Six out of ten students do not believe in God

University of Oslo (UiO)University of Oslo (UiO).Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB scanpix

More than six out of ten students say they do not believe in God, according to a recent survey which Sentio carried out for Universitas. A sample of 1,008 students in Norway were asked the question: “Do you believe in God?

22% said yes, 61% said no, and 17% answered that they do not know.

But theology professor of church history at the University of Oslo, Hallgeir Elstad, thinks religion can make a come back. Elstad isn’t surprised by the low percentage of religious students.

‘Previously culture was far more steeped in a tradition of Christianity, but today it is not getting the same “help” from the culture. Culture is becoming more secularized in the western world, but this also includes Muslims, who make their religion more visible. Today we discuss, among other things, very much the issue of Islam,’ said Elstad.

He believes there are several concurrent factors which may account for why only 22% of students believe in God, but he says the growing interest in discussing it at all means that he doesn’t exclude the possibility of religion making a come back.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today