INTRODUCTIONSweden was Christianized from Norse paganism in

the 11th century. Since the 16th century Sweden has been predominantly Lutheran. From the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s until 2000, the Lutheran Church of Sweden was the state church. As of 2010, about 70% of Swedes are members of the Church of Sweden, compared to over 95% in 1970, and 83% in 2000.

Religiosity in Sweden plays a limited role compared to the European average. In a 2009 Gallup poll, 17% answered yes to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" Less than 4% of the Church of Sweden membership attends public worship during an average week; about 2% are regular attendees.

SWEDEN- A SECULAR NATION While Sweden is a very secular nation, the

many church buildings across the country bear witness to the long historical presence of the Christian faith. The Church of Sweden — separated from the state since 2000 — is an Evangelical Lutheran church. Up to 7 million people living in Sweden are members of the Church of Sweden, which coexists with many other beliefs. Islam is now the second-largest religion after Christianity.

Liberalization and other faiths

Not until liberalization in the late 18th century, however, were believers of other faiths, including Judaism and Catholicism, allowed to openly live and work in Sweden, although it remained illegal until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. From then, and unto 1951, it was legal to leave the Church of Sweden for the purpose of becoming a member of another officially recognised religious society. From 1951, it is legal to leave the church, without giving a reason.

Religion in Sweden todaySweden ranks aside with France, South

Korea, Japan, Czech Republic and the Netherlands on having a large minority or even majority of its citizens who have no religion. An article on Sweden's official website asserts that that just three out of 10 Swedes state that they have confidence in the church. The article lists the following facts about religion in Sweden:

Only 1 in 10 Swedes thinks religion is important in daily life.

Around 7 out of 10 children are christened in the Church of Sweden.

Just over 5 out of 10 weddings take place in church.

Almost 9 out of 10 Swedes have Christian burials.Islam has around 130,000 adherents in Sweden

(more according to Muslim sources).

Made By: Veronica Kapoor