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The Danish National Church, '''Church of Denmark''' or '''Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark''' ( and is the largest Christian church in Denmark , including Greenland and the Faroe Islands The Faroese Church will become an independent national church at Ólavsøka (29 July) 2007. It is a Lutheran body and is officially supported by the government, but membership is voluntary. The Minister For Ecclesiastical Affairs , currently Bertel Haarder , is the highest administrative authority of the Church, whereas the Queen is the on-paper leader. The Danish parliament, Folketinget , is the supreme legislative authority for the church. 83% of Danes are members of the National Church, although less than 5% of them attend weekly services. ORGANISATION Church life is organized in 12 Diocese s, each led by a Bishop , including one for Greenland and one for the Faroe Islands (until 29 July 2007). The further subdivision includes 111 Deaneries and 2,200 Parish es. There are about 2,400 Priest s. Each parish has a parochial council, elected by church members in four-year terms. The parochial council lead the practical business of the local church and decide about employment of personnel, including the Priest (s). The priest is subordinate to the council, except in spiritual matters such as conducting Service and Pastoral Care . Both parochial councils and priests are, however, subordinate to bishops. The Church is financed by church tax paid by members (80%), state subsidiaries (12%), and other sources, such as church-owned land (8%). The church tax is 0.4 to 1.5 % of the income, generally lowest in cities and higher in rural areas with many churches to preserve. Voluntary congregations A special feature is the possibility of creating voluntary Congregations (''valgmenighed'') within the Church. These are Voluntary Association s, electing their own parochial council and Priest , whom they will pay off their own pockets. In return, they are exempt of Church Tax . The voluntary congregation and its priest are subordinate to bishops, and members remain full members of the Church. Historically, when a parish was dominated by a fundamentalist majority and ditto rector, the liberal minority would often set up a voluntary congregation with their own rector - and vice versa. Today the voluntary congregations are often a solution for people who find the idea of a Free Church appealing, but wish to keep some bonds to the National Church. Another, less commonly used feature is parish optionality (''sognebåndsløsning'', literally "parish bond release"). If a Church member is dissatisfied with the particular rector of his residence parish, he may choose to be serviced by another rector who complies better with his Christian views, for example in a neighbouring parish. Lack of synod The church is in practice barred from having official positions in political or other matters, since it has no central bodies that could define such stances: nor a spiritual leader (such as an Archbishop ), nor a central assembly or Synod . Many church officials, politicians, and other members believe this system guarantees a non-secterian, politically neutral church where various Lutheran views may co-exist. Article 66 of the Danish Constitution stipulates a Church Constitution shall be laid down by law. This Promissory Clause dates back from the first Constitution of 1849 but was never put into practice. It was feared that splits could occur if a central authority were created. As a result, bishops have the last say on doctrinal questions. Parliament traditionally abstains from interfering with church matters, although it could, as a legislative body, act as a synod. When Church Law s are changed, which rarely happens, only administrative matters are affected. These principles are generally believed to ensure a tolerant church where parishioners and priests enjoy a high degree of freedom to practise their own interpretation of Lutheran Christianity. Many Danish politicians and theologians claim that only this church-state-model will ensure the division of politics and religion, since the Church cannot interfere with political matters or even claim to speak with one voice on behalf of its members. They frequently discourage the term State Church and argue it is, as its name states, the "people's church". MEMBERSHIP According to official statistics from January 2006, 83% of Danes are members of the National Church Official church statistics , although less than 5% of the members attend weekly services. Many more turn to the church for occasions such as Christening s, Confirmation s, Wedding s and Funeral s. Membership rates vary from 68% in the Diocese Of Copenhagen to 91% in the Diocese of Viborg . Everyone who is Christened in the National Church automatically becomes a member. Members may resign from the National Church or re-enter if they wish so. Citizens christened in other Christian groups and denominations, including other Lutheran bodies, do not automatically become members of the National Church; their christening is, however, recognised if they seek membership of the National Church. It is not possible to be a member of two or more officially recognised congregations of faith. Excommunication is legally possible, but an extraordinarily rare occurrence. Examples include declared Satanists . A church member supporting Reincarnation was excommunicated, but the Supreme Court repealed the excommunication in 2005. DOCTRINE The church is aimed at having a wide acceptance of Theological views, as long as they agree with the official symbolic books as stipulated in the Danish Code of 1683. These are:
