Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

is a prevalent religion in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

; in January 2020, 74.3% of the population of Denmark were members of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

. According to a survey based on a sample 1,114, 25% of Danes believe

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

is the son of God, and 18% believe he is the saviour of the world. Aside from Lutheranism, there is a small

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

minority, as well as small Protestant denominations such as the

Baptist Union of Denmark The Baptist Union of Denmark ( da, Baptistkirken i Danmark) is a national organization of Baptists in Denmark for promoting cooperation in missions, charitable work, and education. The first work in Denmark generally considered Baptist began in 1 ...

and the

Reformed Synod of Denmark The Reformed Synod of Denmark ( da, Den reformerte Synode) is a synod (council) of four Calvinist free church congregations in Denmark. A member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, it has approximately 700 members. The current moderator i ...

. Denmark has Lutheranism as the state religion, as such its culture is heavily influenced by Christianity.

Protestantism

Church of Denmark (Lutheranism)

According to official statistics from January 2019, 74,7% of the population of Denmark are members of the

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

(), the country's state church since the

Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein The Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein saw the transition from Catholicism to Lutheranism in the realms ruled by the Danish-based House of Oldenburg in the first half of the sixteenth century. After the break-up of the Kalmar Union in ...

, and designated "the Danish people's church" by the 1848

Constitution of Denmark The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution ( da, Grundloven, fo, Grundlógin, kl, Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the c ...

. This proportion is down by 0.6% as compared to the preceding year and 1.2% down compared to two years earlier. However, in similar fashion to the rest of Scandinavia, and also Britain, only a small minority (less than 5% of the total population) attends churches for Sunday services. In addition, the number of people leaving the Church has been on the rise: in 2012, 21,118 Danes left the Church, an increase of 55% in comparison to 2011. Individuals automatically become members when baptized, as most people born in Denmark are at birth, and cannot leave of their own accord until they are 18 years old. Members are not informed of their membership or their ability to leave. Further, there are no standard formulas for leaving the church; one must personally contact the priest or office of one's parish.

Other Protestant denominations

A small

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

community has existed since the 1840s and is represented by the

. The Union claimed 55 churches and 5,412 congregants in 2011.

Reformed Protestantism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

is represented by four churches united in the

. These are mainly ethnic congregations, including two Huguenot churches and a

German Reformed The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). A m ...

church, founded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,Deutsch-Reformierte Kirche zu Kopenhagen
/ref> as well as the Korean Reformed Church founded in 1989. The German Reformed church also includes some Dutch, Swiss, Hungarian and American members, as well as Danes. There is an Anglican church and fellowship in Copenhagen and smaller congregations of Anglicans and Episcopalians in many Danish cities. A 2015 study estimates some 4,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.

Catholicism

After the separation of the Church of Denmark from the Catholic Church in 1536, the Catholic Church remained illegal in the country for over three centuries. The Church was able to reestablish itself after the Constitution of 1849 granted religious freedom to the Kingdom. Currently the country is covered by the Diocese of Copenhagen with 48 parishes in Denmark proper and two more in the Faeroe Islands and Greenland. There are nearly 40,000 Catholics in Denmark, though nearly a third are foreign born and others are born of foreign parents (for example, Denmark's

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

community, of which the current bishop of the Roman-Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen,

Czeslaw Kozon Czeslaw Kozon (; la, Ceslaus; born 17 November 1951, Idestrup, Falster, Denmark) is the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Copenhagen. His parents were emigres from Communist Poland. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Copenhagen ...

, is a member). Nevertheless, ethnic Danes are still the largest group among the Church's congregants.

Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodox

Adherents of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Denmark are traditionally organized in accordance with patrimonial ecclesiastical jurisdictions. Eastern Orthodox Danes of Greek origin belong to the Metropolis of Sweden and Scandinavia, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Those of Russian origin are directly under the Patriarch of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

. Those of Serbian origin belong to the

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Britain and Scandinavia The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Britain and Scandinavia or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Britain and Scandinavia ( sr, Српска православна епархија британско-скандинавска) is a Serbian Orthodox Church ...

. Those of Romanian origin belong to the Diocese of Northern Europe, of the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...

Oriental Orthodox

Adherents of

Oriental Orthodox Christianity The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent o ...

in Denmark are also traditionally organized in accordance with their patrimonial ecclesiastical jurisdictions, each community having its own parishes and priests. Oriental Orthodox Danes of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

origin belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

. Those of Coptic origin belong to the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Stockholm and Scandinavia.

Restorationism

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

has been sending missionaries to Denmark since 14 June 1850. Most of the early converts emigrated to the United States. There are currently over 4,500 members of the church in Denmark. There is a

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in Copenhagen, known as the

Copenhagen Denmark Temple The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is the 118th operating Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is one of the few temples that have been converted from existing buildin ...

History

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianity in Denmark Danish culture Society of Denmark Religion in Denmark