Religion

The Church holds much responsibility for the spread of learning and elementary education.  The establishment of an organized church sparked a demand for education and academic training.  The Reformation encouraged the knowledge of Finnish, and a Finnish translation of the New Testament appeared in 1548, with a translation of the entire Bible in 1642.  This body of religious literature, in Finnish, also helped the spread of the Finnish language and literacy through the Church.  Those who could not read could not take communion, and those who could not read their catechism could not marry.

Secondary school owes its roots to the Lutheran Church.  Cathedral schools, church schools, and monasteries educated the Finns until state schools emerged in the 1870s.  

Most Finns, close to 90%, belong to the Lutheran Church, and approximately 1% belongs to the Finnish Orthodox Church.  

An Ecclesiastical Act by the Parliament governs the church, and many church members pay an optional church tax to fund the church.  Schools teach religious education, mainly within the Lutheran Church, but those with Orthodox affiliations will learn about their Orthodox faith.