Revised versions of the Old and New Testament were authorised by the Queen in 1992. A revised Hymn Book was authorised in 2003. Both the Bible translations and the Hymn Book implied wide-spread public and theological debate. Historically, there is a contrast between a liberal current inspired by N.F.S. Grundtvig and more strict, Pietist or Bible Fundamentalist movements (such as Indre Mission ). These tensions have sometimes threatened to divide the Church. ''Tidehverv'' is a minor fraction based on Søren Kierkegaard 's Existentialism and Grundtvig 's more conservative and national views. The Danish National Church is an observing member of the Porvoo Communion between Lutheran and Anglican Churches. Liturgy The s, from one of the Epistle s or another part of the New Testament and, since 1992, from the Old Testament . Texts are picked from an official list following the Church Year . Some Liturgical features have a fixed content but are free to the form. This accounts for the Common Prayer following the Sermon , where the priest is obliged to mention the royal house. Some will shortly mention "the Queen and all her House" whereas others will elaborate all members of the royal house by name and title. The Sermon , as in other Protestant churches, is a central part of the service. The priest takes a starting point in the text of that Sunday, but is free to form a personal message of it. At special occasions, even non-priests may be allowed to preach. Hymn s are also very central. In contrast to the Anglican churches, Danish congregations sit while singing and stand while listening to Bible readings. As in other Lutheran churches, there are only two sacraments, the Christening and the Eucharist . These are usually included in High Masses. Formerly individual or shared Confession was a condition to receive the Eucharist. An official confession ritual still exists, but is now used very rarely. There are also official rituals for Confirmation , Wedding , blessing of a civil wedding and Funeral s. Emergency Baptism may be performed by any Christian if necessary, and later the child will then be "produced" in Church. Controversies , 2007-05-24 (Danish) A small number of priests decline to re-marry Divorce d persons, one of the few instances where a priest may turn down a ceremonial duty. Same-sex Marriage has been particularly discussed in since the 1980s. About half of bishops allow blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses, i.e. couples that have already legally entered a Registered Partnership elswehere. Gay and lesbian clergy exist and this is considered a private issue. Many conservative parishes, however, would never appoint a gay (or a female) rector. From 2004 to 2005 rector Thorkild Grosbøll was suspended for claiming he did not believe in God, but still wanted to serve as a priest. CHURCH AND STATE As head of the National Church, the monarch must belong to the same (article 6 of the Constitution). This applies to the whole royal house as well. As a result, the Prince Consort Henrik converted from Catholicism before marrying the Queen in 1968, and Mary Donaldson "converted" from Anglicanism before marrying Crown Prince Frederik in 2004. Apart from the National Church, more than 50 approved Religious Communities have the right of conducting Marriage s, Christening or other naming ceremonies, Funeral s etc. and have privileges such as Tax Exemption . The National Church basically conducts Civil Registration of Birth s, Death s, Change Of Name etc. ( Vital Records ). The keeping of such ''kirkebøger'' ("church books") is a century-long tradition, dating from when the parish rectors were the only government representatives in rural areas. Recent protests from notably baptists and some muslims have led to a minor change. In 2005, Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs Bertel Haarder announced that the keeping of vital records for non-members would be transferred to a central governmental office, so that they are no longer obliged to report to the Church. Economic support § 2 in the Constitution Of Denmark stipulates that ''"The Evangelical Lutheran Church is the National Church and shall be supported by the state''". On the other hand, § 68 ensures that no one are obliged to pay personal contributions to any religion other than their own. It has been questioned how these two priciples can co-exist. Non-members don't pay Church Tax , but an additional state subsidiary accounts for 12 % of the Church's income. This means every citizen, even non-members, contribute with an average of 130 Kroner annually (23 USD). In addition, the bishops are high-ranking officials whose salary is fully paid by the state. In return, certain public tasks are carried out by the Church, such as conducting Vital Record s registries and managing Graveyard s which are open to all denominations. Separation of church and state The debate about Separation Of Church And State emerges occasionally in Denmark. The current relation is supported by most political parties. It has been challenged for decades by the left wing and by Atheists ; more recently also by some ideological Liberalists and some members of Free Church es. Proponents for a separation argue the state church violates Equality Of Religions and the principle of the Secular State . Proponenents for the current system argue that membership is voluntary, that the National Church has ancient historical roots, and that the Church fulfills certain administrative tasks for the state. They also argue it would be difficult to decide whether church-owned real estate should be handed over to the state or not. The former possessions of the Catholic Church were ceded to the Crown at the Reformation in 1536. According to a , 2007-04-04 (Danish) Immigrant groups and the Muslim society are divided on the issue, as some think official Christianity is preferable to a purely secular state. Pure equality of religions exists only in a minority of Western Europe an countries. Four Scandinavian countries, England , Scotland , Greece and some cantons of Switzerland have official State Church es. Spain , Portugal and Italy have official ties to Catholicism ( Concordat ). Further there is public funding of the church in Belgium , Luxemburg , Germany and Sweden , even after the Church Of Sweden became independent in 2000 . SOURCES
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