ABSTRACT
It is equally clear that the Lutheran churches are seen by the bulk of the Nordic peoples as the central bearers of tradition and cultural identity. The purpose of adopting a pan-Nordic perspective in this paper is not only motivated by the historical religious factor but also by the common institutional and structural traits of the modern Scandinavian countries. Although religious pluralism is increasing with immigration, this is a fact which probably will be of greater importance in the future than it has been during the lifetime of the post-war generation. The importance of socialization to the religious tradition within the school, or the church itself through confirmation classes, has grown as the level of religious socialization provided within the family has declined. Although Lutheranism was imposed on a basically Catholic structure of organization, religiously it has been closer to the Anglo-American tradition of allowing for greater religious pluralism than Catholicism.
