Only 15
percent of members of the Church of Sweden say they
believe in Jesus, and an equal number claim to be
atheists according to the results of a recent
survey.
More
than 10,000 members of the Swedish Church
participated in a comprehensive membership survey
carried out over the past year and dubbed "Member
2010" (Medlem 2010).
According to the survey, 15 percent of church
members they are atheists, while a quarter of
Swedish Church members identify themselves as
agnostic.
The younger the members, the more likely they
are to be atheists or agnostics.
Bromander pointed out that there is no
requirement that church members believe in Jesus
or any particular religious figure.
"Many are members, not for religious reasons,
but because of the role the church plays in
society, or because it serves as an organisation
which maintains Swedish traditions," said
Bromander.
"In fact, there are many members who would
rather that we focus more on our social work in
Sweden than on Sunday services."
Of the roughly 6.6 million members of the
Church of Sweden, about 400,000 are active
churchgoers, attending services at least once a
month.
According to the survey, 90 percent of church
members have a weak relationship with the Swedish
Church, forcing the church to ponder whether or
not it remains a relevant institution in Swedish
society
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