Norway's Churches Try To Foster Healing After Attacks

By Oivind Ostang
Religion News Service

TRONDHEIM (RNS/ENInews) A Norwegian bishop addressing the recent bombing and shooting attacks in Norway said his country has "countered this insane terrorism by demonstrating love and solidarity."

"We have brought out a social capital we maybe even did not know was there. We must rebuild our trust in human beings as fellow human beings," said Church of Norway Bishop Tor Singsaas of Nidaros at the opening of the annual St. Olav Festival in Trondheim on Thursday (July 28).

On July 22, Anders Behring Breivik bombed a government building in Oslo, then massacred youths at a nearby summer camp, killing 76 people in all, according to law enforcement officials.

Since the attacks, Norwegian priests and church workers have joined in caring for the survivors and the victims' families, with churches opened for people seeking comfort and community. Oslo's Lutheran Cathedral, situated a few blocks from the damaged government buildings, has become a center for mourners to light candles. Outside the
cathedral, flowers cover large areas and also the street.

As Norwegian police finish the complex task of identifying victims, burials will begin to take place all over the country, most of them in Church of Norway churches and chapels.

Last Sunday, Oslo Cathedral changed its regular service into a televised "Mass of grief and hope."

"We will not let fear paralyze us," said Church of Norway Presiding Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien in her homily.

Preaching to a packed cathedral, and with Norway's royal family and political leaders present, Byfuglien said, "In the midst of the gruesome, something beautiful is emerging: the God-given ability of every human being to show goodness and charity. This makes us see glimpses of God."

Comments

[Mundane Egg]

11:11 AM on 08/02/2011

This is a good opportunity for followers of Christ, world wide, to:
- Re examine their own faith and found the differences between
- See the differences between what Christ taugfht and what is espoused in modern Christianity.
- Let others see that the teachings of Jesus are many times at odds with the way Christianity is practiced today.

Let this be an chance for growth and personal as well as communal examination.

[Lindstr7]

03:26 PM on 08/05/2011

To sum it up.....what would jesus do? Somehow that always seems to escape the fundie christians as they use christ as an excuse to wage war (in his name mind you). It really doesn't take much biblical study either, one can get the cliff notes.

[BrotherRog]

04:41 PM on 08/01/2011

Sheesh! Talk about poor theology. Seems to me the god that many atheists reject is one that I as a Christian would reject as well. However, not all Christians think of God as fully in control of the world and we don't blame God when acts of evil happen. Such things happen when certain humans abuse their free will. Humans are a relational and spiritual species and since all healing is of God, it makes sense for people to find solace and comfort in both secular and overtly spiritual ways.

[Mundane Egg]

11:12 AM on 08/02/2011

Great points.

F and F

[22Keys]

12:02 PM on 08/01/2011

Never thought i'd see Norwegans back in church.

[Gregor53]

04:55 PM on 07/31/2011

It will probably help more in Denmark than it ever would here in the States. At least they are not so polarized that they want to eliminate each other.

[lillibette]

01:35 PM on 07/31/2011

It amazes me how many have posted things so hurtful to Christians..... A true believer in Christianity abhors these actions as deeply as those in other religions or even those with no religion. It is sad that there are those in defense of one religions freedom will condemn another religion.

[Cindbird]

04:29 PM on 07/31/2011

It's the same thing that happened to muslims in America after the 9/11 attacks. Instead of placing the blame where it belongs, on the one who commits the evil acts, they blame the religion they come from. They can't hurt the shooter so they hurt people of the same religion. It isn't right. It isn't fair. But it IS human nature.

[lillibette]

11:03 PM on 07/31/2011

You are the first to offer an explanation to a comment I have posted more than once without insult or finger pointing.... Thank you..... and I have to say that I have never really thought about it in those terms... but you are right.

[Inannawhimsey]

02:32 AM on 08/01/2011

Remember, anytime someone writes something here, it is ALWAYS aboot themselves, even if they never use the terms :3

[Dragosurfer]

11:26 AM on 07/31/2011

The people Norway do need to heal after this insane act of terrorism. However, the church can offer nothing in the way of healing to the millions that have the critical thinking ability and common sense to reject these primitive religions.

