Freedom of religion in Norway
The government's policies generally support the free practice of religion in the country, and it provides funding to religious organizations and anti-discrimination programs on a regular basis.
According to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Norwegian police, religiously motivated hate speech is prevalent, particularly online, and primarily targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities.
During this period, Norwegian kings such as Olaf II of Norway converted to Christianity, and propagated it within their kingdoms to reify their authority.
[4] From the 16th to 19th centuries, Norway (under either a Danish or Swedish crown) forced the Sámi people of northeastern Scandinavia to convert to Christianity, suppressing and eventually all but eradicating their indigenous religion.
[7] Toward the end of the 20th century and in the 21st, the Norwegian government has adopted some constitutional reforms to recognize the traditions of the Sámi people,[8] to establish a separation between church and state,[9] and to provide financial restitution for the Jewish community,[10] but it has also imposed religious clothing bans targeting Muslim women.
According to Norwegian Directorate of Immigration statistics, approximately 5,600 of the 6,300 persons residing in reception centers as of October 2017 come from Muslim majority countries.
The wealth accrued by these rulers in raids against the British Isles and other targets greatly expanded the power of the Norwegian ruling class and allowed for the establishment of a unified kingdom in Norway.
Olaf Tryggvason is recorded in posthumous, sympathetic accounts as having forced pagan nobles to convert on pain of gruesome torture or death; less sympathetic accounts do not include attestations of torture, which may suggest that extreme violence in the service of religious conversion was viewed as a positive trait by such sources.
[16] More recent historical research throws doubt on this narrative, suggesting that many of the milestones of Christianization (as well as accounts of saintly miracles) associated with Haraldson's rule were attributed to him posthumously.
[22] The rift with the Catholic Church established by Hardrada was mended by Olaf III, who recognized the religious authority of the Archbishopric of Bremen over Norway.
[31] During Haakon's reign, pagan Karelian tribes were forced to enter Norway due to the Mongolian invasion of their own lands.
This sudden demographic change depleted the tax base of Norway's aristocracy,[34] consequently making the Church increasingly powerful.
[35] Such gains by the Church were later reversed by Margaret I during her rule over the Kalmar Union, which combined the crowns of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
[39] Frederick supported a variety of reforms which reduced the influence of the Catholic Church, in favor of expanding Lutheran practice and increasing crown authority over religion.
[40] Norwegian resistance was led by Olav Engelbrektsson, Archbishop of Trondheim, who invited the old king Christian II back from his exile in The Netherlands.
[4] During the 1500s, missionary activity was initiated to convert the Sámi people living in Norway, who at the time were still practicing their traditional, indigenous religion.
[5] In 1569, Frederick II ordered that all foreigners in Denmark had to affirm their commitment to 25 articles of faith central to Lutheranism on pain of deportation, forfeiture of all property, and death.
[43] However, kings generally tolerated Jewish merchants, investors, and bankers whose contributions benefited the economy of the Danish-Norwegian realm, while also seeking to restrict their movements, residence, and presence in public life.
[55] According to historian Kjersti Dybvig, after the end of WWII, the Norwegian government refused to pay for the travel expenses of Jews returning to Norway.
Parliament consequently adopted a measure to pay 450 million NOK in reparations, some of which was paid directly to victims or their family, and the rest of which was contributed to fund Jewish organizations both in Norway and internationally.
[11] The constitution states that all individuals shall have the right to free exercise of their religion, and all religious and philosophical communities shall be supported on equal terms.
The constitution also states, "the King shall at all times profess the Evangelical-Lutheran religion," and that national values shall remain anchored in the country's Christian and humanistic heritage.
In order to register, a faith or life-stance organization must notify the county governor and provide its creed and doctrine, activities, names of board members, names and responsibilities of group leaders, operating rules – including who may become a member – voting rights, the process for amending statutes, and the process for dissolution.
The government regularly spends several million NOK per year (equivalent to several hundred thousand US dollars) to fund security services for Jewish facilities in Oslo.
[60] Public schools continue to include a mandatory course on Christian Knowledge and Religious and Ethical Information (CKREE) for grades one through 10.
State-employed instructors teach the CKREE, which covers world religions and philosophies while promoting tolerance and respect for all religious beliefs, as well as for atheism.
Many non-Christian organizations, including the Norwegian Humanist Association, have complained about the use of the word "Christian" in the title of this education program.
Programs include school trips to the Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland as well as other Nazi death camps, with an estimated 15,000–20,000 students participating each year.
Police in Oslo reported 88 percent of the 24 religiously motivated hate crimes in 2016 in that district targeted Muslims, a similar percentage to the previous year.
[13] A survey on attitudes toward religious minorities published in December 2017 found that while "stereotypical [prejudicial] views about Jews still prevail in Norwegian society in 2017…they are less prevalent than in 2011."
