Authors

• Church Research Institute

Keywords

church, congregations, paranormal phenomena, religious affiliation, religious groups, religious institutions, supernatural

Abstract

The survey charted opinions on the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and its range of activities. The respondents were asked to present their view of the Evangelical Lutheran Church with the help of a number of opposite adjective pairs (e.g. honest - dishonest, rich - poor, reliable - unreliable, tolerant - intolerant, efficient - inefficient). They also rated the importance of different congregational activities, for example, Sunday school, development cooperation, missionary work, support for the unemployed, food banks, help for the elderly. The survey studied perceptions of supernatural phenomena and beliefs with attitudinal statements relating to ghosts, witchcraft, reincarnation, psychics, angels, UFOs, healing by prayer, astrology, horoscopes and fortune-telling. Opinions on different religious denominations and religions were charted. The respondents were asked whether they belonged to a church or other religious denomination. Evangelical-Lutherans were asked whether they had considered leaving the church. Those who did not belong to any denomination were asked whether they had considered joining the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Background variables included respondent's gender, marital status, basic education, type of municipality, and province of residence.