ABSTRACT
One of the central anxieties for European churches is how religious identity, belief and practices can be transmitted between the generations. One of the key ‘links’ in this is the socialisation of adolescents through the rite of confirmation (Hervieu-Léger, 2000; Davie 2000). In many of the Protestant countries of Europe, especially Lutheran Scandinavia and the Protestant regions of Germany, a large proportion of each cohort of adolescents is confirmed, and just as importantly, undergoes a lengthy period of preparation. However there is a marked contrast between high confirmation rates and low rates of regular church attendance. This gulf suggests that in such countries, confirmation is experienced predominantly as a rite of passage 1 with significant cultural and social significance for the individual, their families and the wider peer group.
