Bulletin N°23

During the past decade Finns have faced a world that has changed in many ways: 2008 financial crisis, rise of right-wing populist parties, migrations of refugees due to wars, multiplication of terrorist attacks in Europe, and growth of political influence of religion in many parts of the world. In Europe, particularly in Finland, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the economic sanctions that the European Union imposed on Russia following its occupation of Crimea have also contributed to a feeling that Europe is no longer what it used to be.

The global development arcs described above are not likely to be temporary or fleeting. Many of these turns of event are likely to have a long-term influence on the Finnish society. That is the reason why we need to look at how Finnish culture and values, which have been strongly influenced by the Lutheran faith, sit within these global lines of development. What does it mean to be a Lutheran in Finland in the current social and political context? What societal values hold true for today’s Finns? And how does the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) react to the contemporary changes above-mentioned? These, among others, are questions that were probed in a recent empirical study conducted by the Church Research Institute of the ELCF^[1]K. Ketola; M. Hytönen, V.-M. Salminen et al.: Socially Engaged Lutheranism: Finnish attitudes to faith and the Church in the light of surveys and statistic, Tampere: The Church Research Institute, … Continue reading.

Religions in Finland

Today 3,9 million people, or 71 % of Finns, belong to the ELCF, which is one of the oldest institutions of Finland and regarded as a “folk church” due to its strong ties to the nation. The Finnish Orthodox Church, with approximately 58,000 members (1.1%) is also regarded as a folk church because of its long history in Finland. While the ELCF and the Finnish Orthodox Church are organised under public law, other religious communities can be organised under the Act on the Freedom of Religion (2003) as officially registered religious communities, or simply under the Finnish Associations Act (1989), just like any other civil society organisation. Some religious communities have no formal organisation at all. While all religious communities must respect the Finnish law, other legal structures regulating them varies considerably.

Adherents of other religions and people with no religious affiliation have increased in Finland, especially during the past few decades. About 94,000 (1.7%) people belong to other, registered religious communities. Currently there are more than a hundred independent registered religious communities representing a large spectrum of religious traditions from all over the world. In addition, there are c. 1,5 million people (26 %) with no religious affiliation, and their number is steadily increasing^[2]Up-to-date religious demography of Finland can be obtained from StatFin database upheld by Statistics Finland. See: [URL: http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/]. . However, not all people with religious identity belong formally to religious communities. For instance, only 15,000 Muslims are registered as members of a Muslim community, while the total number of people with Muslim background has been estimated to range between 70,000-80,000, which makes it the second largest religion in Finland.

“Saved to serve”: Lutheran theology and civic engagement

Lutheranism has shaped Finnish way of life for centuries and continues to do so in many ways. At the heart of Lutheranism is the view of salvation by grace alone. According to Lutheran faith, humans are always the receiving partner within their relation to God. Believers are helpless to pursue their salvation in any way because they have no impact on it and only God can influence salvation. However, beside the spiritual realm, this relationship to God does not translate into passivity or fatalism in other areas of life. A second key idea of Lutheran thinking is making a clear conceptual difference between the spiritual and the earthly kingdoms. In theology, Lutheran spirituality is often defined by the expression “liberating grace”. From a society-based approach, this conception is crucially empowering because God’s grace is conceived as a legitimization of realising one’s own vocation through an engagement in common matters.

Thus, contemporary mobilization of citizens in society affairs can be related to Lutheran theology. For instance, compared to other countries in Europe, in Protestant countries a larger percentage of the population is engaged in voluntary work. Around 90,000-100,000 civil society associations exist in Finland and more than four fifths of the country’s population are enrolled in them. Many people are engaged in more than one association. Finns are therefore highly mobilized, as well as citizens in the four other Nordic and Lutheran countries^[3]Joep de Hart & Paul Dekker: “Religion, Spirituality and Civic Participation.” In: Religion and Civil Society in Europe, ed. by Joep de Hart, Paul Dekker & Loek Halman, Dordrecht: … Continue reading. Whereas mobilization within political parties or labour unions is declining, engagement in associations is still strong: more than 53,000 associations were created between 1996 and 2016 in Finland^[4]Risto Alapuro & Martti Siisiäinen: ”Yhdistysten maa.” In: Sata sosiaalista innovaatiota Suomesta, 3rd edition, ed. by Ilkka Taipale, Helsinki: Into, 2017, p. 57.. However, surveys show that the number of volunteers shrinks while the number of their working hours grows^[5]Tilastoaineistoa vapaaehtoistyöstä Suomessa. Kansalaisareena ry, HelsinkiMissio ja Kirkkohallitus. [URL: http://kansalaisareena.fi/Vapaaehtoistyo_Suomessa_2010ja2015.pdf].

Lutheranism as a Cultural Background

Despite an increasing trend toward secularisation, a representative survey of Finns from 2015^[6]Gallup Ecclesiastica Survey 2015 (N=4,194). Helsinki: Taloustutkimus Oy [data collection]. Tampere: Church Research Institute [producer], 2015. Tampere: Archive of Church Research Institute. shows that the influence of Lutheranism on Finnish values remains. Consider the following statistics:

• Almost nine out of ten Finns (86%) think that we must all take responsibility for one another;
• Three quarters (77%) agree that people should not only work for their own good but strive for the common good;
• Almost three quarters (72%) thought that each person has a duty to work;
• Two thirds (68%) think the laws of the state, whether good or bad, should be obeyed;
• More than half (54%) think that each child has a right to an education in their own religion at school.

None of the views presented above are in any obvious way religious per se. However, statistical analyses show that these statements are in strong positive correlation with a number of more clearly religious beliefs labelled as the following in the survey: “Grace turns a person’s eyes from their own imperfections to serving others”; “God cares for us in the form of a good partner, reliable neighbours and good friends”; “Parents must take care of their children’s Christian education”; “By working, a human being fulfils their calling”; or “There is nothing one can have that is not a gift”. Hence, Finnish willingness to engage into social responsibility, self-dedication to work, law-abiding nature, and emphasis on upbringing and education, are inherently connected to a Lutheran view of the world. Conception of a “Finnishness” by which Finns compare themselves to others are largely based on a conception of human being arising from the Lutheran tradition, although it is seldom acknowledged as such.

Welfare functions of the Lutheran Church

Influence of Lutheranism on Nordic society goes largely unnoticed because it acts as a cultural background wherein Lutheran values can be deemed worldly at the first sight. For instance, the “Two Kingdoms doctrine” gave birth to a society perceived as disenchanted, and an arena ruled by secular reason. Peter Berger, a sociologist of religion and a Lutheran theologian, thus explained the secularisation of Northern Europe specifically through the long-term effects of the Protestant Reformation^[7]Peter L. Berger: The Sacred Canopy, New York: Doubleday, 1967; The Many Altars of Modernity: Toward a Paradigm for Religion in a Pluralist Age, Boston: de Gruyter, 2014..

In Finland, the Church has a centuries-long tradition of helping underprivileged people. According to the Two Kingdoms doctrine, people’s need for help is part of “this world” and this must be answered practically. That is the reason why the Church is very active within society and responds to people’s needs, whereas the State carries the main responsibility for securing welfare and justice within society. Lutheran view entails that a “good” society cannot be built on charity alone, but by working hand-in-hand with publicly-financed welfare services. In line with this tradition, the ELCF has spoken out publicly to express its support for the welfare state and to criticise austerity measures that cut back on welfare measures.

As indicated in the figure below, in 2015 Finns expressed a positive opinion about the work carried by the Church like its activities in prisons, in hospitals or within the Finnish Defence Forces (the military apparatus) because they provide a (public) service and support the welfare of people.

Figure 1. Finnish attitudes to religious events in schools, church services for state events and Church work in organisations in Finnish society, % of respondents. Gallup Ecclesiastica Survey, 2015, N(wt) = 4,275.

In the 2010s, Finns had a positive opinion about activities carried by the ELCF^[8] K. Ketola; M. Hytönen, V.-M. Salminen, et al. op.cit. . These positive opinions outnumbered the strict number of believers but are dependent on the condition that the Church refrains from entering politics. However, neutrality of the ELCF is precarious because of its very involvement in welfare activities. Indeed, from its point of view, the Church has to speak out against “evil” in society wherever it occurs. This position increasingly leads the religious authorities to oppose State actions such as economic austerity measures or stricter immigration laws^[9]For a more detailed analysis, see Maarit Hytönen & Leena Sorsa: “Kirkko julkisena keskustelijana”. In: K. Ketola, M. Hytönen, V.-M. Salminen, et al.: Osallistuva Luterilaisuus: Suomen … Continue reading. Most specifically, believers of the Lutheran Church want to see it more vocally engaged within society. For instance, more than three quarters (78 %) of Finns agree with the statement that “the Church should speak more in public discussion on behalf of the underprivileged in society” and almost the same share (72 %) agrees that “the Church should be more outspoken about social grievances”^[10]Ibid., p. 226.. They hence expect the Church to fight for measures that will support betterment of people and that will propose values to enforce a more altruistic society. In addition, the Church is also seen as a support of liberal democracy which includes plurality of opinions.

From a citizen perspective, Finns want the State to vigorously safeguard their freedom of religion. 84 % of them consider crucial the State’s balanced role in both guaranteeing the safety of religious communities while intervening to stop abuse, such as coercion, within them^[11]Leena Sorsa: ”Kirkon rooli yhteiskunnassa”. In: K. Ketola, M. Hytönen, V.-M. Salminen, J. Sohlberg & L. Sorsa: Osallistuva Luterilaisuus: Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko vuosina … Continue reading. Because of the different status churches and religious communities enjoy vis-a-vis the authorities, the state’s ability to oversee religious communities and churches varies.

Meanwhile studies show that Finns remain highly benevolent to the traditions of the Lutheran Church and the actual work it carries. A prerequisite, however, is that the Church interacts with its members as genuinely equal partners. There is still a great need for personal encounters and for the Church to listen to people’s concerns. In general, it seems that justification for the work of the Church rests to a large extent on the same principles as the rest of civil society. For that reason, it is important that there are an increasing number of volunteers in parish work. The entire arena of voluntary work is a key area of knowledge and skills for the Church and one in which the ELCF can engage the society more widely.

As a conclusion, the religious situation in Finland can be characterized by many contrasting features. There is a clear evidence of growing secularization at the individual level, yet religion is more visible in the public sphere^[12]See Inger Furseth (ed.) Religious Complexity in the Public Sphere: Comparing Nordic Countries. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. Throughout most of the 20th century religion had been an integral and usually uncontested part of culture and political life in Finland. But in the last three decades, a process has been taking place whereby the political system is trying to adjust from a one-dominant-religion system to a situation of religious diversity. In this process, the ELCF has become a more independent actor as well as a public voice within the Finnish society. As the above examples show, the ELCF hence continues to enjoy a strong support from the people.