ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the religious landscape of Norway, the changes in Church-State relations, and the historical background of the commission. The Commission on Faith and Worldviews was the first commission that addressed the entire field of religion and worldviews, including secular humanism and the Church of Norway. The report challenged the privileged position of the Church of Norway, and made equal treatment of religions and worldviews the main principle for a coherent public policy. Since the aim of the commission was to outline a coherent public policy on religion with equal rights and opportunities for all faith and worldview communities, several recommendations carried implications for the privileged position of the Church of Norway. The various statements from the Church of Norway seem largely to express a Cultural Heritage Model, as advocated by Hoem and Sommerfeldt. The argument is that the Church of Norway is a majority church which has had, and should continue to have, a privileged position.
