Norwegian Atheists' Society

Ateistene, known in English as The Atheists and formerly as the Norwegian Heathen Society, is a Norwegian non-partisan organization representing an explicitly atheistic and anti-religious form of social activism. Founded in 1974, it developed in response to the continuing public and institutional influence of Christianity in Norway, particularly the position of the Church of Norway and the historical relationship between church and state. The organization describes itself as a humanist and anti-religious liberation movement rather than as a political party or a religious community. Its central principles combine freedom of religion with freedom from religion. Ateistene argues that individuals should be able to hold, change, or reject religious beliefs without discrimination, while also opposing religious doctrines and institutions when they are understood to restrict intellectual autonomy, divide people, or assign human worth according to a person’s relationship with a deity. The organization has therefore campaigned against religious privilege, confessional discrimination, and the influence of religious authorities over public life. Although its historical focus was especially directed at Christianity and the Church of Norway, its stated opposition extends to authoritarian religious movements more broadly, including forms of Christian and Muslim influence that it regards as incompatible with secular public institutions. Ateistene became known for deliberately provocative interventions in debates about blasphemy, religious speech, public broadcasting, and the visibility of religion. Before Norway replaced its former Penal Code in 2015, the organization repeatedly challenged the so-called blasphemy provision, which criminalized publicly insulting or contemptuously treating legally recognized religious beliefs or worship. In 1982, it produced the controversial cartoon Jesus Kristus & Co., an irreverent depiction of Jesus that generated public criticism and led to a complaint by the women's branch of the Christian Democratic Party. The charges were later dropped. The episode reinforced the society’s position that criticism and satire of religion should be protected forms of expression. The organization also used symbolic public action to argue for equal treatment among religious and non-religious viewpoints. After Oslo City Council permitted a mosque to broadcast the adhan, or Muslim call to prayer, Ateistene successfully demanded a corresponding opportunity to proclaim the statement “God does not exist” from rooftops. The action illustrated its broader argument that public religious expression should not receive exclusive treatment and that non-belief should be able to appear in public debate on comparable terms. In 2017, the society adopted the name Ateistene, translated as The Atheists, replacing the older Norwegian Heathen Society name. The change made its atheistic identity more direct and accessible while retaining its established role in Norwegian secular and anti-clerical activism. A historical account of the organization, Hedningsamfunnets historie by Even Gran, was published in 2020. The society’s continuing orientation is centered on atheism, freedom of conscience, criticism of religious authority, opposition to religion-based discrimination, and the separation of church and state. Its activities are primarily Norwegian in scope and are distinct from, though related to, the broader Norwegian Humanist Association.

Ateistene was established in Norway in 1974 under the name Norwegian Heathen Society, or Det norske Hedningsamfunn. Its formation reflected opposition to the strong historical position of Christianity in Norwegian public life and to the institutional influence of the Church of Norway. From the beginning, the society presented itself as a non-partisan organization rather than a conventional political party or a substitute religious community. It framed atheism as part of a broader human-centered liberation project, arguing that human beings should be the ends of social life and that human solidarity should be its means. The society’s program combined support for freedom of belief with opposition to religious power. It defended the right to confess a religion, but also emphasized the right to reject religion and to live without religious authority. It criticized doctrines that, in its view, diminished human value by ranking people according to their relationship with a deity, and it opposed religious norms when they were seen as limiting independent thought, emotion, or social equality. The Church of Norway became a particular target, although the organization’s criticism also addressed religious influence more generally. One of its recurring areas of activism was freedom of expression. Until Norway replaced the relevant Penal Code in 2015, the former blasphemy provision, section 142, allowed punishment for publicly insulting or contemptuously treating a legally recognized religious creed or religious worship. Ateistene challenged this provision on several occasions, treating it as an unacceptable restriction on criticism of religion. In 1982, the society’s production of the cartoon Jesus Kristus & Co. became a prominent example of its confrontational approach. The depiction of Jesus caused controversy and prompted a complaint from the women's branch of the Christian Democratic Party, but the charges were ultimately dropped. The organization also sought to challenge unequal treatment between religious and non-religious expression in public space. When Oslo City Council granted a mosque permission to broadcast the adhan, or call to prayer, Ateistene successfully demanded the right to make the statement “God does not exist” from rooftops. The action was intended to demonstrate that if religious messages could receive a public platform, an explicitly non-religious response should not be excluded. This episode exemplified the society’s use of symbolic public interventions to press arguments about equality, secularism, and freedom of expression. Ateistene has consistently supported the separation of church and state. Its wider agenda includes opposition to confession-based discrimination and resistance to the privileged role of religious institutions in public administration and civic identity. Its approach is more explicitly anti-religious and confrontational than that of some broader humanist organizations, although it shares with them an emphasis on human dignity, freedom of conscience, and secular public institutions. In 2017, the organization changed its name to Ateistene, meaning The Atheists. The new name made the movement’s central identity more immediately recognizable, while the earlier Norwegian Heathen Society name remained important to its historical identity. In 2020, Even Gran published Hedningsamfunnets historie, providing a dedicated historical account of the organization. Ateistene remains a Norway-focused non-religious movement whose activities center on atheistic advocacy, criticism of religious authority, opposition to religion-based discrimination, and church-state separation.

