Religion in Norway
1727767
215773176
2008-05-29T17:22:22Z
DumZiBoT
6085301
Bot: Converting bare references, see [[User:DumZiBoT/refLinks|FAQ]]
{{Refimprove|date=October 2007}}
[[Image:Langesund church, Bamble, Norway.jpg|Langesund Church, [[Bamble]], [[Norway]]|thumb]]
'''Religion in Norway''' is overwhelmingly Protestant (Evangelical-Lutheran) with 82.7% belonging to the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway]].<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/kirke_kostra_en/tab-2007-06-19-02-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2006</ref> Early Norwegians, like all of the peoples of Scandinavia, were pagans believing in [[Norse mythology]]; the [[Sámi]] having a [[shamanism|shamanistic]] religion. Due to the efforts of Christian missionaries, Norway was gradually Christianized in a process starting at approximately 1000 AD and which was substantially finished by 1150AD. Prior to the [[Reformation]], Norwegians were part of the [[Catholic Church]] with the conversion to Protestantism occurring in 1536. [[Islam]] is now the second largest religion due to recent migration trends although the census shows that there are more people with no religious beliefs.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
According to the most recent [[Eurobarometer|Eurobarometer Poll]] [[2005]],<ref name=EUROBAROMETER>{{citeweb|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf|title=Eurobarometer on Social Values, Science and technology 2005 - page 11|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref>
* '''32%''' of Norwegian citizens responded that <font color="#884400">''"they believe there is a God"''</font>.
* '''47%''' answered that <font color="#884400">''"they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"''</font>.
* '''17%''' answered that <font color="#884400">''"they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force"''</font>.
==Norse religion==
''Main article: [[Norse mythology]]''
Norse religion developed from the common mythology of the Germanic people. Scandinavian mythology developed slowly and the relative importance of gods and heroes. Thus, the cult of [[Odin]] in Norway probably spread from Western Germany not long before they were written down. Gods shown as minor gods such as [[Ullr]], the fertility god [[Njord]] and [[Heimdall]] are likely to be older gods in Norway who lost popularity.
Most information about Scandinavian mythology is contained in the old Norse literature including Norwegian literature, the [[Eddas]] and later sagas. Other information comes from the Danish historian [[Saxo Grammaticus]] with fragments of legends preserved in old inscriptions. Unfortunately, we know relatively little about old religious practices in Norway or elsewhere as most of the knowledge was lost in the gradual Christianisation.
==Sámi religion==
''Main article: [[Sami religion]]''
The Sámi followed a shamanistic religion based on nature worship. The Sámi pantheon consisted of four general gods the Mother, the Father, the Son and the Daughter (Radienacca, Radienacce, Radienkiedde and Radienneida). There was also a god of fertility, fire and thunder [[Horagalles]], the sun goddess [[Beive]] and the moon goddess [[Manno]] as well as the goddess of death [[Jabemeahkka]].
Like many pagan religions, the Sámi saw life as a circular process of life, death and rebirth. The shaman was called a [[Noaide]] and the traditions were passed on between families with an ageing Noaide training a relative to take his or her place after he or she dies. While training went on as long as the Noaide lived but the pupil had to prove his or her skills before a group of Noaidi before being eligible to become a fully fledged shaman at the death of his or her mentor.
The Norwegian church undertook a campaign to Christianise the Sámi in the 16th and 17th century with most of the sources being missionaries. While the vast majority of the Sámi in Norway have been Christianised, some of them still follow their traditional faith and some Noaidi are still practising their ancient religion.
==Judaism==
''Main article: [[Jews in Norway]]''
==Islam==
''Main article: [[Islam in Norway]]''
==Christianisation==
The conversion of Norway to Christianity began in 1000 AD. The raids on the British isles and on the Frankish kingdoms had brought the Vikings in touch with Christianity. [[Haakon I of Norway|Haakon the Good of Norway]] who had grown up in England tried to introduce Christianity in the mid tenth century, but had met fierce resistance from pagan chieftains and soon abandoned the idea.
Anglo-Saxon missionaries from England and Germany had tried to convert Norwegians to Christianity but only had limited success although they succeeded in converting [[Olav Tryggvason|Olaf I of Norway]] to Christianity. [[Olaf II of Norway]] (later Saint Olaf) had more success in his attempts to convert the population with many Norwegians converting in the process, and he is credited with Christianising Norway.
