Family | We asked readers why their child was not baptized into the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and one reason rose above the others.

Fewer and fewer join their children in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Readers explain the basis on which the decision was made.

“I resigned from the church at the age of 15 and I don’t like to attend religious services. My children can make their own choices when the time is right ”says a 32-year-old mother of two.

“I belong to a church because I think I’m doing charity through a church tax. My husband, who is not a member of the Church, did not want our children to be baptized. ”writes a 34-year-old mother of one child.

“I am a former member, a custom Christian, and have even gone through a brief deep religious phase. My child was not baptized into the Evangelical Lutheran Church. I have also not joined him in the Catholic Church, the Oulu Fly Fan Club or the Demars. Why on earth would I associate my children with a religion that I do not profess? ” says a 36-year-old father of one child.

For example, this seems to be a phenomenon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church called the crisis of baptism. In the 21st century, the number of people baptized into the church has decreased significantly in all the Nordic countries, including Finland. Fewer children are being born, and a smaller proportion of those born are being baptized.

More than 90 percent of those born in the 1980s were baptized, and only 60 percent of those born in the 2020s. Even parents in the Church may not choose to be baptized for their child.

The way of the majority is becoming the choice of the minority. But on what grounds is the choice made, and what are the consequences?

Source: Church Research Centre’s Baptismal Path research publication

Does it belong your child to church or did you want him or her not to be baptized? It was asked in a survey published on HS.fi. More than 1,300 people responded to the survey. Most of them were women and aged 30-49. In particular, persons who do not themselves belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church were selected as respondents. In this story, quotes will only be published from readers whose contact information is known to the editor.

Most said the child was not baptized because the parents did not want to make a decision for the child. This was also the view of many who themselves belonged to the Church.

There were also many parents whose children had been baptized among the respondents. Many of them were religious themselves. In addition, there were respondents who had wanted to bring the child into the church, even if their own relationship with the church was not close.

“The only reason I haven’t separated from the church yet is a possible church wedding in the future. The children were baptized in part because of custom and because I myself belong to a church. I think it’s easier to leave the church than to join later. ”writes a 22-year-old mother of two.

There were also those whose children had been baptized, even though the parent himself was not a member of the Church. It has often been the will of the spouse or grandparents. For some, the choice has been good, for others it has not.

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The 37-year-old father of three says the baptism was important to the children’s mother or his family, and it was concluded because the man felt there was no harm in it. Still, making decisions according to the spouse’s family expectations annoys him or her — especially when the spouse isn’t even religious.

“Wouldn’t it be time to create your own rituals and traditions”he writes.

No baptism for my child, please

Just tradition is a key reason to baptize a child, according to the Church Research Centre’s 2021 research paper on the Path of Baptism. Hanna Salomäki has looked at the reasons behind the parents’ baptismal decision. He has used the baptism survey commissioned by the Church Research Center in February 2019 as his main material. It was attended by 1,029 parents with children under school age.

In Salomäki’s survey, three out of four who baptized a child took baptism for granted. Four out of five said it was important to have a beautiful celebration. Equally many raised the godparents as an important reason for the baptismal decision.

The fact that a child can grow up as a Christian or part of a church was important to less than half of the respondents. For more than a tenth, the desire of the grandparents, spouse or partner to baptize the child was important.

The thinking of grandparents’ wishes also comes to the fore in the answers to the HS survey. Many readers have listened to the wish. Others have ignored it, and grandparents have not just commented on it. However, loved ones do not always understand the decision not to baptize a child.

“The mother-in-law cried and gave the children’s Bible as a gift of name. As a parent, we were badly hurt, but we left the expression to our own devices. ”writes a 34-year-old mother of one child.

In Salomaa’s study, the main reason for not being baptized was that the defendant himself did not belong to the church. It became almost as important that the child could decide for himself later. This was more important for women than for men. Half were of the opinion that the spouse’s reluctance to baptize had significantly contributed to the child not being baptized.

There were usually no reasons for not baptizing that were related to the baptism or godparents. In families where the child was not baptized, three out of four held feast days or other celebrations.

In the HS survey, many say that namesakes are still a foreign concept, especially to grandparents.

“My father was downright shocked at the first child when the child was not baptized, but we had namesakes”writes a 37-year-old mother of three.

Source: Church Research Centre’s Baptismal Path research publication

In the future namesakes hardly shock anyone. At present, the number of people baptized in the next decade is expected to fall to less than 40 percent of births, says Church Research Center vs. director. Veli-Matti Salminen.

“In the future, the church is one option, but not an obvious part of the life cycle of Finns.”

There are social reasons behind it, writes in The Path of Baptism. First, the importance of religious values ​​and institutions is declining, especially among the millennials that now form families. Most of this age group considers themselves non-religious and is more critical of Christianity and Church ordinances than previous generations.

