How to bury a non-Christian? Norwegians differ

Many funerals do not turn out the way relatives had intended. And that hurts, writes the well-known Norwegian author Agnes Ravatn in a commentary titled ‘Bury me, but not in a gym’ in the Norwegian daily Aftenposten.

The problem for Ravatn is the fact that there are not a lot of neutral non-Christian burial options. There are way too few options in cities and mostly none in villages across Norway. Therefore, burials often happen in churches. It is, however, not possible to rent a church without a priest. In the Church of Norway, it is only possible to use a church for Christian gatherings. And that is, according to Ravatn, a problem.

“I think many people think it would be perfectly fine to be buried in the church, but that ideally, it should have taken place without a priest. By talking about Jesus, there is a risk that the grief will be replaced by irritation”, she says. This writes Norwegian daily Vårt Land.

The author emphasizes that there are many good priests. At the same time, she is afraid that some priests will see their cut when the church room is finally full during funerals: Maybe they use the opportunity to talk a little extra about Jesus, Ravatn says.

Taxpayers

Guri Melby, who is the party leader of the Liberal Party, agrees with Ravatn. She suggests that churches should be available for non-Christians without a priest. “If we use community resources to maintain church buildings, it makes sense to use them in a good way”, said the former Minister of Education to Vårt Land.

The resources Melby is referring to are taxpayers’ money that the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, has decided to use for the renovation of older church buildings. “We want to make non-Christian funerals more accessible to people. Especially in the districts, where the gym is the alternative”, says Melby. She thinks it is time to do something about the problem. “A funeral is even more painful and more important than weddings are.”

Disrespectful

The Church, however, is not convinced by the idea of using church buildings as neutral funeral homes.” I think it is awkward to penetrate the premises of a religious community you do not belong to and say that you want to use the premises in your own way”, says Gustav Danielsen, a pastor in Stiklestad. “To me, it seems a little disrespectful to the church.”

Herborg Finnset, Bishop of Nidaros, a diocese in the Lutheran Church, is also not pleased with the idea. She insists that churches should only be used for Christian ceremonies. “Churches are sacred spaces with Christian symbols”, she points out in Vart Land. Finnset thinks that communities themselves should take responsibility for neutral ceremonies. “But I understand the need for dignified rooms for burial.”

The argument that taxpayers’ money should mean that everybody has the same rights to the church is not valid, according to Finnset. “These churches already benefit the taxpayers. They may not benefit all taxpayers in the same way, but churches in good condition are cultural monuments that everyone enjoys.”