The Christians in Norway often established churches or other holy sites at places that had previously been sacred under the Norse religion. The spread of conversion can be measured by burial sites as Pagans were buried with [[grave goods]] while Christians weren't. Christianity had become well established in Norway by the middle of the 11th century and had become dominant by the middle of the 12th century. [[Stave church]]es were built of wood without the use of nails in the 13th century.
==Religion from the reformation until 1964==
The Norwegians were Catholics until the Danish king [[Christian III of Denmark]] ordered Denmark to convert to Lutheranism in 1536 and as Norway was then ruled by Denmark, the Norwegians converted as well. The Danish Church Ordnance was introduced in 1537 and a Norwegian Church Council officially adopted Lutheranism in 1539. Monasteries were dissolved and church property confiscated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway established and funded by the state.
Bishops still adhering to Catholicism were deposed with Archbishop Olav of [[Nidaros]] fleeing the country in 1537 and another bishop dying in prison in 1542. Catholicism held on remote parts of Norway for another couple of decades. Many pastors were replaced with Danes and Norwegian clergy being trained at the [[University of Copenhagen]] as Norway didn't have a university. The Danish translation of the Bible was used as were Danish catechisms and hymns. The use of Danish in religious ceremonies had a strong influence on the development of the [[Norwegian language]].
The church undertook a program to convert the Sámi in the 16th and 17th century with the program being largely successful. The [[University of Oslo]] was established in 1811 allowing priests to train in Norway. The [[Norwegian Constitution]] of [[1814]] did not grant [[religious freedom]] as it stated that [[Jews]] and [[Jesuites]] were denied entrance in Norway. Moreover, adherence to Evangelical Lutheran Christianity was compulsory, and so was church attendance. A ban on lay preaching was lifted in 1842, allowing several free church movements and a strong lay movement being established in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Three years later, the so-called [[Dissenter]] Law came into effect, allowing other Christian congregations to establish in Norway. [[Atheism]] became allowed as well, and the ban on Judaism was lifted in 1851. [[Monasticism]] and Jesuites were allowed starting in 1897 and 1956 respectively.
The Norwegian Constitution was amended in 1964 allowing freedom of religion. Exceptions are the [[Norwegian royal family]], who are required by the Constitution to be Lutherans. Furthermore, at least one half of the Government must belong to the state church.
Church pastors were active in the [[Norwegian resistance movement]] during [[World War II]]. The church was also active in the moral debate which arose in the 1950s.
==Bahá'í Faith==
{{main|Bahá'í Faith in Norway}}
The [[Bahá'í Faith]] in Norway began with contact between traveling Scandinavians with early Persian believers of the [[Bahá'í Faith]] in the mid-to-late 1800's.<ref name="historie">{{cite web
| coauthors = National Spiritual Assembly of Norway
| title = Skandinavisk bahá'í historie
| work = Official Website of the Bahá'ís of Norway
| publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of Norway
| year = 2007-8
| url = http://www.bahai.no/index.php?id=52&type=98
| accessdate = 2008-04-27}}</ref> Bahá'ís first visited [[Scandinavia]] in the 1920s following [[`Abdu'l-Bahá|`Abdu'l-Bahá's]], then head of the religion, request outlining [[Norway]] among the countries Bahá'ís should [[Pioneering (Bahá'í)|pioneer]] to<ref name="tablets">{{cite book |author = `Abdu'l-Bahá |authorlink = `Abdu'l-Bahá |origdate = 1916-17 |year = 1991 |title = Tablets of the Divine Plan |edition = Paperback |publisher = Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location = Wilmette, Illinois, USA |id = ISBN 0877432333 |url =http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TDP/tdp-6.html | pages = p. 43}}</ref> and the first Bahá'í to settle in Norway was Johanna Schubartt.<ref name="schubarth">{{cite web
| coauthors = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Norway
| title = Johanna Schubarth
| work = Official Website of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Norway
| publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Norway
| date = 2008-03-25
| url = http://www.bahai.no/329.0.html
| accessdate = 2008-04-27 }}</ref> Following a period of more Bahá'í pioneers coming to the country, [[Local Spiritual Assembly|Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies]] spread across Norway while the national community eventually formed a Bahá'í [[National Spiritual Assembly]] in 1962.<ref name="info">[http://bahai-library.com/?file=handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1#22 The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963], Compiled by [[Hands of the Cause]] Residing in the Holy Land, pages 22 and 46.</ref> There are currently around 1000 Bahá'ís in the country.<ref name="census">{{cite web
| coauthors = Statistics Norway
| title = Members of religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance
| work = Church of Norway and other religious and life stance communities
| publisher = Statistics Norway
| year = 2008
| url = http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-01-en.html
| accessdate = 2008-04-26}}</ref>
==Religion in Norway today==
The Evangelican Lutheran Church is still established and administered through a Government department. There is, however, an ever ongoing political debate on [[separation of church and state]]. <ref>See [[Church of Norway#Current issues|Church of Norway, current issues]]</ref> The state also supports religious aid organisations such as [[Norwegian Church Aid]] financially. Bishops are formally nominated by the Norwegian Monarch<ref>"Monarch" is here the word that is used in the [[Constitution of Norway|Norwegian constitution]]. But it is the Government that decides.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}</ref>, who is the head of the church, and clerical salaries and pensions regulated by law. Clergy train in the theological faculties of the University of Oslo and the [[University of Bergen]]. Men and women can both become members of the clergy of the church. The church has two sacraments namely [[Baptism]] and [[Holy Communion]].
In Norway, 82.7% of the population are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as compared to 96% in the 1960s.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} [[Kevin Boyle]], a professor of history at the [[Ohio State University]] says, "Most members of the state church are not active adherents, except for the rituals of birth, confirmation, weddings, and burials. Some 3 per cent on average attend church on Sunday."<ref>''Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report'' (Routledge, 1997), page 351.</ref>
Approximately 9-10% are probably not members of any religious or philosophical communities, while 8.6 % of the population are members of other religious or philosophical communities outside the Church of Norway.<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/ Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
Other religious groups operated freely and include Roman Catholics. Buddhists, Jews, Orthodox, Sikhs, and Hindus were present in very small numbers, together comprising less than 1 percent of the population.
* Other Protestant Christian Denominations: 152,975, 3.9% <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71399.htm State Department Summary of Norway]</ref>
* [[Norwegian Humanist Association]] ~79,000 members (including informal children membership) <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71399.htm State Department Summary of Norway]</ref>
* Other No Formal Religious Practice: ~252,000, 5.6% <ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71399.htm State Department Summary of Norway]</ref>
* [[Islam in Norway|Islam]] 79,068 members, 1.9% <ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-01-en.html Table 1 Members of religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance. Per 1.1. 2005- 2007. Numbers and per cent<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Roman Catholic Church]] 51,508<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Pentecostal]] Movement 40,398<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Evangelical-Lutheran Free Church]] 19,524<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Methodists]] 11,299<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] 5,281<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], 14,756 <ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-03-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Buddhists]] 10,753<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-01-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Jews]] 868<ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-01-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Hindus]] 4,098 <ref>[http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/tab-2008-01-07-01-en.html Statistics Norway], numbers from 2007</ref>
* [[Bahá'í Faith]] has around 1,000 adherents.<ref name="census"/>
In 2005, a survey conducted by Gallup International in sixty-five countries indicated that Norway was the least religious country in Western Europe, with 29% counting themselves as believing in a church or deity, 26% as being atheists, and 45% not being entirely certain.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
According to the most recent [[Eurobarometer|Eurobarometer Poll]] [[2005]],<ref name=EUROBAROMETER>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf|title=Eurobarometer on Social Values, Science and technology 2005 - page 11|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
==See also==
*[[Roman Catholicism in Norway]]
*[[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway]]
*[[Islam in Norway]]
*[[Judaism in Norway]]
*[[Religion by country]]
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
==External references==
* [http://www.norway.org.uk/facts/religion/general/gereral.htm Official Norwegian site in the UK on Norwegian religion]
* [http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/ Statistics Norway: More members in religious and philosophical communities])
* [http://library.thinkquest.org/18802/norkirke.htm The Church in Norwegian life]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/religion_06.shtml BBC Ancient History article on Viking religion and their gradual conversion to Christianity]
* [http://www.feri.com/dawn/religion.html Site on Viking religion]
* [http://www.eutopia.no/Samisjaman.htm Site on Sámi religious beliefs]
* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/period/reformation/norref.html Site on Norwegian reformation]
* [http://history.boisestate.edu/westciv/reformat/denmark.htm Boise State University on Danish reformation]
* [http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en Religious and philosophical communities, 1 January 2006]
{{Religion in Europe}}
[[Category:Religion in Norway| ]]