Introduction to the main faiths in Lambeth
Lambeth has a very diverse population, of which almost 70% belong to a faith or religion. According to the 2001 census 58.8% of Lambeth's residents described themselves as Christian (including Catholic), Muslims make up 5.4%, followed by Hindus 1.3%, Buddhists 0.9% and Jews 0.5%. In addition to these, there are other religious groups like Bahá'is, Sikhs and Rastafarians, who have an active presence in Lambeth.
The Bahá'í faith is one of the youngest of the world's major religions. It was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in Iran in 1863.
Buddhism focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of insight into ones true nature.
Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with well over two billion followers. It is also the largest religion in Britain, with around 30 million nominal Christians and about 6 million of these are actively committed to the faith.
Hinduism is the world’s third most popular religion with over 800,000 followers.
Islam is the second most popular faith in the world with over a thousand million followers and its followers are called Muslims.
Judaism is about 3500 years old and it began in the Middle East. It is founded by Abraham and Moses and is the parent faith of Christianity. There are about 1,213 Jewish people in Lambeth – 0.5% of the Lambeth population.
Sikhism was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak and is a monotheistic religion. Sikhs think religion should be practiced by living in the world and coping with life's everyday problems.