Introduction

Argentina (a Wikipedia link) is a country in the far south of South America with a population of about 47 million people. It is bordered to the north by Bolivia and Paraguay, to the east by Brazil, Uruguay and the Atlantic ocean, to the south by the Atlantic ocean, and to the west by Chile. Its capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.

It is a federal constitutional secular republic and a representative democracy.

History

Early history and indigenous peoples

• 13,000 BCE: The first people arrive and settle in Patagonia.
• Pre-1500s: A wide range of people developed: nomadic hunters in the south, farmers such as the Guaraní in the northeast, and the Diaguita in the northwest.

Spanish colonial period

• 1516: The Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solís arrived at the Río de la Plata. Spain began to rule.
• 1776: Spain created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and made Buenos Aires the capital.
• 1806-1807: Local fighters pushed back British attacks on Buenos Aires, thus increasing confidence among the locals

Independence and nation-building

• 1810: The May Revolution began. Citizens took power from the Spanish viceroy.
• 9 July 1816: Independence is declared.
• 1820s-1850s: Civil wars start between centralists and federalists.
• 1853-1861: The constitution is created and Buenos Aires forms a united republic.

Economic growth and immigration

• 1880-1930: Millions of Europeans immigrate.
• Late 1800s: New railways and beef and wheat exports made Argentina one of the richest countries.

Mid-20th century and peronism

• 1930s and 1940s: Economic problems led to the several military takeovers.
• 1946: Juan Perón is elected president. He and his wife, Eva (Evita) Perón gain support from the working class due to social initiatives.
• 1955: A military coup removes Perón.

Dictatorship to democracy

• 1976: A military dictatorship takes control, which led to severe human rights abuse and the disappearance of thousands of citizens in the “Dirty War.”
• 1982: Argentina lost a short war with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands.
• 1983: Democracy returns to Argentina following the end of the military government.
• Current: Argentina builds a stable democratic government to recover from its economic challenges.

Current day

Religion in Argentina (a Wikipedia link) is as follows (as of 2024):

• Christianity: 73.0%
  • Catholicism: 63.0%
  • Evangelical: 8.80%
  • Other Christianity: 1.2%
• No religion: 26.2%
• Other religion: 0.8%

The Argentinian constitution (a Wikipedia link) guarantees freedom of religion. It recognizes the religious public holidays of Good Friday and Christmas.

Catholicism is the major religion, however it is in decline (down from over a 90% following in the 1960s). Protestant and evangelical Christian groups have expanded, especially in lower-income urban areas.

Issues

Historical financial privileges and state-allocations for certain Catholic clergy remnants continue to spark secular debate.

High-profile legal battles – such as the 2020 legalization of abortion – highlighted deep cultural friction between traditional religious organizations and secular or feminist groups, with religious institutions actively organizing public demonstrations within democratic frameworks.

The Milei administration dissolved the Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity and cut funding or support services addressing gender-based violence.

Government leadership has faced criticism from human rights groups like Human Rights Watch for disparaging remarks regarding same-sex marriage, gender identity, and inclusive education.

Deep economic instability and structural adjustments have left large portions of the population vulnerable, with poverty rates remaining elevated.

A substantial percentage of the workforce lacks formal social security registration and labor protections.

Government cutbacks to public administration, welfare programs (such as the replacement or dissolution of direct income programs like Potenciar Trabajo), and subsidies have heavily impacted low-income families, older adults, and persons with disabilities.

Secular and atheist groups

The following is a list of societies, groups, and on-line organisations who have motivations and philosophies that are not based on religion. The links are to the organisations’ web sites.

• Organizaciones Laicistas Argentinas (OLA)
• Coalición Argentina por un Estado Laico (CAEL)
• Asociación Civil ArgAtea (ArgAtea)

Forum

Regarding this forum, remember:

• this is a place to help others, so please be polite,
• that we’re trying to reduce the effects of religion in this society,
• that participants may have been badly affected by religion,
• to respect the privacy of everyone (including yourself),
• the law.

If your motives or actions are otherwise, you will need to find another venue.