I thought about writing something about the inconvenience which the Icelandic State Church is finding itself facing.
But it is hard to top the comment a very pretty girl at the University of Iceland made during a lecture early this summer.
Responding to a Christian theologian denouncing the greed society which Iceland had become in recent years she asked whether greed was an uncomfortable issue for the church? “After all your rituals revolve around greed, like the confirmation. That is how you entice teenagers to enrol.”
At age 14, Icelandic teenagers accumulate large amounts of cash and a wealth of possessions for attending confirmation.
The wedding season is just over. When Icelandic women try to top each other in flash statements of love in front of God.
At a wedding this summer, foreign guests commented on the priests flash car and found it hard to believe that he was a state employee, with more than double or triple the salary of policemen, nurses and firemen.
An outdated flock the lot of them.
We should listen more to pretty girls.
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Silvia Planchett
1 year ago
Perhaps HI should invite Richard Dawkins over to convert even more of the deluded. That would put another nail in the religious coffin. I would definitely be willing to contribute toward that goal.
icelandbob
1 year ago
shit i remember writing about this earlier this year. It’s certainly a most vulgar spectacle, even after the crash!
http://www.grapevine.is/Author/ReadArticle/Believe-In-Jesus-Now-Give-Me-My-Free-Shit
Blubber
1 year ago
“You shall not charge interest to your brother — interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest.”
This practice has been epidemic in Iceland, yet,”our” church has been surprisingly quiet on the subject.
Better to get all crazy upset because gay people would like the same human rights as straight people.
Lino
1 year ago
on the specific of hoarding cash and a wealth of possessions for attending confirmation, it must be an Icelandic social trait: in Italy it’s not like that.
Sure there are gifts, even cash but not large amounts and especially not “I’ll doing confirmation so that I can buy a new computer”…
Parents however sometimes spend lots of money for the ceremony, but the confirmation event is not driven by the child, more by their parents for social conformity reasons rather than money… or faith…
Dadi
1 year ago
Bob, I like your article.
I have often wondered what it must be like for people in the States who aspire to an office. I honestly can not believe that Al Gore, Barack Obama and several others actually believe in the big boy in the sky.
But they have to pretend they do, because extremist muslims would be more welcome into office than atheists.
Carl Mosconi
1 year ago
If only the believers would look at the big picture that religious beliefs are location specific then this would be the end of it! Hey people…get a grip! There is probably no decider lurking to either take you to heaven or to hell. There is no evidence available that supports this notion. Evidence is essential in order to support these beliefs.