordance with the Christian Sabbath, although the tourism industry is granted some exceptions from this rule.[https://www.state.gov/reports/2017-report-on-international-religious-freedom/tonga/ International Religious Freedom Report 2017 § Tonga], US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Religious organizations are not required to register with the government, but may do so in order to receive tax exemptions, the right to issue legally recognized marriage certificates, and other privileges. Foreign missionaries may operate in the country without special restrictions.

Public schools may choose to include up to an hour of religious education per week; students are required to attend religious education courses pertaining to the religion that they profess. Many religious organizations operate private schools.

The government allows religious organizations to broadcast programming on TV Tonga and Radio Tonga, officially with the restriction that they must limit their messaging to be "within the limits of the mainstream Christian tradition". Despite this restriction, in the past the Baháʼí Faith community has televised programming, although the community has since discontinued this program. As of 2017, there have been no reports of the government denying requests for air time from any religious organization.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga
• Hinduism in Tonga
• Islam in Tonga
• Tongan religion

• [http://www.mouimooni.com Christian videos in the Tongan language]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110709042048/http://www.tongatapu.net.to/tonga/convictions/christianity/fwc/fwc.html The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga]

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{{Oceania topic|Religion in}}