As I dug deeper into the religious state of Norway (see Irreligious Scandinavia), I found some shocking information. And not just 62% of the population are atheist. It looks like only 3% of the population goes to church.
![Church in the village of Askøy. I hear many are not used or treated liked museums.3s [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d4a0bf39d657c0001cd13fd/1570577619174-LRNE2H7EFZX4BY1JHNJL/20191025+512px-Tveit_kirke.jpg)
Church in the village of Askøy. I hear many are not used or treated liked museums.
3s [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
The biggest church in Norway is the Evangelical Lutheran Church (or Church of Norway). This link will give you the basics needed to understand the denomination. Locals have confirmed for me the small numbers attending. Three percent church attendance seems to be correct.
The Church of Norway was the state mandated church. If you were born and your parents were on the books, you automatically became a member. However, in 1964, Norway amended their constitution to include freedom of religion. Well, except for the Royal Family, they are still required to be Lutheran. Plus at a minimum, one half of the government had to belong to the state church. In 2012, parliament again amended their constitution to increase the autonomy of the church and decrease the connection to the state. Finally, in 2017, the church was completely separated.
Looking at different surveys over the last 15 years, the number of people who claim to be atheist has risen. One worker told me Humanism was big now. I did not know about humanism. I found out it was a branch of atheism that believes in an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, believing that moral values are founded on human nature and experience alone. The American Humanist Association defines humanism as a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good. No definition for ethical was given.
To sum up, what I discovered about the religious environment in Norway right now. There isn’t one. Yes they have freedom of religion but they are not seeking God. The people I spoke with in Norway confirmed the same and have been praying for help for years. They are even using the term “Frontier Missions” because it is like starting all over again.
Please continue to pray for all the lost souls in Norway and for the servants working on the front lines.
