Home 8 Cultural Religion
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

8 Cultural Religion

View more publications by New York University Press
To Publisher Page
Society without God
This chapter is in the book Society without God
1508Cultural ReligionA traditional religion is not necessarily one fraught with deep theological con-viction for its followers, nor one followed with devout piety. It is rather the religion which in the final analysis lies at the deepest level of consciousness and cultural identity. —Hans Raun Iversen1whaT does IT mean to be Christian? Many people might suggest that a Christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and also simultaneously God, and that about 2,000 years ago he was crucified for the sins of humanity but was subsequently resurrected. They might go on to suggest that if we believe in him we will spend eternity with God in heaven after we die, as is all more or less explained in the book that came from God, the Bible. This account of Christian identity is all well and good. But during my year in Scandinavia, I came face to face with a very different version of what it means to be a Christian. Most Danes and Swedes will say that yes, they are Christian. But few will say that they believe in the traditional tenets of the Christian faith as stated above. Af-ter all, only about 30 percent of Danes and Swedes believe that Jesus was simultaneously both man and God, only about 30 percent of Danes and Swedes believe in life after death, and less than 10 percent of Danes and Swedes believe that the Bible is the actual word of God.2 And yet at the same time, the vast majority—around 80 percent of Danes and Swedes—are dues- or tax-paying members of their national church. Whereas Grace Davie has described many contemporary Europeans as being implicitlyreligious in that they may be believers without actively belonging to a church or congregation,3 the situation is just the opposite in Scandinavia where, in the words of Ole Riis, the majority of men and women actually “belong without believing.”4For contemporary Danes and Swedes, to be Christian is simply not limited or confined to the acceptance of a narrow set of supernatu-ral beliefs. Being Christian is linked to their culture, it is part of their collective heritage, and it is manifested in their childhood experiences and family traditions. Being Christian is a conduit for significant rites
© 2020 New York University Press, New York, USA

1508Cultural ReligionA traditional religion is not necessarily one fraught with deep theological con-viction for its followers, nor one followed with devout piety. It is rather the religion which in the final analysis lies at the deepest level of consciousness and cultural identity. —Hans Raun Iversen1whaT does IT mean to be Christian? Many people might suggest that a Christian is someone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and also simultaneously God, and that about 2,000 years ago he was crucified for the sins of humanity but was subsequently resurrected. They might go on to suggest that if we believe in him we will spend eternity with God in heaven after we die, as is all more or less explained in the book that came from God, the Bible. This account of Christian identity is all well and good. But during my year in Scandinavia, I came face to face with a very different version of what it means to be a Christian. Most Danes and Swedes will say that yes, they are Christian. But few will say that they believe in the traditional tenets of the Christian faith as stated above. Af-ter all, only about 30 percent of Danes and Swedes believe that Jesus was simultaneously both man and God, only about 30 percent of Danes and Swedes believe in life after death, and less than 10 percent of Danes and Swedes believe that the Bible is the actual word of God.2 And yet at the same time, the vast majority—around 80 percent of Danes and Swedes—are dues- or tax-paying members of their national church. Whereas Grace Davie has described many contemporary Europeans as being implicitlyreligious in that they may be believers without actively belonging to a church or congregation,3 the situation is just the opposite in Scandinavia where, in the words of Ole Riis, the majority of men and women actually “belong without believing.”4For contemporary Danes and Swedes, to be Christian is simply not limited or confined to the acceptance of a narrow set of supernatu-ral beliefs. Being Christian is linked to their culture, it is part of their collective heritage, and it is manifested in their childhood experiences and family traditions. Being Christian is a conduit for significant rites
© 2020 New York University Press, New York, USA

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. 1 Society without God 17
  6. 2 Jens, Anne, and Christian 36
  7. 3 Fear of Death and the Meaning of Life 57
  8. 4 Lene, Sonny, Gitte 76
  9. 5 Being Secular 95
  10. 6 Why? 110
  11. 7 Dorthe, Laura, and Johanne 128
  12. 8 Cultural Religion 150
  13. 9 Back to the USA 167
  14. Appendix 185
  15. Notes 189
  16. Bibliography 205
  17. Index 215
  18. About the Author 227
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814797471.003.0012

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. 1 Society without God 17
  6. 2 Jens, Anne, and Christian 36
  7. 3 Fear of Death and the Meaning of Life 57
  8. 4 Lene, Sonny, Gitte 76
  9. 5 Being Secular 95
  10. 6 Why? 110
  11. 7 Dorthe, Laura, and Johanne 128
  12. 8 Cultural Religion 150
  13. 9 Back to the USA 167
  14. Appendix 185
  15. Notes 189
  16. Bibliography 205
  17. Index 215
  18. About the Author 227
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 24.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.18574/nyu/9780814797471.003.0012/html?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOoogrCIiLEscIN7XGwIcyTozI3oYiNKLGy04WOdEloALXudF-YNS
Scroll to top button