A record number of Danes are leaving the church amid atheist campaign
About 10,360 people have reportedly filed their applications to leave the Church of Denmark in the second quarter of 2016. A campaign by the Danish Atheist Society has been credited for the withdrawals.
The atheist group has been displaying large banners on buses asking questions such as "Why believe in a god?" and "Why should faith cost something?" The banners also direct people to visit the group's official website which provides instructions on how to leave the Church. Those who want to withdraw their membership must submit a written application to their respective parishes.
Anders Stjernholm, the chairman of the society, stated that he is happy with the results of the campaign.
"We have long seen in surveys that there aren't that many Danes who are devout Christians. So I view [the withdrawals] as an expression of the fact that people can't really see why we should have an institution like the Church of Denmark that has such incredible influence and that takes one's money," Stjernholm said to Politiken, a local Danish publication.
Anders Gadegaard, the dean of Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, acknowledged that the atheist campaign might have led to the large number of withdrawals. However, Gadegaard doubts whether the effects of the campaign will last.
In an interview with Politiken, Gadegaard said, "I think the number is a reflection of a very special situation created by the atheists' campaign. We're not talking about a whole new trend that will continue."
He noted further that the number of baptisms are rising despite the withdrawals.
The Norwegian Church also reported a record number of withdrawals in August. About 25,000 have left the Lutheran Church in Norway in less than a month when it introduced a website that makes it easier for members to withdraw their membership. Only 1,177 people used the website to register as members.
