6533b85ffe1ef96bd12c1984

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Faith and Worldview Communities and Their Leaders–Inward or Outward Looking?

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description

This chapter analyzes some of the ways that the faith and worldview communities deal with the growing religious diversity. The first part outlines the development of the “interfaith infrastructures” during the past decades. There has been a growth of interfaith bodies and religious umbrella organizations in all the five countries. These bodies are stronger at the national level in Norway and Finland, while local bodies are important in Sweden. The second part analyzes interview data of Norwegian national religious leaders, which show that most of them have an outward orientation and participate in bridgebuilding activities. The growth in the interfaith infrastructure has contributed to a deprivatization of religion in all the countries, findings that are supported in the interview study.