Religion in Hverland

Religion in Hverland is characterized by a strong historical affiliation with Lutheranism, particularly the Lutheran Church of Hverland (Ríkiskirkjia). Despite being the state church with a membership comprising about 83% of the population, Hverland also exhibits strong secular tendencies. These seemingly contrasting elements create a unique religious landscape that includes other Christian denominations and faiths, as well as a considerable percentage of non-religious or atheist citizens.

Church of Hverland

The Lutheran Church of Hverland was officially established during the 16th century following the Protestant Reformation. This event led to the severing of ties with the Catholic Church and initiated an era of Lutheran theological thought and cultural influence. However, the church's role has not remained static over the centuries; it has evolved to adapt to social changes, most notably the rise of secularism.

Today, approximately 83% of Hverlanders identify as members of the State Church. Despite this high membership, a trend known as "menningarkristnar án trúar" (lit. "non-believing cultural Christians") has been observed, indicating that many view their religious identity more as a cultural heritage rather than an active faith.

Other religions

Apart from Lutheranism, Hverland has communities practicing Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, and indigenous faiths. There's also a growing trend of New Age spirituality, especially among younger generations.

Statistics

Religious affiliation, 1890-1940

Religion	1890		1900		1910		1920		1930		1940
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christianity	34,111	7001994700000000000♠99.47%	35,699	7001991500000000000♠99.15%	36,693	7001986900000000000♠98.69%	38,117	7001976600000000000♠97.66%
└ Church of Hverland	34,051	7001992900000000000♠99.29%	35,491	7001985800000000000♠98.58%
└ Anglicanism	37	6999110000000000000♠0.11%
└ Calvinism	20	6998600000000000000♠0.06%
└ Catholic Church	3	6998100000000000000♠0.01%
Judaism	177	6999520000000000000♠0.52%	249	6999690009999900000♠0.69%	471	7000127000000000000♠1.27%	899	7000230000000099999♠2.3%	1,112	7000263000000000000♠2.63%	1,655	7000309000000000000♠3.09%
Other	2	6998100000000000000♠0.01%			5		5
Unaffiliated	2	6998100000000000000♠0.01%			12		10

Religious affiliation, 1962-2022

Religion	1962		1982		2002		2022
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christianity	73,241	7001975600000000000♠97.56%	88,832	7001966400000000000♠96.64%	105,971	7001944900000000000♠94.49%	119,196	7001889200000000000♠88.92%
└ Church of Hverland	72,592	7001967000000000000♠96.7%	87,333	7001950100000000000♠95.01%	101,612	7001906000000000000♠90.6%	110,671	7001825600000000000♠82.56%
└ Catholic Church	403	6999540000000000000♠0.54%	720	6999780000000000000♠0.78%	1,493	7000133000000000000♠1.33%	3,375	7000252000000000000♠2.52%
└ Eastern Orthodoxy	37	6998500000000000000♠0.05%	189	6999210000000000000♠0.21%	567	6999510000000000000♠0.51%	1,827	7000136000000000000♠1.36%
└ Free Church in Hverhöfn	–	–	–	–	107	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	1,029	6999770000000000000♠0.77%
└ Other Christians	209	6999280000000000000♠0.28%	590	6999640000000000000♠0.64%	2,192	7000195000000000000♠1.95%	2,294	7000171000000000000♠1.71%
Folk, pagan or heathenry	590	6999790000000000000♠0.79%	547	6999600000000000000♠0.6%	501	6999450000000000000♠0.45%	410	6999310000000000000♠0.31%
Judaism	104	6999140000000000000♠0.14%	118	6999130000000000000♠0.13%	120	6999110000000000000♠0.11%	128	6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Islam	–	–	11	6998100000000000000♠0.01%	20	6998200000000000000♠0.02%	62	6998500000000000000♠0.05%
Hinduism	3	5000000000000000000♠0%	7	6998100000000000000♠0.01%	19	6998200000000000000♠0.02%	60	6998400000000000000♠0.04%
Buddhism	9	6998100000000000000♠0.01%	19	6998200000000000000♠0.02%	24	6998200000000000000♠0.02%	47	6998400000000000000♠0.04%
Other	297	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	433	6999470000000000000♠0.47%	502	6999450000000000000♠0.45%	625	6999470000000000000♠0.47%
Unaffiliated	826	7000110000000000000♠1.1%	1,957	7000213000000000000♠2.13%	4,993	7000445000000000000♠4.45%	13,524	7001100900000000000♠10.09%

See also

• Religion in Europe