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What Role Does Faith Play in Estonian Society?

When we hear the word “faith,” we tend to think of religion first, but this word also has non-religious meanings. The Estonian people have always had strong faith in freedom and national identity. This faith has carried us through the darkest of times—including Danish, German, Swedish, Russian, and Soviet occupations–and has kept us united as a nation.

Laulupidu, the Estonian Song Festival where thousands of Estonians come together to sing (source: "metsavend", image used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license)
Laulupidu, the Estonian Song Festival where thousands of Estonians come together to sing (source: "metsavend", image used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license)

We have an incredible amount of faith in our ability, as a collective, to keep our country safe and free and to keep up with or even surpass many other countries. As individuals, we also believe in our own ability to succeed in life. We are very resilient and not afraid of hard work.

Religious faith, however, plays a very small role in Estonian society. I grew up in the 1990s, in the aftermath of the Soviet occupation, where all religious practice was heavily restricted. I didn’t learn or hear much about religion in my family or at school. When I was around five years old, I became best friends with a girl whose family was highly religious, and it made me curious to know what it was all about. So, I joined my friend at Sunday school once or twice just to see for myself. But for some reason, it wasn’t for me.

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