Skiing, chocolate and resurrection. It is part of what the Norwegian Easter is built on. Because behind the trips on the mountain and chocolate in the sun wall, lies the story that Jesus rose from the dead. The Easter holiday is the most important holiday in Christianity, a week filled with religious services around Norway. But fewer and fewer people make the trip to church to hear about the message that the priests convey, figures from Statistics Norway show. What the priests tell is a story that even the supreme leader of the Church of Norway finds it difficult to believe. Have your say in the comments section at the bottom 💬 Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Påskemysteriet Easter is the oval week when Jesus came to Jerusalem riding a donkey. According to the Bible, he was hung on the cross as a criminal. His body was placed in a cave. But then a day passed and he rose again from the dead, if one is to believe what is written in the Bible. This has been regarded as what all Christian faith is built on, according to Store norske lexikon. 2023 years later, around 3.5 million Norwegians are members of the Norwegian Church. But there are not nearly as many who believe in resurrection. This is shown by a new poll conducted for news. – What is the Norwegian church without the resurrection? – Then it’s empty. Then there are houses and buildings. Then there is no faith in the living God, that God creates life, that God is close to us even today, says Olav Fykse Tveit. As president of the bishops’ meeting, he is the supreme leader of the Church of Norway. He says the story of the resurrection makes Jesus something more than just an ordinary person. – What do you think yourself? – I believe that the disciples are describing something they have actually experienced. I think they both mentioned this, and it was a retelling that lived on while those who had told it first were still alive. So that you could go back and check if this was just an invention. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news Christian or not? Theologian Espen Ottosen works in the Norwegian Lutheran Missionary Association, and is known for being a conservative voice on trust issues. – There is a difference between being religious and being a Christian, he says. He believes it is not his task to sort out who are really Christians. But for him it does not make sense to say that you are a threatening Christian if you do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. And that it was a physical person who disappeared into the sky after 40 days. – The crucial question for Christians is whether Jesus was something more than a prophet. And the Bible’s proof that Jesus is just that is that he “won” over death. Photo: troogliv – I think that the resurrection is what the Christian faith stands and falls on, says Ottosen. President Olav Fykse Tveit does not think that believing in this is as decisive for the definition of what it means to be a Christian. – What do you think when you hear people say that “I’m a Christian, but I don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead.” Is it possible? – Yes. But he also adds: – It is fundamental to the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the grave and thus showed himself to be God and God’s son. If you don’t have it, then it is difficult to say that it is the Christian faith you have. Because the church believes in the incredible and improbable based on our experiences. Can you call yourself a Christian without believing in the resurrection? The bishop himself says that he struggles to believe that Jesus actually walked among the disciples after he died, but: – It is a trust I have in God that makes me believe in the resurrection, so I believe in the risen one. Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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1 in 10 Norwegians believe Jesus physically rose from the dead – news Trøndelag
