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48 - The Nordic and Baltic Countries

from Part VII - Lived Atheism in the Twentieth- and Twenty-First Centuries: Case-Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2021

Michael Ruse
By
Teemu Taira ,
Atko Remmel  and
Anton Jansson
Edited by
Stephen Bullivant
Michael Ruse
Affiliation:
Florida State University
Stephen Bullivant
Affiliation:
St Mary's University, Twickenham, London
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Summary

Unbelief in God is a normal position, and atheism is a relatively accepted – though not extremely popular – identification in northern Europe. Most of northern Europe has historically been dominated by Protestant Churches, and in many countries the relationship between church and state has been very close. Variants of Christianity have played a significant role in the formation of national identities, although not equally for each northern European nation. The aim of this chapter is to explore Nordic and Baltic countries to make sense of the peculiarities of these areas and nations in an international comparison. This chapter will use the terms ‘Nordic’ and ‘Baltic’, the first referring to five countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden – and the second to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In our use, ‘Scandinavia’ is a narrower term than ‘Nordic’, and includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of Atheism , pp. 898 - 917
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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