Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is a Lutheran Church and the most common church in Finland. With a subscription rate of 85 percent (2003) it is the largest denomination in Finland, however as society is becoming increasingly secular membership is steadily declining. The head of the church is the Archbishop of Turku, currently Jukka Paarma. History The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is a successor to the Church of Sweden of which it was a part until 1809, when the Grand Duchy of Finland became a part of the Russian Empire. Before the introduction of religious freedom in 1923 membership in either the Finnish Orthodox Church or the Evangelical Lutheran Church was compulsory. Teachings The church is founded on the teachings of Martin Luther. It teaches that all who believe in Jesus will be saved. This is because every man sins, no one person can be good enough to God by his/her acts. As apostle Paul said, only the faith in Jesus Christ can save, for He carried all our sins and suffered the penalty we would have deserved. Thus we are saved by our faith in Him, our saviour. The church does not control its members strictly, and members can be found to believe in things contradicting the teachings of the church, such as rebirth or horoscopes. The spirit of the New Testament is considered to be more important than the strict rules of the Old Testament. Rituals, suchs as weddings and funerals, are often considered to be the most important reasons to remain a member. Finances Because the church has the position as a state church it is able to collect membership fees in the form of taxes. It means that also businesses, and members of other churches and religions, to some extent contribute financially to the church. See also Mikael Agricola Treaty of Fredrikshamn External links Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland - Official site Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_of_Finland