Abstract:

Tightly bounded with the Evangelic Lutheran Church since the Uppsala Convocation in 1593, the Kingdom of Sweden has constantly moved to a more neutral attitude in terms of religion-state relations since the XVIII. century. Although the separation of state and the Church of Sweden in 2000 is seen as an ultimate step in this sense, the legal status of the religious organizations and their positions in the social structure is still debated. This paper aims to analyse historical evolution and current situation of religion-state relations in Sweden with reference to secularisation theory. Based on the review of legislative reports, legal documents and the literature, the paper argues that Sweden is a sui generis case in the literature for three reasons. First, existing relation between the state and the Church of Sweden is the outcome of a centuries-long democratic process in which political and religious authorities engaged in a series of negotiations and nurtured the existing model within that time. Second, the motivation behind changing religion-state relations in Sweden was not only about power sharing between religious and civil authorities, but rather about ³freedom of religion in a democratic society. Finally, it is still possible to conclude that the separation is not an absolute one and the relation between the state and the Church of Sweden is ambiguous. This brings us to the fact that religion still has a functional power within the social structure to considerable extent, which puts Sweden in a distinctive place with regards to the secularisation theory.

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