Update (2025): Over the two decades since writing this I’ve come to be more appreciative of fossil fuels, as well as of our national Christmas traditions. And for all its bad judgment in theological matters, fueling materialism isn’t something one can reasonably accuse the Church of Norway for. As much as I think there are still some good points in this post, perhaps it documents my precocious arrogance more than anything else.
It’s “Little Christmas Eve”, as December 23rd is known in Norway. Tomorrow is the great celebration. Our already sky-high consumption will make another jump, as Norwegian families gather, eating tons of meat and drinking gallons of alcoholic substances. Many will make their annual pilgrimage to their parish church, to hear about the supposed reason for the celebration — the birth of Jesus Christ, some 2000 years ago. But is it really?
“Jul”, as Christmas is known among Norwegians, has been celebrated since long before Christianity came to Norway. That it hasn’ t even got a more Christian name (“Kristmesse” would have been a perfectly good Norwegian word) is indicative of how the old traditions have been kept to this day. There’s one big difference however; they’re fueled by fossils!
When I was a little boy (well, smaller than now) I was told that “eventyr”, a word covering fairy tales and adventures, always have a happy ending. The Norwegian “oil and gas adventure”, however, won’t have one. From 1990 to 2004, the oil industry, generally owned by the Norwegian State, increased its emissions of greenhouse gases by 77 per cent. The collected Norwegian emissions increased by 11 per cent in the same period.
There were those who rightly thought that Norway got a very good deal in the Kyoto agreement, being allowed to increase its emissisons by 1 per cent from the 1990 level. But Norway, always eager to proclaim itself as a nation of peace and environmental consciousness, fails par excellence in meeting even this first tiny little step on the road.
For the record: The oil industry provides the Norwegian economy with some 300 billion NOK ($45 billion) every year, keeping the currency stable and effectively providing the highest standard of living in the world.
Every major political party in this country has as its main goal further growth. A tremendous pressure has been put on the authorities to open the Barents to the oil industry, and for the most part they seem happy to oblige. Sure, the oil is a necessity of Norwegian life.
I’d like to see the Norwegian family having North Sea oil for breakfast!
Now, if only there were some spiritual guide lights to follow in all this darkness. The Norwegian State Church! 85.3 per cent of the Norwegian population are members. It could be our way out of materialism, leading the quest for a spiritually rich society. Why does it fail?
Even though roughly half of the population believes in God, only 20 per cent hold “religion” as a vital part of their lives. 40 per cent never attend church, and that those who do, mostly come only for “family events” and Christmas Eve. A curious distiction between being “Christian” — a member of the church who doesn’t care much about it — and “personally Christian” — actually believing in the Gospel — has come about. The latter kind tends to avoid the State Church. Not all, but many find instead a home in a free congregation. That’s quite understandable, considering the political consensus that the Norwegian State Church should be an “open and inclusive church for the people”, not mentioning the “uncomfortable” parts of Christianity, so as to avoid excluding any Norwegian taxpayer. In return, the Church receives hundreds of millions of State funding every year.
No wonder two thirds of the population find this “open and inclusive” Church to be irrelevant to their lives. Yet it has the power of money and tradition to support its activities, leaving millions of people spiritually poorer than ever.
The Norwegian popular religion is not Christianity fueled by the Gospel. I don’t know if it ever was, but I think I know what the new religion is: Commerce and consumption fueled by North Sea fossils.
“Jul” is then a bastard of a pagan solstice party, materialism, and spiritual poverty. We may argue till death that it’s supposed to be something else, but making the transformation happen requires action. To paraphrase Albert Schweitzer: “The celebration of Jul is not the cause of the problem, merely a manifestation of it”. Can the problem be fixed? We’ll find out by trying.
Good luck, and happy holidays.