Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway

The Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day potentially has an impact on the way people reflect upon national identity and its relationship to the Lutheran heritage. In this paper, I will focus on the role religion plays in the Norwegian National Day rituals. Researchers have described these rituals as both containing a significant religious element and being rather secularized. In this article, I discuss the extent to which the theoretical con…

Views on Religious Freedom among Young People in Belarus and Norway: Similarities and Contrasts

The study of religious freedom has not received sufficient empirical attention from sociologists of religion, despite significant theoretical discussion of the governance of religious freedom. This article suggests empirical findings about the views on religious freedom in Belarus and Norway from the international research project &ldquo

Religion and the Scandinavian Welfare State: Public Support for Socio-economic Rights in Times of Migration

The theme of this article is the legitimisation of social and economic rights within the context of the Scandinavian welfare state. This problem has become more prominent in the light of the recent influx of immigrants from countries in the Middle East and Africa dominated by other religious and cultural traditions than Lutheran Protestantism. Two questions are discussed in the article. First, what role has religion played vis-a-vis the development of the welfare states in Scandinavia? Second, in what ways have recent immigration trends influenced popular support for welfare provision and social rights?

When the Wind is the Answer. The Use of Bob Dylan Songs in Worship Services in Protestant Churches

Å le eller ikke le : Holdninger til religionshumor i den norske befolkning

Do Norwegians think it is okay to laugh at humour that is related to religion? This is the question I explore, based on a representative survey conducted in Norway. In recent years the relationship between religion and humour has been a topic of public discourse, sparked initially in 2005/2006 when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the Norwegian weekly Magazinet published cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The publications led to heated debate, riots and demonstrations in different parts of the world. The 2015 attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo brought the topic back into the public eye. The controversy over boundaries for joking about religion is par…