page_title: Religion in Liberia
section_title: Traditional beliefs
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Liberia / Religions / Traditional beliefs
caption_attribution_description: A Masked Poro dancer, The Secret Society Wellcome Images Keywords: Anthropology; magico-religious; Ethnography
context_page_description: According to the 2008 National Census, 85.5% of Liberia's population practices Christianity. Muslims comprise 12.2% of the population, largely coming from the Mandingo and Vai ethnic groups. The vast majority of Muslims are Malikite Sunni, with sizeable Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities.
  Traditional indigenous religions are practiced by 0.5% of the population, while 0.4% subscribe to no religion.
context_section_description: Regardless of public statements of identification with Christianity, a "vast majority" of Liberians believe a supernatural world of ancestral and bush spirits that impact daily life. Ethnic groups in all regions of Liberia participate in the traditional religious practices of the Poro and Sande secret societies, with the exception of the Krahn ethnic group, who have their own secret society.
  "Liberian religious culture is characterised by a predisposition towards secrecy (encapsulated in the concept of ifa mo - "do not speak it") and an ingrained belief in the intervention of mysterious forces in human affairs". "Both elite and non-elite Liberians usually attribute events to the activities of secret powers and forces".
  "Beliefs include the conviction that there are deep and hidden things about an individual that only diviners, priests, and other qualified persons can unravel. This presupposes that whatever exists or happens in the physical realm has foundations in the spirit world".
caption: A masked Poro dancer.
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