Expertise and justice in the context of registering religious communities in Finland

Registration of religious communities in Finland includes evaluation by a board consisting of religious, societal, and legal experts. The title of registered religious community brings legal rights and responsibilities, but communities representing marginalized worldviews also seek legitimation against the system that prefers more historical traditions. In a past decision, the Administrative Court ruled that this process should not stop new religious communities from registering, but in practice the board gate-keeps the integrity of not just the concept of religion, but the religious education in schools which means it prefers historical and traditional connections to existing movements world-wide. The interpretation of religion on the state level is more strictly defined than what religious life today looks like for practitioners. For marginalised groups, registering a community can feel like the only way to get societal legitimation: to be seen, and heard as an actual worldview. Even a failed attempt is seen as a possibility to educate the population on smaller religions, and how they are being treated, but also question the registration system itself.

My paper discusses the topic of my PhD thesis on the power relations between the board members, and those who have sought to register new religious communities. I present how my interviewees, from both boards and communities, justify their position by for example educational or experience based expertise, with human rights or equality, and by the right to control how the communal “tax money” is used. The law is open to interpretation, and everyone sees they are doing what the law “very clearly states”. The lack of mutual understanding and trust might hinder the registration process for some groups now, but through the conflicts of rejected applications, it might be possible to create a more open process and system – if the status of registered religious communities is something we wish to keep up. It is, however, part of a wider social discussion about religious diversity, freedom from religion, and the hegemony of one church and the prevalence of Evangelic Lutheran Christianity in Finland.