Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The People’s Church

The Norwegian parliament has decided to abolish the state church and replace it with a “people’s church” or something similar. Our Norwegian correspondent The Observer has translated a news story about today’s decision, and includes some background for non-Norwegian readers:

Here’s an article that deals with the separation of church and state in Norway.

I am in principle a supporter of such a separation, as I consider religion to be a private matter (and besides, the church in Norway is a joke, as it is heavily controlled by non-Christian members of the parliament).

However, I am highly critical of the Parliament’s motivations for taking such a step, which is primarily to appease religious minorities. I don’t agree that Norway as a nation should throw away its cultural heritage just to please bogus asylum immigrants.

Christianity is a part of Norwegian society and has been so for almost a thousand years. It is therefore fair to propose that it should be given a more prominent position than that of other religions, but at the same time I don’t think the Church should be under the influence and control of the politicians. It should be independent.

This is just another step in the process of paving the road for Islam in Norway.

The translated article from Dagbladet:

Today the Norwegian state church (parliament-controlled church) is a thing of the past.

All the political parties represented in the Norwegian Parliament have accepted the proposed amendments to the Constitution which will change the relationship between the state and the church in Norway. The proposal from the parliamentary committee will be presented on Tuesday.

The motion which will be passed later this month will alter the state’s historical relationship with the Church. The Government will no longer be tasked with appointing priests and bishops, and Norway will no longer have an official state religion.

History

The constitutional amendments and the changes to the Norwegian Church law are the result of a process that started as a political compromise in Parliament in 2008.

“This is an historic event not just for the Norwegian Church, but also for the politicians in Parliament,” says Svein Harberg, the former spokesperson of the Church, Education and Research Committee from Hoyre [the conservatives].

The people’s church

On Tuesday the Committee will present a motion to adopt a new church law proclaiming that what has traditionally been known as the “state church” shall from now on become an open, inclusive and democratic people’s church.

“In addition to this clear mission statement, the Norwegian Church will no longer enjoy a dominant position but be equal with other religious denominations,” Harberg says.

The motion is backed by all the political parties in Parliament.

The bipartisan motion will be presented at Løvebakken [the area in front of the Parliament] on Tuesday afternoon, in the presence of church council chairman Svein Arne Lindø, Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien and director of the Council of Churches, Jens-Petter Johnsen.

10 comments:

W. C. Taqiyya said...

So, do they still have to pay a church tax? Or, do they get their money back? Does this mean the church, such as it was, will be taken off life support and allowed to die? Will the churches themselves be transformed into quasi mosque/youth hostels? I wonder if this may even serve to rejuvenate Christian faith in that nihilistic country? Or will the pagan viking culture raise it's hoary head once more? I guess we shall see.

Findalis said...

I guess it will soon become the "People's Mosque".

AliceNorthernLights said...

If there wan't this islamic trouble, i would agree with the norwegian parliament, but there are few things that bug me:
Church controlled by non-Christian members of the parliament. It's unfair. I agree with observer, church should be indipendent. Priests should teach God's word without having the state that impose to priests what to say and what to not say.

The scary thing is the future 'Norwegian islamic state' when norwegian natives are still in majority. Because muslims in Europe are about 5% but they already rule.

About tax, i don't think churches will have problem with money if they works like catholic churches. It depends from how many people in Norway go to Church.

Better pagan viking culture than islam. At least i read somewhere that Julius Caesar said that Vikings were very peaceful and respectful in their home, plus they were proud.

Anonymous said...

"More open, including and democratic"

- Just like freedom of expression after last July, according to Stoltenberg.

And, what is more, "more democratic", as in more adapted to sharia, as Norwegians will soon be a minority in Norway. So why waste the time?

--

Løvebakken, Lionhill

The granite lions outside Stortinget were carved by prisoners. One of the two was Gudbrand Eriksen Mørstad from Valdres. After his imprisonment he emigrated to America.

Anonymous said...

Stiklestad, 29 July 1030

Christianity should celebrate its 1 000 years in Norway, on Olsok, 29 July 2030, which actually will, based on available facts, be close to the demographical tipping point for Oslo.

When the rest of the country will follow, is somewhat unclear, as the National Statitics keep redefining the facts so as to hide the crucial facts.

Jewel said...

Will they be serving grape kool-aid in place of wine in the Eucharist?

Unknown said...

By Thor! How thoroughly despicable these western moguls are..Clearly this is a ruse to make way for islam to take over religious life, such as there still is, without having to compete with an "official christian state church", even as a relic of the past. How treacherous and disloyal they are. I'm hoping against hope that people will re-discover the faith of their fathers, seeing what the loss of it has done to their country, and to the rest of the western world..

1389 said...

If the government is controlling a Christian church in any way, the church is in serious danger of being corrupted by the government.

Anonymous said...

Within 20 years Norway will be an Islamic country. The poor fools will never wake up in time.

Anonymous said...

The newspaper were hardly mentioning the fundamental changes that were going to take place in the Constitution

- Why are they changing the Constitution?


Adjustment to International Human Rights

Today, Aftenposten states
- Nobody cares about the Constitution

- There hasn't been much debate about it, says politician Inge Lønning

Now there will hardly be any time left for debating before the voting which will take place in September

- Human Rights, or
Sharia Rights..?