ABSTRACT
During the years around 1900, the leaders of the Norwegian Sports Association (NSA) – ‘Centralforeningen for Idræt’ – travelled all over the country to promote sport. In 1906, one of these leaders, Captain Henrik Angell, travelled to the southernmost area of Norway – the region called Agder or Sørlandet. After these sport-promoting journeys, Angell and the other leaders published their observations in the Annual issued by the national sports association. Despite a good turnout at these gatherings, Angell found the level of interest in sport to be low. The leaders of the NSA did not experience anything like this in any other place that they visited. Their travel reports covered most of the country and also the areas neighbouring Agder. This is noteworthy because the southernmost parts of Norway and the coastal areas of western Norway are often labelled as the country’s ‘Bible belt’. This chapter explains why sport was so harshly rejected by many of the communities in this particular region of Norway. What kind of religiosity developed in this area in the decades around 1900, and what challenges did these communities and the various popular movements face with respect to religion?
