Having been under Soviet rule for decades, most older people in Georgia speak Russian as a second language and the younger generation
is slowly learning English as a secondary language of communication. This process
is slow to change and today only a handful of youth speak English fluently, although
speaking English at a conversational level is quickly growing; none-the-less Russian
is still the language of communication and likely will continue to be in the near
future.
Religion
Georgian Orthodox is the official state religion and most
of the people do follow this church. However, much of the country is isolated due
to the mountains and there are dozens of small isolated Muslim groups.
Orthodoxy is a Christian religion that claims to be the most loyal to the Christian
faith and religion as it was described by Jesus and the Gospels in the New Testament.
Christianity, including Orthodoxy, was founded after the death of Jesus in about
30-33 AD; various branches of Orthodoxy were officially recognized by governments
long before Catholicism was recognized in the Roman Empire.
Orthodoxy and Catholicism have many of the same beliefs; both believe that there
is a single God who created everything and a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ
who is the forgiver of sins. However, Orthodoxy is decentralized so each bishop
oversees their local country or region, giving each orthodox country a different
leader. In this way, no bishop has more power than any other, meaning the tenants
and interpretations of the faith remain relatively unchanged. These beliefs are
based on the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, in
particular the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the
New Testament).