What Is Happening to Religion in Finland?
By “Awake!” correspondent in Finland
FOR many centuries religion remained firmly fixed in the national life of Finland. Not long ago it would have seemed incredible that religion could be in trouble here.
But now, religion is facing more than just trouble. It stands in great danger of collapsing altogether! At present the danger is due mainly to internal forces. But these are of such magnitude that if religion in Finland were to receive a blow from the outside, it would be in no position to withstand it.
What has happened to weaken religion when it was for so long such a part of national life? Who is responsible?
What Has Happened
To get a picture of what has actually occurred within the churches of Finland, one needs only to consider a few statistics. For instance, while 92 percent of the population is said to belong to the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, that is deceptive. Most people are more or less automatically listed as members from childhood.
More realistic statistics are indicated by the interest people show in this ‘national’ church. In 1963 only between 3 and 4 percent regularly attended church. In 1970 even that small figure dropped! Without question, the interest of the Finnish people in religion is declining.
Although nine out of ten belong to the Lutheran Church technically, their only interest in the church is getting married and buried by it, and having their children christened and confirmed. For the average Finn, the church is something that performs certain functions, but not something to get serious about. In fact, a survey showed that the majority of the men questioned who wanted a church burial did not even believe in life after death!
Lately, another trend has been noticed. The number actually resigning from the churches (not those just drifting away) is rising—doubling in one recent year. A reason why more and more persons are taking this official act is this: As long as a person is a listed member of the church, he has to pay the church tax. But when he resigns, that obligation ends.
The disinterest in religion has also reached the ranks of the clergy. This is especially true of younger clergymen and seminary students. Professor Mikko Juva, of the World Council of Churches, told a meeting of clergymen in Tampere here in Finland on April 14, 1971: “We are living through a difficult period of change in the church. This change is not just taking place in our country, but it is a change in the whole world. There are many visible signs of this. In many countries the theological students do not want to become ordained ministers, and they particularly do not want to go into congregation work.”
He mentioned that the crisis for religion in Finland began particularly in 1963, after the World Council’s fourth general assembly had met in Helsinki. But Dr. Martti Miettinen foresees more than just a battle. Speaking at a conference of the Evangelistic Work Council in Pori, he said: “The end of Protestantism could soon be a reality.”
Why Has This Happened?
Why has this amazing situation come about in Finland? Why is religion in such a state of deterioration?
One of the fundamental reasons is that the churches have thrown away their reason for existing. Dr. Miettinen observed: “This critical development began with criticism of the Bible by theologians, which led to the rejection of God’s Word as an authority. Jesus was regarded as being only a man, even a political revolutionary, not as God’s son. The ‘God is Dead’ theology was born.”
If Christ was not God’s Son, then the Bible is not telling the truth; so why study it? thinking Finns reasoned. And if God is ‘dead,’ then why go to church where they talk about him? Hence, this destructive ‘higher criticism’ of the Bible by clergymen sowed the seeds of disbelief. It devastated the faith of younger persons.
For instance, on television Lutheran minister Olavi Aula, an instructor of young persons, ridiculed the Bible’s accounts concerning Cain, Noah’s ark and Jonah. With such viewpoints among the clergy, what encouragement is there for Finns in general, especially younger ones, to want to read the Bible or learn about God? Such teachings undermine the belief in God and Christianity.
This was acknowledged by the church newspaper Sana, which admitted: “The Christian downhill slide is an accomplished fact. The reason is not so much ‘the ungodly world,’ but we Christians who . . . are coming loose from the foundations of our faith.”
The clergy, as already mentioned, are directly responsible for this. Since there is more and more unbelief among the clergy, the people observe this and so they also become unbelievers.
Yet, thinking persons should ask themselves: Who knows more—Jesus Christ and God, or such clergymen? Jesus knew that God had inspired the Bible, so he believed and taught the historical truths about such things as the creation account, the flood of Noah’s day, the account of Jonah. He did not treat them as myths. He knew they actually happened. Who, then, do you think is it that is lying—the Bible, Christ, God—or the clergy?
Paying the Price
The churches in Finland have indeed lost their foundation. Their leaders are not teaching the people the truth about God and his purposes. Hence, it was inevitable that the churches would pay a price for not sticking to the truths about God as found in his Word, the Bible.
Part of that price comes in the low esteem in which people hold the churches. For instance, Martti Mäkisalo, a theology student, said: “If you ask young people what they expect to get out of church activity, you will be told: I would like a suite of rooms where you can play records, dance, drink beer and do whatever you want. If you ask old people the same question, you get quite different ideas: The church should restore discipline. . . . The middle generation, estranged from the church, . . . suggests that the church build houses for people.”
The theology student concludes: “The conception of the church is twisted.” That is surely true in Finland. And who is responsible for its getting so twisted? The church leaders themselves.
Another part of the price the churches are paying is that the people, and quite a few even of the clergy, are abandoning them in record numbers. Also, fewer and fewer young men want to become involved in preaching from pulpits. It is no wonder that Dr. Miettinen said: “The end of Protestantism [in Finland] could soon be a reality.”