Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands of Sephardic Jewry in Amsterdam, the Mahamad also closely controlled the process of re-judaization - that is helping those whose families had been secretly living as Jews while being outwardly Catholic return to a full Jewish life. In this process, several individuals rejected Rabbinic Judaism or advanced ideas outside of the norms of Judaism at that time and were disciplined by the Mahamad through the process of herem, which could be anything from denial of Torah honors to an outright ban on the individual. The most famous of those to receive a full ban herem was philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose
Religion in Benin Religion in Benin Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Benin, with 48.5% of the nation's total population being members of various Christian denominations. As a result, it plays an important role in shaping the country's social and cultural life. According to the 2013 estimate by the government of Benin, the population of Benin is 27.7% Muslim, 25.5% Roman Catholic, 13.5% Protestant (which includes Celestial 6.7%, Methodist 3.4%, and other Protestant 3.4%), 11.6% Vodun, 9.5% of other Christian denominations, and 12.2% of others or none. There are Christians, Muslims, and adherents of African Traditional Religion throughout the country. However,