{"id":292650,"date":"2016-08-24T14:02:15","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T18:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rael.org\/?p=292650"},"modified":"2021-01-16T14:08:09","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T19:08:09","slug":"norways-largest-church-now-allows-people-to-opt-out-online-and-thousands-have-already-done-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noproxy.rael.org\/da\/norways-largest-church-now-allows-people-to-opt-out-online-and-thousands-have-already-done-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Norway\u2019s largest Church now allows people to opt out online, and thousands have already done it"},"content":{"rendered":"
RAEL\u2019S COMMENT:<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n
All religions should offer the same choice! Apostatize now!<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Norway is one of those countries where religion is supported by taxpayers, but that\u2019s been changing as more citizens become wise to the fact that they don\u2019t need to prop up churches they don\u2019t even really belong to.<\/p>\n

Last year, we learned that the Catholic Church\u00a0owed the Norwegian government\u00a0more than $5 million for \u201cfraudulently registering thousands of people on its membership lists.\u201d And more than 11,000 people\u00a0resigned from the Catholic Church\u00a0after\u00a0a new app\u00a0made it ridiculously simple for them to remove themselves from the membership rolls.<\/p>\n

The exodus\u00a0became even more drastic\u00a0this past week after the nation\u2019s evangelical Lutheran Church launched a website to make it easier to track members \u2014 a site that also allowed them to opt out of the Church altogether:<\/p>\n

The Lutheran Church is the country\u2019s largest, with\u00a0nearly three-quarters of the population registered as members.<\/p>\n

It set up the new service in an effort to get its heavily criticised records in shape and offer an easy way for people to sign up.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0officials revealed that many instead used the new process to do the opposite, with 10,854 people de-enrolling from the church in the 24 hours after the launch of the website on 15 August. A total of 15,053 left within four days.<\/p>\n

That\u00a0website\u00a0(translated\u00a0here) indicates that the Church has received 24,278 resignations since the beginning of the year, compared to only 1,369 enrollments.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small fraction of the\u00a03.8 million\u00a0people still in the Church, to be sure, but it\u2019s telling that, given the option to stay or leave, people are overwhelmingly using the process to get the hell out.<\/p>\n

To their credit, at least Church leaders aren\u2019t acting shocked:<\/p>\n

Leading bishop of the Norwegian churches episcopal meeting, Helga Haugland Byfuglien, is not surprised that many would take the opportunity to opt out.<\/p>\n

\u2026\u00a0We were prepared for a significant number of resignations and have great respect for the individual\u2019s choice. These signals we take seriously. Our task will be to pass on the Christian message and to convey the important role the church can have in people\u2019s lives, says Helga Haugland Byfuglien.<\/p>\n

It just goes to show you that when you make it as easy for people to leave the Church as it is to join,\u00a0they\u2019re going to leave. That\u2019s why the Catholic Church and Mormon Church, especially, have such\u00a0complicated procedures\u00a0for anyone trying to get out of official membership.<\/p>\n

If they forced people to \u201copt in\u201d in Norway, I promise you that 3.8 million number would be decimated.<\/p>\n

(Top image via\u00a0Wikipedia)<\/p>\n

Norway’s Largest Church Now Allows People to Opt Out Online, and Thousands Have Already Done It<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n