1. What does it mean that Sweden is a secular state?
That Christianity is the state religion
That the state is religiously neutral and does not favor any religion
That religion is prohibited in public contexts
That all government employees must be atheists
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That the state is religiously neutral and does not favor any religion
A secular state means that the state is religiously neutral and does not favor or disfavor any religion. All religious communities are legally treated equally.
2. In what year did Sweden get complete freedom of religion through the Freedom of Religion Act?
1860
1920
1951
1972
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1951
The Religious Freedom Act was passed in 1951 and gave everyone in Sweden complete freedom of religion – the right to freely choose a religion, change religion or not belong to a religious community.
3. In what year did the Church of Sweden and the state separate?
1951
1980
1995
2000
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2000
In 2000, the state and the Church of Sweden separated. Since then, the Church of Sweden has been a religious community among others, without state status.
4. What Christian tradition does the Church of Sweden have?
Catholic
Evangelical Lutheran (Protestant)
Orthodox Christian
Baptist
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Evangelical Lutheran (Protestant)
The Church of Sweden is Evangelical-Lutheran, that is, Protestant. It is due to the Reformation in the 1520s, when Gustav Vasa broke with the Catholic Church.
5. Approximately how many members does the Church of Sweden have today?
About 1 million
About 3 million
About 5 million
About 8 million
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About 5 million
The Church of Sweden has approximately 5 million members, which is roughly 48% of the population. The number has steadily decreased since the separation of church and state in 2000.
6. Who is the spiritual leader of the Church of Sweden?
The Pope
The bishop in Linköping
The Archbishop (Archdiocese of Uppsala)
The king
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The Archbishop (Archdiocese of Uppsala)
The spiritual leader of the Church of Sweden is the archbishop. The archdiocese is in Uppsala. The archbishop is elected by the church meeting.
7. Which religion is the second largest in Sweden after Christianity?
Judaism
Buddhism
Hinduism
Islam
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Islam
Islam is the second largest religion in Sweden with an estimated 400,000–800,000 Muslims. Muslim immigration to Sweden increased sharply from the 1960s onwards.
8. When were the first mosques built in Sweden?
The 1940s
The 1960s
The 1970s
The 1990s
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The 1970s
The first mosques in Sweden were built in the 1970s, as Muslim immigration increased from Turkey, the Middle East and other countries.
9. Since what decade have Jews existed in Sweden?
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
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18th century
Jews have existed in Sweden since the 1770s. They were granted full civil rights and religious freedom in 1870.
10. Approximately how many Catholics are there in Sweden?
About 10,000
About 100,000
About 500,000
About 2 million
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About 100,000
The Catholic Church in Sweden has approximately 100,000 members. Many are immigrants from Poland, Latin America and Africa. Sweden was a Catholic country during the Middle Ages.
11. What did the conventicle poster mean in 1726?
That all religions are allowed in Sweden
That religious meetings outside the state church were prohibited
That Catholics were allowed to move to Sweden
That Jews were given full rights
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That religious meetings outside the state church were prohibited
The conventicle poster in 1726 prohibited religious gatherings outside the Church of Sweden. It was gradually repealed during the 19th century and complete freedom of religion came in 1951.
12. What are the Protestant churches outside the Church of Sweden called, such as those of the Pentecostal movement and the Baptists?
State churches
Free churches
Free Assemblies
Free societies
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Free churches
The free churches - those of the Pentecostal movement, the Baptists, the Methodists, etc. - challenged the Church of Sweden's monopoly from the 19th century. They are important actors in the Swedish religious landscape.
13. Is religion one of the grounds for discrimination in Swedish law?
No, religion is not mentioned in the Discrimination Act
Yes, religion or other belief is one of the seven grounds of discrimination
Only indirectly via the Freedom of Expression Act
Yes, but only for registered religious communities
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Yes, religion or other belief is one of the seven grounds of discrimination
Yes, religion or other belief is one of the seven grounds of discrimination in the Discrimination Act. It is forbidden to discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion.
14. Can you wear religious symbols (such as a veil, cross or kippah) at your workplace in Sweden?
No, religious symbols are prohibited in workplaces
Yes, as a rule it is allowed; the employer needs strong factual reasons for the ban
Only in the private sector, not in the public sector
Only if the religious community is registered with the state
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Yes, as a rule it is allowed; the employer needs strong factual reasons for the ban
Religious symbols are generally allowed in the workplace. In exceptional cases, an employer may have strong objective reasons (e.g. safety) to limit this, but this requires clear justification.
15. Which reformation in the 1520s led Sweden to switch from Catholicism to Lutheranism?
The dissolution of the Kalmar Union
Gustav Vasa's reformation - he broke with the Catholic Church and placed the church's assets under the state
Martin Luther's trip to Sweden
End of the Thirty Years' War
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Gustav Vasa's reformation - he broke with the Catholic Church and placed the church's assets under the state
Gustav Vasa carried out the Reformation in the 1520s and broke with the Catholic Church. He confiscated the church's assets and Sweden became Evangelical-Lutheran.