IMO, If there was a loving god, as the religious people claim, this act of terrorism would not have happened, along with all of the other terrorist acts around the world. This god religious people claim exist, does not intervene in human affairs because he gave us free will. What a joke! They have to say that because otherwise, it becomes extremely obvious that their god was made up by primitive man and used to control the ignorant masses, nothing more.

The fact is that this act of terrorism was committed Because of religious bigotry. Religion IS the problem here, not the solution. Religion Poisons Everything.

[lillibette]

01:11 PM on 07/31/2011

It is not the religion that poisons, it is the followers that distort their religion to fit their desire to harm that poisons.

[Dragosurfer]

09:35 PM on 07/31/2011

Without the followers the religion cannot survive; the followers define the religion.

Religion is nothing more than ancient superstitions and myths anyway. So what is it good for? What can religion do for mankind that we, as modern people, can not do for ourselves? So far, religion has done nothing but cause wars, suffering, and hold back scientific advancement.

[Cindbird]

04:31 PM on 07/31/2011

You sound like Mao Tse-tung. He told the Dalai Lama that religion was poison too.

[Dragosurfer]

05:20 PM on 07/31/2011

Then he was right about that. I believe Mao Tse-tung was wrong about most every other thing, but correct about religion. Hitler also called himself a Christian. I know Christians everywhere try to deny that, but it's true; just read any of his many speeches and you will see what I mean.

As long as we continue to follow these primitive, out-dated, man-made religions, we are going to continue to have religious terrorist of every strip.

What can be asserted without proof, can be dismissed without proof.

[dbmartin]

09:53 AM on 07/31/2011

The media and commenters are telling me that anti-muslim christian forces determine and prefer to target muslims for hateful attention. Yet the one christian extremist targeted christians and politicians for death, NOT muslims. Fortunately, although hated by one christian, no muslims were harmed, but they FEEL harmed. Even the liberals of the u.s. FEEL harm coming to their muslim comrades. To even one muslim and one liberal, anywhere in the world, feeling harmed is morally and ethically much worse than the killing of 76 christians and politicians in Norway, wherever that is.

[Down in FL]

11:08 AM on 07/31/2011

You're just making up arguments and then attacking them. It's called a strawman.

[lillibette]

01:26 PM on 07/31/2011

"Feeling" harmed is worse than the death of 76 people? Are you saying that Christians an politicians lives have less worse than than a Muslim or a Liberal ? ( I might ad that those killed on that island were liberals) How can you devalue a human life based on what someone else feels? Ever hear of WWII?

[eddy joe]

09:42 AM on 07/31/2011

All of the liberals here know that this won't help, as there is no god.

[Slacktoo]

10:42 AM on 07/31/2011

Trust me, being liberal has nothing to do with being an atheist. I'm not a liberal, and I know that myths don't exist.

[Gregor53]

04:54 PM on 07/31/2011

Kudos to you. Some seem to forget that religion comes in all colors (Obama), political affilations (Kennedy), sex (Ms. Reagan) and countries (list is endless). Ironically it continue to be a vocal minority that seems to think otherwise just about everything. Faved

[tooncesrocks]

08:56 AM on 07/31/2011

Norwegians use churches out of a sense of tradition & nostalgia... & virtually every church in norway is completely empty except at weddings & baptisms... (baptisms again out of a sense of tradition & not religiosity)... there is one pocket of ultra-conservatism where churches are full in the south of norway.

In Summary, Misleading article for an American Audience.

[ZenSufi]

04:44 PM on 07/31/2011

Could you say more about this southern Norwegian pocket of full-pewed churches?

[Abnormal Wrench]

01:57 AM on 07/31/2011

An appropriate picture. Less than 1/4 of the pews are filled.

[Inannawhimsey]

02:30 AM on 08/01/2011

You religious folks, so irrational -- able to magically take a meaningless collection of coloured pixels into something meaningful to you :3

[lcelidon]

12:01 AM on 07/31/2011

peace.......http://documentaryheaven.com/anything-but-an-atheist/