From Iceland — The National Church: Not So Popular

The National Church: Not So Popular

Published June 22, 2010

The National Church: Not So Popular
Rex Beckett

Heads up clergymen: it seems that Icelanders aren’t too keen on being Christian these days. Registration in the National Church of Iceland is dropping, according to recent polls.
The latest numbers from DataMarket show that the number of people registering as having no religion is increasing in a similar proportion to the decrease in registration in the National Church. Of course, this graph is a bit misleading, because roughly 80% of Icelanders are already registered members of the church, but it does show a trend.
The drop in registration could be attributed to numerous factors, such as deaths and registration into other religions. It could also show that Icelanders are growing less fond of having a state run church or being dishonestly subscribed to a religious organisation that they do not actively believe or participate in. Maybe in post-collapse Iceland, where people are losing faith in everything around them, nihilism just seems like the better way to go. Or they just hate God.

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