Iceland

Iceland is a relatively isolated country located on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of Europe's smallest nations, with a population of only 290,000 inhabitants in 2005. More than 90% of the relatively homogeneous population are registered as members of the National Lutheran Church, and there is a widespread faith in a unique Icelandic spirituality. At the same time, Iceland is a highly secular society.

Icelanders tend to think of themselves as Christians. In a Nordic survey from the mid-1990s, 42% of Icelanders reported that they saw themselves as “a confessing Christian,” 53% as “Christian in your own way,” and only 5% as “not Christian.” The people of Iceland are among those who score the highest in European surveys on faith in God and belief in heaven and life after death.

According to most Icelanders, religious faith is a private matter not necessarily demonstrated by going to church. Only 10% attend Sunday services once a month or more, whereas a much higher proportion participates in rites of passage arranged by the Church of Iceland, the state Lutheran church. Almost 95% of newborn children are baptized in the church, and the same number are confirmed at the age of 14. Most weddings and practically all funerals take place in the church. Thus, Christian rituals are important in family life.

A unique feature of Icelandic religious life is the relatively widespread faith in spiritualism, which was introduced in the early 20th century. It became popular among the growing bourgeoisie and intellectuals, including some theologians. According to spiritualism, the deceased live on as spirits that contact people on earth on special occasions. In contemporary Iceland, funerals are often accompanied by séances, where a medium will provide proofs that the spirit of the deceased is still alive. Icelandic theologians no longer harbor an interest in spiritual activity, but it constitutes a part of popular religion. Spiritualism of this sort may be related to Iceland's long tradition of concern for ancestors.

Iceland is also a modern and secular society where its citizens harbor a materialistic lifestyle. Science and technology helped raise Iceland from a poor, agricultural society to a prosperous nation in 50 years. Icelanders tend, therefore, to score high on faith in science and technology. Religion has never been the subject of political and cultural controversies due to several historic factors. In the early 20th century, the socialist movement refrained from critiquing religion and the church; no major evangelical movement propagating dogmatic Christianity emerged; and the Church of Iceland has been rather liberal. Contemporary Icelanders embrace modernism and traditional Christianity with a focus on bridging the past and future—common themes in Icelandic culture.