The secular organisation eroakirkosta.fi says it is wrong that Evangelical Lutheranism is the country’s official religion when only a quarter of Finns believe in a Christian God.
Neighbouring Norway is expected to approve a constitutional amendment to abolish its state-sponsored church on Monday.
Secularised Finland
Finns have been leaving Finland’s state-sponsored church in droves since the launch of the _eroakirkosta.fi _website, which allows people to leave the institution with the click of a mouse. The group reports that more than 315,000 people have used the service since it went live in 2003, the same year a revised Freedom of Religion Act was passed.
The exodus from Finland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church peaked in 2010 after a gay rights panel discussion aired on Yle TV2. Many left because of the perceived narrow-mindedness of the church on LGBT issues.
Around three quarters of Finns belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland. Church members pay a church tax amounting to around one percent of their income.
