Iceland 1930

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1830571079

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-221162

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Iceland 1930

Edition:: 2. ed.

Place of publication:: Reykjavík

Publisher:: Ríkisprentsmiđjan Gutenberg

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: 193 S.; Tab., Kt., Taf.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Church and religion

Collection:: Economics Books

CHURCH AND RELIGION From the first the Icelanders have been an almost homogeneous people as regards church and religion, and religious controversies may be said to be unknown in the country. Most of the colonists were heathens who brought with them the ancient Scandinavian faith, the Asatri, as it was called, while a few of those who came from the western islands were Christians. But even as early as the colonization, doubt in the old northern deities had begun to reveal itself, and in the year 1000 Christianity was established as the official religion in Iceland and accepted by the general public without the least blood- shed. Lutheranism, when introduced in the 16th century, was not sub- mitted te quite so peacefully; neither was it universally accepted by the people until the last catholic bishop in Iceland, Jén Arason, had, with two of his sons, been beheaded (1550). But the new faith, though forced upon the Icelanders, gradually took deep root. The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the Established Church of Ice- land. There has, however, during the last fifty years been full reli- gious liberty. Sectarian bodies are few and inconsiderable, the total number of dissenters at the census of 1920 being 463, or !/2 per cent. of the population. Of these, 204 did not belong to any religious deno- minations. Only the Roman Catholics and the Adventists have formed congregations; their ministers have received recognition by the govern- ment, and thus acquired the right to solemnize marriages and perform other clerical offices which are valid according to Icelandic law. Be- sides these there were in 1920 three free (Lutheran) congregations in the country, with a total of 7243 members, or some 8 per cent. of the whole population. Though holding the same doctrines as the Established Church, they have separated themselves from it; they are entirely self-governing bodies, having their own churches and paving

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