Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.01.2012, Side 75

of Iceland, answered questionnaires where they were asked to respond to
altogether 77 different statements about their life views and values. Around
twenty of the statements were about religion and beliefs. The results are
discussed within a theoretical framework, consisting of concepts as life inter-
pretation, life questions, pluralism and crises of meaning, modern times as
liquid and uncertain, and theories on secularization and desecularization.
The findings indicate that although many of the participants are of the
opinion that every human being needs to belief in something and that it is
important to be convinced about one’s life view and to life in accordance
with it, many of them do not see the need to turn to religion in inter-
preting their lives and experiences. This also applies to those that claim
to be religious or belong to a religious community. However, religious/
non-religious affiliation seems to influence the views of the young people,
at least to a certain degree. A clear difference between genders appears in the
view towards religious factors and life values, where more young men than
women claim to be atheist or not involved in religious communities. Many
of the young people seem to look at religious affiliation as a private matter
but at the same time they are positive towards religious diversity. They are
of the opinion that it is important to take different cultural and religious
traditions into account and that different religions have the opportunity to
flourish in the society.
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Bauman, Z„ 2007: Liquid times. Living in an age of uncertainty. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Beck, U„ 1992: Risk society. Toivards a new modernity. London: Sage.
Beck, U. og Beck-Gernsheim, E„ 2001: Individualization. London: Sage.
Berger, Peter, 1969: The Social Reality of Religion. London: Faber.
Berger, Peter, 1999: Desecularization ofthe World. Resurgent Religion and World Politics.
Washington: Eerdmans Publishing.
Berger, Peter og Luckmann, Thomas, 1995: Modernity, Pluralism and the Crisis of Meaning.
Giitersloh: Bertelsmann Foundadons Publishers.
Birkedal, Erling, 2001: “Noen ganger tror jegpd Gud, men..."?En undersokelse avgudstro og
erfaring med religiospraksis i tidlig ungdomsalder. (KIFO Perspektiv nr. 8). Trondheim:
Tapir.
Brunstad, Paul O., 1998: Ungdom och livstolkning. En studie av unge menneskers tro og
fremtidsforventninger. KIFO Perspektiv nr. 3. Trondheim: Tapir.
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