Religion, religiosity and being non-religious

In Finland, freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution. Everyone has the freedom to belong to a religious community and to practice religion. According to the law, people also have the freedom to not belong to any religious community or practice religion.

The majority of people living in Finland belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is a Protestant Christian church. Many religions are practiced in Finland, such as different branches of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Christianity and Lutheran Christian values have, especially in the past, had a significant impact on Finnish culture, people’s values and society. The influence of religion can be seen today especially in traditions and celebrations, even though Finland is now a rather secular country. The state and politics are largely separate from religions. Finnish Christianity is typically moderate, and religious practice is hardly visible in everyday life.

Religious education is a subject at comprehensive school, and an alternative secular subject is ethics (elämänkatsomustieto, ET). Religions taught include Evangelical Lutheran, Orthodox or Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Religious education at school is non-confessional.

In Finland, the state is secular, and the Constitution does not refer to, for example, Christian cultural heritage or Christian values. The state and the churches are separate actors. The activities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Finnish Orthodox Church are governed by the Church laws, whose amendments are prepared by the General Synods. The General Synod is the highest decision-making body of the Church. The Parliament either rejects or approves amendments to church laws, but it cannot make changes to them.

There are revivalist movements within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, such as Conservative Laestadianism and Awakening. Their worship practices and values may differ from practices and values of the mainstream Lutheranism. There are also other Christian churches and communities in Finland, such as the Catholic Church and the Pentecostal Church of Finland. Not all Christians follow the same customs or interpret the Bible in the same way. Mainstream Christianity in Finland is considered moderate.

Muslims living in Finland are culturally diverse

There are ethnically and nationally diverse groups of Muslims living in Finland whose religious practices also vary. The first Muslims arrived in Finland in the 19th century. They were Tatars who migrated from the Russian territory. From the 1990s, larger numbers of Muslims began to immigrate in Finland, as Finland started to receive refugees from, for example, Somalia and Iraq.

Researchers estimate that about 130,000 Finns, or about 2 % of the population, have a connection to Islam related to the cultural background of the family. In addition, there are a few thousand Muslim converts living in Finland. Like Christianity, Islam is internally diverse and includes numerous different schools of thought and doctrines. Many of these can also be found in Finland.

Religion can be seen in traditions, although many people are secular

Christianity and Lutheran Christian values have, especially in the past, had a significant impact on Finnish society, culture, values, everyday life, social norms and the arts. Many traditions and holidays are related to religion. The traditions can be seen especially in big life events, such as weddings or funerals, as well as annual celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter.

In Finland, as in the rest of Europe, secularization has occurred over a long time. It means that the importance of religion has diminished in society and in the lives of individuals. Many people do not consider religious customs and culture, values and attitudes to be a central part of their lives and are not interested in passing them on to the next generation.

Religious practice is not very visible in everyday life in Finland. People participate in religious community activities when it feels meaningful for them personally, and when it meets their individual needs. For example, many go to church or other places of worship only for family celebrations or religious holidays.

Schools and kindergartens observe holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, which have partly religious, Christian origins. Celebrating Christmas or Easter in this context is generally not considered to be actual practice of religion. Many feel that these celebrations are part of local tradition, and their religious message is secondary. Many holidays also mix Christian and non-Christian traditions.

Religious practices or rituals are not usually seen in Finnish workplaces. Some employers have arranged, for example, a prayer room at the workplace at the request of their employees. Employee’s break can be used for praying during the workday.

For some people living in Finland, spirituality and religion are important

In Finland, some people have a strong relationship with their religious community and its traditions, rituals and religious ordinances. Then again, many are not very committed to any religious community. Yet spirituality and religious conviction may be important to them.

People’s beliefs are increasingly individual. Many pick and choose elements from a variety of sources, such as different religious traditions or other forms of spirituality. For example, a person may confess Christian faith and still believe in reincarnation, even though it is not part of the Christian belief. Also, people may participate in the activities of different religious communities because each of them offer something spiritually meaningful to them.

Another characteristic of Finnish religiosity is that your own religious conviction or spirituality is often considered a private matter. It is not necessarily a comfortable topic of conversation between acquaintances.

In Finland, religious education and ethics are taught in schools

Pupils in Finnish schools take either religious education or ethics (elämänkatsomustieto) which are organised according to the Basic Education Act. The purpose of religious education is to provide pupils with a broad religious and philosophical education.

In Finland, most pupils participate the Evangelical Lutheran religious education. Religious minorities, for example, Orthodox or Catholic Christians, Muslims and Jews, each have their own religious education syllabus, and pupils are entitled to participate in their own religion education.

Religious education in schools is non-confessional, i.e., the pupils do not participate in religious practice. Religious rituals or prayer, for example, are not included in religious education classes. In addition to the religion taught, pupils also learn about other religions and worldviews, and pupils are encouraged to reflect and discuss different ethical issues.

Ethics is taught to pupils and students who do not belong to registered religious communities. Ethics is a multidisciplinary, unbiased subject in primary and secondary education, which includes elements of philosophy, social sciences, religious studies and culture studies.