Embedded or Embattled?: Constructing Legitimate Religion in Finnish Political Party Platforms

Abstract

At the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, Finland—like many other European countries—finds itself in a paradoxical moment when it comes to religion. On the one hand, there is an undeniable decline of all indicators of individual religiosity. On the other hand, increasing worldview diversity calls into question many taken-for-granted ideas and practices regarding the place of religion in Finnish society. Religion becomes more visible in public discourse at the same time as fewer people profess personal faith. Curiously, despite the increased visibility, we know little about what politicians think about the role of religion in contemporary Finland. This article examines how Finnish parliamentary parties construct a legitimate—or illegitimate—place for religion in their political platforms between 2000 and 2023. Using mixed methods, we find different legitimation frames, which are distributed differently in the platforms according to political position. For example, the far-right Finns party is most vocal about the perceived threat of Islam. Other conservative parties legitimate religion with reference to public utility and values and culture, whereas liberal parties favor the equality of religions and worldviews as a framing. Interestingly, the conservative parties which mention religion most often, the Christian Democrats and the Finns Party, do not legitimate their politics with references to the Bible, contrary to what might be expected. Instead, they speak about Christianity as part of Finnish culture and values—that is, Christianity becomes culturalized. Conversely, Islam becomes religionized in the sense that Muslimness works as a negative identity marker, which requires special measures of governance. This suggests that religion is increasingly recruited into broader culture wars in secularized Finland.