Christian religions
Ok. 700 r. The first Irish monks came to Selje and founded a monastery there. Per person, which at the turn of the millennium brought Christianity to Norway, he is believed to be Olaf Tryggvason, the first Norwegian saint. However, the modern Norwegian religion was more influenced by the German reformer Martin Luther. The founder of the Reformed Church recognized the Scriptures as the only expression of God's authority and argued, that man, which is bad in nature, he can only be saved by the grace of God. Lutheran doctrines were adopted in Norway in 1537 r.
Currently over 90% Norwegians belong to the Norwegian Church, the national equivalent of the Evangelical Augsburg Church, that is, Lutheran. The Norwegian constitution says: “All inhabitants of the kingdom have the right to freedom of religion. The Evangelical Augsburg religion will remain the official religion of the state. Its followers have a duty to educate their children in their faith”.
Officially, the King of Norway is also the head of the Church and has the final say in difficult decisions. This power was first used in a controversial manner in 1961 r., when Olaf V gave his consent, that the first woman in the country would become a pastor, and again in 1993 r., when Harald V approved the first woman to the episcopal throne. Even more dramatic events took place in the years 70., when the bishop and some priests left the Church, after parliament, with royal permission, he passed the liberal abortion law. A significant percentage of the public hardly noticed the problem, but some pious believers decided, that the Church is Christian in name only, not by deeds, and left the community.
The average person in Norway goes to church twice a year. The church organization funds missions around the world. Every year he leaves the Church 5000 citizens, most in favor of the necessity to separate Church and State.
Several Christian denominations are among the other religions present in Norway: humanistic and ethical union, numbering over 50 000 members, ok. 45 000 Pentecostals, 30 000 Roman Catholics, Free Lutheran Church, counting 20 000 followers, 15 000 Jehovah's witnesses, 15 000 Methodists, 6400 Seventh-day Adventists and 1500 Anglicans. There are also approx. 30 000 Muslims and over 1000 Jews.