The Danish Society by Maria Aagaard

Presentation of the Danish Society
Religion and Society

The Danish nation is a modern society based on free speech, free press and the prospect of making a lot of individual choices and decisions.
A lot of progressive inhabitants live and work in this multicultural country, using these terms as a matter of course.

In Denmark we have freedom of conscience. This means you are allowed to worship any religious belief. From the multicultural perspective, there is a direct link to multireligiosity. Significantly, while some of the ethnic and cultural differences are slowly equated, the role of religion in post-modernity has changed and functions more and more as an identity marker.

In Denmark Christians have a tradition called “Konfimation”. It means, in short, that you confirm your baptism. It is your very own decision if you want to verify, but you are required to make the decision at the age of approximately 14. A lot of people would think this is a very young age to decide which religion you belong to. It is not just something you can jump out of again.

Christianity is the biggest religion in Denmark. About 85 % of the Danish population belongs to the established Christian church. However, in line with immigrants coming to Denmark, our religious perspectives are getting wider. Today around 200.000 Muslims are living in Denmark. This corresponds to almost 3% of the Danish population.

In the past years there have been a lot of misunderstandings between the above-mentioned religions, Christianity and Islam. To be specific, the Muhammad drawings have meant a lot to the relations between the religions. This had a huge influence in Danish politics, and we have questioned ourselves: When do we cross the border when it comes to free speech and free press, and religious harassments?

It is important to remember that the religions are not made to adapt to modern societies. It is not the religions which are developing, but the people who have developed into understanding the religion in a new meaning, in line with an increased knowledge and new society relations.