wfn.org | FEATURE: Finland - Why Belong to the Church?

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

FEATURE: Finland - Why Belong to the Church?
Archbishop Paarma Reflects on Impact of New Law on Religious
Freedom

HELSINKI, Finland/GENEVA, 11 June 2004 (LWI) - Recently enacted
laws in Finland have contributed to decreased membership in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) according to ELCF
Archbishop Jukka Paarma. However, the new law on religious
freedom and the law concerning funerals have also led to
significant debate in Finland on the meaning of church membership
for individual Christians. 

"What does it mean that one is a church member? Is it only that
you pay membership fee, some tax, and get some services in return
or is that membership something more? Does membership signify a
commitment to the faith that churches represent?" Paarma
reflected in a recent interview with Lutheran World Information
(LWI). 

The law on religious freedom came into force in August 2003
while that on funerals was effected early this year. Previously,
religious education in public schools emphasized the concept of
"confessional religious education." With the new law, the
teaching of religion continues, but allows all pupils to have
access to such instruction in their respective faith tradition.
Freedom of religion is understood as an individual's right to
confess and practice faith, and belong to a religious
denomination. The role of the state is to ensure freedom of
religion and create the right conditions for it, the archbishop
explained.

Paarma said the new laws have affected membership in the ELCF,
currently with over 4.6 million members representing around 84
percent of the Finnish population. While there were notable
declines in membership during significant periods of social,
political and economic changes in the country in the past, the
current decrease, although not higher than during the 1990s
recession, was remarkable. 

Requirements for Leaving Church Made Easier

According to the 2004 ELCF Annual Report there were several
peaks of cessation of membership between the two laws of freedom
of religion (1923 and 2003). The first was after the 1923
introduction of the law of religious freedom, during which time,
members of religious minorities in particular left the Lutheran
church. The number of those leaving the church increased again
after the Second World War, when antagonism to the church was
fierce, especially in the labor movement. The number of
resignations began to drop at the beginning of the 1960s when
church tax levying was transferred from the parishes to the
state. A sharp rise in resignations in 1984 was caused by the
General Synod's decision not to accept the ordination of women,
which was accepted two years later. By the end of the decade, the
number of those leaving and joining the church was nearly equal.
In 2003 around 27,000 persons left the ELCF while some 10,000 new
members were registered. The report notes that last year's
resignations increased from the previous year's by over 10,000
individuals. 

The new law of religion makes it easy for people to leave the
church, the ELCF archbishop explained. The month-long notice
period is no longer a requirement for individuals wishing to
discontinue membership in a religious denomination. Neither does
the resignation letter need to be delivered personally.

Concern over New Regulations on Burial Grounds

Another reason for leaving the Lutheran church are new
regulations governing burial grounds, said Paarma. Under the law
effective January 2004, Lutheran cemeteries now serve as public
burial grounds, and even those who are not church members have
the right to a grave there. Accordingly, grave fees are no longer
cheaper for ELCF members, and funeral fees are the same for all
Finns. "Many church members are disappointed that they've paid
church tax all their life, and now those who have never paid
anything get a grave site and funeral at the same price." But he
pointed out that the state subsidizes for such services "so we
cannot say it is not right, but there is a feeling of betrayal on
the part of congregation members." 

Church membership fee is paid as tax, of which the percentage
varies from parish to parish at between 1 to 2.23 percent.
Referring to local surveys, this year' ELCF report states that
80-90 percent of Finns are of the opinion that the opportunity to
have their children baptized, get married in church and have a
church funeral are important reasons to belong to the church. 

ELCF Commitment to Lutheran Communion and Ecumenical Openness 

Paarma reflected also on the ELCF's membership in the wider
Lutheran communion as well as the church's ecumenical
engagement. He noted that the Finnish church is the third largest
member church of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and joined
the Federation at its founding in 1947. "We are very keen
Lutherans. Lutheran tradition in our country has been very deep
and its very natural that we are LWF members and very committed
in participating in LWF's concerns," Paarma said.

Equally important for the ELCF is ecumenical involvement in
Finland and outside. The archbishop pointed to the Lutheran
church's open ecumenical relations with the Orthodox and free
churches in Finland, and the over 30-year doctrinal dialogue with
the Russian Orthodox Church. "It is for us important to deepen
our roots in the Lutheran communion and at the same time be open
to ecumenical dialogues with other churches," he stressed.

Archbishop Paarma underlined the ELCF's engagement with its
various partners in areas of common concern. When a three-person
ELCF delegation including the archbishop visited the LWF Geneva
Secretariat this year, they also met with diplomats from
countries that have special relations with Finland. During
discussions with Ambassadors from Canada, Finland, Namibia, South
Africa and the Vatican representative to the United Nations
agencies, emerging issues included economic globalization,
poverty, human rights and cooperation between church and state,
non-governmental organizations and other bodies. "The enormous
challenges of globalization call for concerted collaboration at
all levels in order to realize the dream for justice and human
rights for all people worldwide," Paarma concluded. 
(986 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million
of the almost 66 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information
service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various
units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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