Religions start

In every country there will be several different types of religions. Some religions live on

for years, grow and spread throughout the country, while others are not in practice anymore. In

Greenland, the main religion is Christianity and it “was brought to Greenland by Leif Eriksson to

Brattahlid during the Viking period (Milfeldt)”. There are a few other religions such as Agnostic,

Ethnoreligionist, Bahai and Atheist, but they make up less than three percent of Greenland. The

branch of Christianity that has made up 96% of Greenland is Lutheran. According to Patheos,

Christianity was developed out of Judaism in the 1st century B.C. and is founded on the life,

teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Societal Role

While Lutheran is a major branch of Christianity, they are taught the same beliefs of

Christianity. Lutheran’s are taught to believe in the Bible, God, sins, gospel, saviors, faith, and

conversion. They also are taught to go to church, ministries, baptisms, the Lord’s Supper, the

hereafter, and Lutheran worship. As well, “The majority of the Greenlandic population is

associated with the Lutheran Church, which is the national church of Denmark. But traditional

Inuit spiritual beliefs remain strong in many of Greenland's remote communities (Illstorm)”.

Community churches are frequent and a sense of social gathering for the local population. I

visites one and will provide a picture of the standard church you would find amongst fishing

towns along the sea.

Sacred Places/ Rituals

“Members of Greenlandic communities continue to practice a wide range of rituals

handed down from their ancestors. These range from giving ritualistic thanks to bears, whales,
and other creatures after they have been slain by hunting expeditions to taboos on mixing food

and clothing associated with the winter months with those associated with the summer season

(Illstorm)”. Erik the Red’s Wife “was behind the first Christian church on the North American

continent in Brattahlid (Milfeldt)”.

Government and Religion

As we know, Christian’s have several sacred places all around the world such as

Jerusalem, which is also known as the Holy Land. Stated in the United Religions Initiative,

Christians worship in churches. It is customary to worship on Sunday, the Sabbath, and on other

special festivals and celebrations while monks and nuns, attend church daily. In addition, most

Christians pray or worship at home through individual or family devotions. An ordained priest or

minister most often leads church services. The services usually include participatory prayers and

hymns, readings, and a sermon. In Greenland, they have “Hvalsey church, which was built in the

14th Century (Milfeldt)” and the Tjodhilde’s I mentioned earlier. There are several countries,

such as The United States of America, that religion is intertwined with government. “In 1979 the

Danish government granted home rule to Greenland. Under this agreement, Greenland remained

part of the Danish realm, and each Greenlander was a Danish citizen, enjoying equal rights with

all other Danes. Denmark retained control of the island’s constitutional affairs, foreign relations,

and defense, while Greenland maintained jurisdiction over economic development, municipal

regulations, taxes, education, the social welfare system, cultural affairs, and the state church

(Rasmussen)”. When religion and government are brought to the table, they do not intertwine

like the U.S.A., they are two separate items because Denmark controls Greenland.
Concluding Paragraph

After learning new information about Greenland, I would like to travel back to Greenland

and attend a service in their church again. My family and I are Lutheran and believe in the same

beliefs as they do. It would be an experience that would make me happy and I can compare to

what I do back at home and how they do their worship. As well, I believe that the country still

does the same roles of their religion but there might be some slight changes due to the time

period.

*Note the URL (web address) of where I found the images are cited in my APA Reference page

below*

A pie chart of the percentage of Greenland's largest religious groups.

 A map of early settlement and the city of where the first Christian church is located in

Greenland.
 Local Kangerlussaq community church. Was taken on my first Sunday in country after I

learned services are open to both the community and military members from our post.
The Tjodhildes church in Brattahlid, Greenland. This is the first Christian church in Greenland.
 REFERENCES

Christianity. Retrieved from ​http://www.patheos.com/Library/Christianity.html

Belief System.(2019) Https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_in_Kangerlussuaq.JPG

Kevin Illstorm.(2015). Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved from

http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Greenland.html

Milfeldt, M. (Ed.). (2014). Tjodhildes Church. Retrieved from

http://www.greenland.com/en/about-greenland/culture-spirit/history/the-viking-period/tjo

dhildes-church/Petheos.(2008).

Rasmus Rasmussen.(2014).Greenland: Government and Society. Retrieved from

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/245261/Greenland/2837/Government-and-s

ociety

United Religion Initiative.(2002).Christianity: Sacred spaces and places. Retrieved from

http://www.uri.org/kids/world_chri_sacr.html