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At the same time, irrigation rates are affected by migration. According to the study, about 73 per cent of the children of mothers with a Finnish background were still baptized in 2019. However, the population with a foreign background is growing and has a higher birth rate than those with a Finnish background. Children of mothers with a foreign background are less likely to be baptized Evangelical Lutherans.

Migration within the country is also affected, as migration to urban areas has been studied to reduce the likelihood of baptism. Residents of Helsinki in particular are less likely to have a child than those living elsewhere.

As the relationship of the environment to the church becomes thinner, baptism of one’s own child is no longer an obvious choice.

In addition to its spiritual significance, this is concretely reflected in church tax revenues. According to Salminen, the change in tax revenue has not yet been dramatic, but will affect the church’s human resources and scope of operations in the future.

“There is a debate about what will be reduced. I would see that clear relief work should be kept to the last. On the other hand, there are a lot of gathering activities where you shouldn’t do everything yourself. ”

By Salminen, for example, the church means early childhood education clubs and youth work. On the other hand, the abandonment of real estate, such as camp centers or parish centers, and at the same time a more diverse use of church buildings is also being considered. Already now, some parishes have office and meeting facilities in the church building, and cultural activities can be organized in churches, Salminen says.

“In the church, the signs of the times have awakened late. However, now is a good time to reflect on what the church is for and how change will be met. ”

That’s why my child belongs to church

When the relationship with religiosity is changing, schools are also under pressure to change. The future of religious education is a topical issue.

According to the law, religious education is provided in primary and secondary schools in accordance with the religion of the majority of students. If you do not belong to any religious community, you can choose between teaching religion and outlook on life. However, if you belong to a church, you can’t even choose life view information in high school as an adult.

A citizens’ initiative is underway to open up life views data to anyone under the age of 18. There is also a debate about whether the teaching of religion and knowledge of life should be combined as a suitable subject for everyone. In a survey commissioned by Yle in December 2019, more than 70 percent of Finns supported this. Many respondents to the HS survey also want more general viewing material to be taught.

“The school could have a common outlook on life, where children from different backgrounds can study the history of religions and discuss morality and ethics together, under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Appreciating Diversity and Learning from Others ”writes a 52-year-old man whose children have not been baptized.

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For many respondents to the HS survey, studying life-saving information has been a major reason for the baptismal decision or later membership in the Church.

“The children were baptized at the request of man and family. However, it was a condition that by the time they were in school, the children had separated from the church in order to study life view information. ”writes a 34-year-old mother of four.

On the other hand, the teaching of et was not criticized either. Several respondents wrote that the level of teaching varies and the parent does not stay carted on the content of the teaching.

“Teaching life vision information could be a little more sophisticated and philosophical. I also hope my son learns about different religions so he can make an informed decision about what he believes in – if anything. ”writes a 48-year-old woman belonging to a church whose child has not been baptized.

In the survey it was also asked how the parents would react if the child later chooses otherwise, i.e. the unbaptized child joins the church or the baptized child decides to divorce. Of this, the vast majority of respondents were very much in line.

“My job as a parent is not to force my child any particular outlook on life, even if I teach him values”writes a 34-year-old non-church woman.

“It would be undeniably sad for me, but I would respect the child’s decision.”writes a 40-year-old woman with a close relationship with the church.

Religions in Finland

Most Lutherans

About 70 percent of Finns are Christians. The majority of Christians belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which in 2020 had 3,749,700 members. There are revival movements within the Evangelical Lutheran Church, such as Lestadianism and Vanhaillislestadianism, whose membership is not precisely known. In 2012, there were an estimated 100,000 old-fashioned Lestadians.

In 2020, the Orthodox Church had 60,100 members, the Catholic Church 14,500, the Free Churches 15,100 and the Pentecostal Church 12,800 members.

Perhaps more than 100,000 Muslims

Islamic religious communities have 19,300 members. In addition, an estimated 110,000–120,000 Muslims live in Finland, most of whom do not belong to any registered Islamic community.

Other groups

Other major religious communities include Jehovah’s Witnesses, 17,000 members, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3,200 members.

In 2020, there were 1,800 members in Buddhist communities, 1,100 members in Jewish congregations, and 400 members in Hindu communities.

Sources: Statistics Finland, Religions in Finland project and Veli-Matti Salminen

The story has been published in the January 2022 issue of HS Our Family magazine. HS Our Family is a magazine about parenting and upbringing.

Read more: “I cried when my child resigned from the church” – When part of the family belongs to the church and part doesn’t, there may be problems ahead.

Read more: Reforming the teaching of religion and outlook on life is being explored

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