The average Church of Norway member went to church just once a year in 2010, Statistics Norway reported on March 15 in the annual statistical report it sends to the church.
The number of people attending child baptisms has increased, while the number of regular churchgoers has been dwindling in the Lutheran state church during the past decade, according to the Ekklesia website.
Bishop Laila Riksaasen Dahl of the diocese of Tunsberg southwest of Oslo, said this is part of the social trend. "We want to enjoy life. What suits us and our needs gets priority. Faithful congregational life does not fit into this trend," she said.
Of Norway's five million inhabitants, 78 percent were members of the Church of Norway in 2010, as opposed to 86.3 percent in 2000.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment