Finland
POPULATION 5,183,545
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN 84.9 percent
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN 1.1 percent
PENTECOSTAL 1 percent
OTHER 1.1 percent
NONAFFILIATED 11.9 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
Situated in northern Europe between Sweden and Russia, Finland has been strongly influenced by both of these countries throughout its history. It was ruled by Sweden from the 1320s until 1809, when it became an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian Empire. Independence from Russia in 1917 was followed by a brief but devastating civil war in 1918 and, finally, confirmation of the constitution of the Republic of Finland in 1919.
In 1157 the Swedes launched the first of three crusades into Finland in an attempt to gain control of the country and to spread the word of Christianity there. Ultimately the Swede's Roman Catholicism replaced the indigenous religions of the Finns. Even before the arrival of the Swedes, Orthodox missionaries from Russia had worked in eastern Finland, notably the area around Lake Ladoga in Karelia. These developments laid the foundations for Finnish religious culture.
After the Reformation, the Lutheran Church became dominant in Finland, replacing Catholicism entirely by the mid-sixteenth century. The Lutheran Church has also played a central role in the larger Finnish culture, serving as the major provider of social services and education before these functions were taken up by the state.
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