In Belgium, Roman Catholicism is the majority religion, accounting for between 60% and 75% of the population, although as of 2004 only about 9% to 12% of the population regularly goes to church. Other religions widely practiced in Belgium are Islam (over 5%), Protestantism and Judaism (both less than 1%). The Belgian law officially recognises these, with two recognised denominations for the Protestants (Protestants and Anglicans), as well as the secular organizations (Dutch: vrijzinnige levensbeschouwelijke organisaties, French: organisations laïques). The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Islam   listen? (Arabic: al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest and fastest-growing religion. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity. ... Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... The term Anglican (from the Angles or English) describes those people and churches following the religious traditions developed by the established Church of England. ...

Religion was one of the differences between the Roman Catholic south and the Protestant north of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which eventually broke up in 1830 when the south seceded to form Belgium. This accounts for the preponderance of Catholics there nowadays. United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815 - 1830) (1839) (Dutch: Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, French: Royaume-Uni des Pays-Bas). ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Since 1830, Catholicism has had also an important role in Belgium's politics. One example is the so-called "school wars" ("guerres scolaires" in French) between liberals and Catholics which took place between 1879 and 1884 for the first one and between 1954 and 1958 for the second one. 1879 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Another important controversy happened in 1990 when the Catholic and very religious King Baudouin I refused to officially sign off the bill liberalising Belgium's abortion laws, which had previously been approved by parliament. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Baudouin of Belgium King Baudouin, (also spelled Boudewijn, Balduin or Baldwin) born Albert Charles Leopold Axel Marie Gustave, (7 September 1930 - 31 July 1993), reigned as King of the Belgians from 1951 to 1993. ...

Between World War I and World War II the centre of occult and mystical activity was shifted from France to Belgium. Belgium became the main centre for many brotherhoods and secret societies of which many branches still exist today. WWI redirects here. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ... The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ...

See also

• Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg