Norway abolishes state-sponsored Church of Norway

[trotsky]

In an unprecedented move, the Norwegian Parliament has voted to abolish the state-sponsored Church of Norway with a constitutional amendment.

The bipartisan measure to create a separation of church and state will officially be presented on Tuesday, reports Norway's TV2. The nation will not have an official religion, and the government will not participate in the appointment of church deans and bishops.

...

Traditionally, every citizen of Norway became a member of the Church of Norway upon baptism. 79 percent of Norwegians are registered members, but only about 20 percent make religion a large part of their lives and only two percent attend church regularly, according to 2009 and 2010 data. A 2002 study done by Gustafsson and Pettersson revealed that 72 percent of Norwegians "do not believe in a personal God."

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[Sherman A1]

1. Interesting

I was just listening to a discussion of this topic on The Thomas Jefferson Hour and it mentioned that we are perhaps one of the most religious nations specifically because of the separation of church & state.

[intaglio]

2. Hallelujah! n/t

[MADem]

3. Probably a smart move. They'll just change the signs to "Lutheran" and continue on their merry way

They might not get cash infusions if they get in trouble, but that's a good thing. Sink or swim!

[Ron Obvious]

4. Careful what you wish for...

It may or may not be a good thing. As Dawkins pointed out, the existence of the very mild Church of England may very well have the effect of innoculating the people against fundamentalism and snake-handling religions. The US, which has an official separation of Church and State, requires religions to compete in the free market and it is certainly home to some of the most out there wackadoodle cults.