venitinmentem replied to your post
In finland you're part of the church your mother belongs to, automatically. Most people are lutheran protestants without thinking much about it. I had my confirmation and all because it's one of those things you do, and you get gifts and money. In Finland you can leave the church through a website (the address is basically divorcethechurch.fi or something, in Finnish) and it's really easily. When the website was created some 15 years ago it led to a lot of people leaving
venitinmentem replied to your post
(Con'd) because it was so easy. Every time the church says something bad about same sex marriage or something, there's an increase in people who leave. Whenever the church says something positive about something Christians usually don't like, people leave as well; those are the super Christian dicks who don't want to be in a "liberal" church. I left in 2008, I think. This means I no longer pay church tax. And when I die, my grave won't be tended for by the cemetery staff.
venitinmentem replied to your post
(CoNt'd) or some shit like that. I don't care. I also can't get married in a church (unless my htb was a member, I think). It's not like I ever wanted to get married in a church anyway...
It’s really interesting to see the differences and similarities here! Here you need to be baptized to be a member of the church, then you also attend he religious studies class of that faith in school. It used to be only Catholic and Protestant classes, no idea if that changed now. If you didn’t adhere to either, you were allowed to either choose which to attend or from middle school on attended philosophy/ethics class. Which was what I did, together with the few other non-baptized kids in my class. I chose to get baptized when I was 14, as our pastor (who was a cool dude and preached about Bob Dylan as much as about Jesus and the bible) said that I should just do it so I could get the presents and money you get for confirmation :P Besides, all my classmates went, so I wanted too. And look at me, took me 26 years from then to finally get out again!
It was really fast and easy to get out too, this morning. 15 minutes and 30 Euros later I’m out :) I too can’t get married in church anymore or have my funeral service in church. But as I don’t intend either, I’m good with that. Also, I’m leaving the church the same year we celebrate Martin Luther’s Reformation 500 years ago. I think that’s only fitting :)
