Social+Institutions

Role of social institutions, such as family, religion, labor unions, and place of employment

Religion: 88% of the Swedish people belong to the Swedish church which counts for being a Lutheran Church. Churches of Sweden can be known for being a national church since it has played the dominant role in Swedish religious life. Long before the 1520's, Sweden was a Roman Catholic church and county but in the 1520's with Martin Luther, the king, Gustav Vasa transformed Sweden into a nation with a Lutheran Church and made himself the head of the church. Sweden was a monolithic state only letting the Swedish version of the evangelical faith. In the 1800's the greatest freedom of religion was allowed in Sweden but not until 1951, which then now a full religious freedom guaranteed everybody by the law. In 1996 it has been possible for children to automatically become members of the Church of Sweden from when they are born. One of the parents had to be a member. To become Baptize, it's not required, even though 90% of the children were baptized anyways. Sweden has been divided into 13 Lutheran dioceses and each one is headed by a bishop. The church of Sweden is still linked to the state but in the year 1998 a proposal on a new Church Ordinance was approved. This church will replace the Church Code and other state regulation govering the Church of Sweden. The new ordinance came into force on January 1, 2000, when relations between Church and State will change. The new changes of the Church-State reltaions means that the Church of Sweden now can make their own decisions about the way the church structure is and the organization is different from those controlling State legalization.

Family: A very interesting fact about the Swedish family is that their are the same as the Americans but when we say "Grandfather" you dont know if your talking about your father's father or your mother's father. The Swedish have the answer to this by having words that mean the difference. //Far// which means father int the Swedish language and //Mor// which means mother in the Swedish language. Examples are "Farfar" which is the same as the word "Grandfather" meaning the father's father. "Morfar" which means the Grandfather but only on the mother's father side.