____________________________________________________________ INFOLEHT / INFO SHEET ____________________________________________________________ ESTONIA TODAY RELIGION IN ESTONIA Christianity reached Estonia in the 11th century. In the second half of the 12th century, the Roman Catholic Church began a mission which culminated in the 1220s with the conversion of the Estonians. The 300 year long Roman Catholic Church ecclesiastical institutions crumbled during the Reformation in the 1520s, yet due to long-term warfare, the ensuing reforms did not take effect until the period of Swedish rule. A state church was created, based on a strict Lutheran creed. A network of village schools was established, and Estonian religious literature was first published. In 1632, Tartu University was opened and the Bible was translated into Estonian (the New Testament was published in 1686, the whole Bible in 1739). Swedish Ecclesiastical Law was implemented, which remained partially in force for almost 150 years. During the Northern War in 1700-10, the land was devastated, but the Estonian culture was carried on through the traditions of the church. The privileges granted to the Baltic-German nobility by the Russian Czarist powers in 1743 to supervise the church, the schools and the hospitals paralysed church activities, as the church lost its relative independence. The 1832 ecclesiastical law reduced the Evangelical faith in Russia to the status of a tolerated religion. In the 1840s, there was extensive conversion to the "Czar's religion", the proportion of Orthodox followers in the population rose to 20%. With the tolerance manifesto of 1905 were adults given the right to choose their own faith. The ideology of the Estonian national awakening was Christian, with the first generation of Estonian clergymen at the forefront. In 1919, in the independent Republic of Estonia, control of the church passed into Estonian hands. Religious freedom was granted to all persons and all denominations. The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church with Episcopal-synodical structure was created, which grew to be the largest church in Estonia, with 80% of the population as its members. In 1925, the church was separated from the state, but religious instruction remained in the schools and clergymen were trained at the Faculty of Theology at Tartu University. With the Soviet occupation and the implementation of anti- Christian legislation, the church lost over 2/3 of its clergy, work with children, youth, publishing, etc, was banned, church property was nationalised and the Faculty of Theology was closed. Although some church services were tolerated (Sunday church services and presiding over funerals), by the 1970's, less than 10% of Estonians were prepared to publicly state that they were Christians. It was not until 1988 that the state's religious policies became tolerant, and by 1990 repressive legislation was annulled. By today, religion has slowly begun its revival in Estonian society. The Estonian Constitution states that there is no state church in Estonia and that all persons are guaranteed the right to freely practice the religion of their choice. On June 8, 1993 the "Law on Churches and Congregations" entered into force, which establishes the requirements for registration in Estonia, legal relations between the individual and congregations and, most importantly, provides all churches, congregations and associations of congregations with legal guarantees for their property rights and freedom from state control. Religious instruction is primarily provided by churches and congregations on a "Sunday school" basis, although religious studies have been re-introduced into the public school curriculum as an optional subject. The Faculty of Theology was re-opened at Tartu University in 1992, with 25 new students enrolled for the 1993/1994 academic year. Three private institutes of higher education also offer studies in theology. A process of re-registration of churches to implement the "Law on Churches and Congregations" has begun, and therefore there are no comprehensive statistics on the exact number of churches and congregations in Estonia. Current information and estimates list the largest churches as follows: 1. The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church 170 congregations 2. Association of Estonian Evangelical 90 congregations Christian and Baptist Congregations 3. The Estonian Diocese of the Russian 85 congregations Orthodox Church 4. The Estonian Methodist Church 15 congregations 5. Association of Seventh Day Adventists 15 congregations 6. The Catholic Church in Estonia 5 congregations The above churches have united in the Estonian Council of Churches, which serves as a religious advisory board, led by Bishop Einar Soone of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. 7. Estonian Christian Church (Pentecostal) 60 congregations 8. Estonian Jewish Congregation 9. Word of Life 5 congregations There are also Muslim, Mormon, Jehovah's Witnesses and other congregations, however these have yet to apply for official registration in Estonia. September 1993. The historical overview has been presented from "Estonia. Once Again a Country on the Map of the World. Tallinn 1992" with the kind permission of the Estonian Encyclopaedia Publishers. ____________________