• 2020

  Organizational history is published

  [1]Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org

  Even Gran publishes Hedningsamfunnets historie, a book documenting the history of the movement.

• 2017

  Organization adopts the name Ateistene

  [1]Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org

  The Norwegian Heathen Society changes its name to Ateistene, translated as The Atheists.

• 2015

  Norway replaces the former Penal Code

  [1]Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org

  The replacement of Norway's Penal Code ends the legal framework containing the former blasphemy provision that Ateistene had challenged repeatedly.

• 1982

  Jesus Kristus & Co. controversy

  [1]Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org

  The society produces the provocative cartoon Jesus Kristus & Co. A complaint is filed by the women's branch of the Christian Democratic Party, but the charges are later dropped.

• 1974

  Norwegian Heathen Society is established

  [1]Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org

  The organization is founded as Det norske Hedningsamfunn, commonly known as the Norwegian Heathen Society or Hedningsamfunnet.

A non-partisan Norwegian atheist and anti-religious liberation organization positioned around freedom from religious authority, equal treatment of believers and non-believers, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state.

• Advocacy and educational services · 1974

  Ateistene advocacy and public education

  The organization’s principal offering is not a commercial product but public advocacy and educational communication concerning atheism, freedom of conscience, secularism, and criticism of religious authority. Its work addresses the place of religion in Norwegian public life and promotes the principle that non-belief should receive equal civic recognition.

• Satirical publication · 1982

  Jesus Kristus & Co.

  Jesus Kristus & Co. was a 1982 cartoon produced as part of the society’s confrontational criticism of Christianity and restrictions on speech about religion. Its depiction of Jesus generated public controversy and resulted in a complaint, although the related charges were subsequently dropped.

• Challenge to Norway's blasphemy provision

  Norway

  Ateistene repeatedly challenged the former section 142 of Norway's Penal Code, which criminalized publicly insulting or contemptuously treating legally recognized religious beliefs or worship. The campaign formed part of the society’s defense of unrestricted criticism of religion.

  Outcome. The provision remained in force until the Penal Code was replaced in 2015.

  Source
• Equal public platform for non-belief

  Oslo · Norway

  After Oslo City Council allowed a mosque to broadcast the adhan, Ateistene demanded a corresponding opportunity to proclaim “God does not exist” from rooftops. The action used public symbolism to challenge preferential treatment for religious speech.

  Outcome. The society successfully obtained the requested right to make the proclamation.

  Source

• 2017

  Adopt the Ateistene nameStrategy

  Background

  The organization had operated for decades under the historical name Norwegian Heathen Society.

  Action taken

  It changed its name to Ateistene, translated as The Atheists, to express its central identity more directly.

  Aftermath

  The organization continued its Norway-focused advocacy for atheism, freedom from religious authority, and church-state separation under the new name.

  Source

1. 1Ateisteneen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official website of Ateisteneateistene.no