Irreligion in Estonia pertains to

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

agnosticism Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

, and

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...

of the people and institutions of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. Irreligion is prominent in Estonia, where a majority of citizens are unaffiliated with any religion. Estonian irreligion dates back to the 19th century, when Estonian nationalists and intellectuals deemed Christianity a foreign religion in opposition to Estonian independence. Irreligion in Estonia was later accelerated by the

Soviet occupation of the Baltic states The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states covers the period from the Soviet–Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to their invasion and annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941. In September and October 1939 the Soviet governme ...

, in which

state atheism State atheism is the incorporation of positive atheism or non-theism into political regimes. It may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments. It is a form of religion-state relationship that is usually ideologically li ...

was enforced. By some metrics, Estonia is the most irreligious country in the world.

History

Modern irreligion in Estonia began during the

Estonian national awakening The Estonian Age of Awakening ( et, Ärkamisaeg) is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in the 1850s with greater rights bein ...

in the 19th century, amid a period of

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

was the dominant religion in Estonia at the time, and Estonian intellectuals began to reject the religion due to its German associations.

Anti-clericalism Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Darwinism Darwinism is a scientific theory, theory of Biology, biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of smal ...

, and

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

all contributed to atheist thought during this time. Journalists such as Juhan Lilienbach and

Ado Grenzstein Ado Grenzstein, pseudonym A. Piirikivi (5 February 1849 – 20 April 1916) was an Estonian journalist, writer and teacher, brother of . In 1881 he founded the '' Olevik'' newspaper, which become one of the most important Estonian newspapers of the ...

played a major role in spreading these ideas to the public. As Estonia achieved independence in 1918, irreligion became relevant in the Estonian national identity.

Separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

was implemented, and the practice of

religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...

became the subject of debate. During the 1920s, marriage was secularized and placed under government control. Atheist thought was co-opted by Communist movements during the 1920s and 1930s in order to advance the cause of

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various co ...

. This association with Communism led to renewed distrust of irreligion as memories of the Red Terror's influence in Estonia still lingered. Following the Soviet occupation of Estonia, religion was largely eradicated from public life. State atheism was enforced, but it was of relatively low priority for the Communist government in Estonia, and religion was not a major issue during Soviet occupation. In contrast to Soviet atheism, anti-Communist atheists were also active at the time. Since achieving independence from the Soviet Union, religion has not been prominent in Estonian life, and irreligion in Estonia has become passive in nature. However, religious education in Estonia continues to be a subject of debate. Courses on religion are currently optional in Estonian schools, and proponents of secularism oppose expanding religious education in fear that it would be dominated by Christian teachings.

Demographics

Due to its prevalence, irreligion in Estonia is typically marked by indifference or ignorance toward religion rather than opposition to it. Most Estonians have little experience with formal religion or religious ideas, and as a result, irreligious Estonians don't consider irreligion to be part of their identity. In 2008, Gallup found that only 14% of Estonians consider religion to be an important part of their life, lower than any other country they surveyed. In the 2000 census, 40.16% of Estonians identified as irreligious. In the 2011 census, 54.14% of Estonians identified as irreligious. Irreligion is more common among ethnic

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to other ...

, where irreligion was found to be as high as 65.47% in 2011. Despite the limited presence of religion and the church in Estonian society,

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

is still prevalent.

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

ideas and belief in the supernatural maintain a significant presence in Estonia.

History

Demographics

References

See also