Secular coming of age ceremony
Encyclopedia
Secular coming of age ceremonies, sometimes called civil confirmations, are ceremonies arranged by organizations that are secular, i.e. not aligned to any religion
. Their purpose is to prepare adolescents for their life as adult
s. Secular coming of age ceremonies originated in the 19th century, when non-religious people wanted a rite of passage
comparable to the Christian
Confirmation. Nowadays non-religious coming of age ceremonies are organized in several European countries.
, where Jugendweihe
("youth consecration", today occasionally known as Jugendfeier, "youth ceremony") began in the 19th century. The activity was arranged by independent freethinker
organizations until 1954, when the Communist party of East Germany banned it in its old form and changed it to promote Communist ideology. In the GDR Jugendweihe became, with the support of the state, the most popular form of coming of age ceremonies for the adolescents, replacing the Christian Confirmation. After the reunification of Germany the Jugendweihe-activity regained its independence from Communism, but the non-religious rite of passage had become a tradition
, and thus approximately 60-70 % of youngsters in the eastern states still participate in it. The age for participating in the Jugendweihe is 13–14 years.
Before the ceremony the youngsters attend specially arranged events or a course, in which they work on topics like history
and multiculturalism
, culture
and creativity
, civil rights
and duties, nature
and technology
, professions and getting a job, as well as lifestyles and human relations. Nowadays there are many different groups organising Jugendweihes, but the most important ones are Jugendweihe Deutschland e. V., der Humanistische Verband Deutschland ("the Humanist Association of Germany"), der Freidenkerverband ("the Freethinker Association") and die Arbeiterwohlfahrt ("the Worker Welfare").
(The Norwegian Humanist Association) has arranged non-religious confirmation courses in Norway
since 1951. During the last ten years there has been rapid growth in the popularity of the course. In 2006 over 10500 youngsters, approximately 17 % of the age group, chose the humanistisk konfirmasjon or borgerlig konfirmasjon (civil confirmation). The course can be taken in the year of one's 15th birthday. Norwegians living abroad can take the course as correspondence course by e-mail.
non-religious lower high school students planned a camp for a secular rite of passage as an alternative to the Christian Confirmation, and the first Prometheus-leiri (Prometheus Camp) was held in 1989 by the Finnish Philosophy and Life Stance teachers' coalition. The following year Prometheus-leirin tuki ry (Prometheus Camp Association) was founded for organising the week-long summer camps. The ideology of the association is based on a Humanist
world view
, but it is politically and religiously non-aligned. One of the main principles of the activity is tolerance towards other peoples' life stance
s.
The camp is primarily aimed at youngsters who do not belong to any religious denomination, but approximately 20 % of yearly Prometheus Camp participants are members of some religious community, usually the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
, and also participate in a Christian Confirmation. The usual age of participants in a Prometheus Camp is 14–15 years, but there are also "senior camps" for older youngsters. In recent years the yearly number of participants has been around 900, which is approximately 1,5 % of the age group.
The themes in the Prometheus Camp are: differences, prejudice
and discrimination
; drugs
, alcohol
and addiction
; society
and making a difference in it; the future
; world views, ideologies and religions; personal relationships and sexuality
; and the environment
. These topics are worked on in open discussions, debating, group work, small drama plays or playing games. Every camp is organised and led by a team of seven members: two adults and five youngsters. At the end of the camp there is a Prometheus Ceremony, in which the participants perform a chronicle about their week for their friends and family. They also get a Prometheus-diploma, a silver coloured Prometheus-medallion and a crown of leaves that is bound by the camp leaders. Weekend-long continuation camps are arranged in the autumn. Annually one Prometheus-camp has been arranged in English
, two in Swedish
and approximately 65 in Finnish
.
borgaraleg ferming (civil confirmations) are organised by Siðmennt
, a Humanist association, as an alternative to the Christian Confirmation for the 13 year old. Before the civil confirmation the youngsters take a preparation course about ethics
, personal relationships, human rights, equality, critical thinking
, relations between the sexes, prevention of substance abuse
, skepticism
, protecting the environment, getting along with parents, being a teenager in a consumer society, and what it means to be an adult and take responsibility for one's views and behavior. The course consists of 12 weekly group meetings, each lasting 1,5 hours. Youngsters living outside Reykjavík
can take the course as a concentrated version during two weekends. The teachers of the course are usually philosophers. In the end of the course there is a formal graduation ceremony in which the participants receive diplomas, and some of them perform music
, poetry
and speech
es. There are also prominent members of Icelandic society giving speeches. Since 2000 approximately 90 youngsters have taken the course every year.
in the 1990s in the form of study circle
s, but they were soon replaced by a week-long camp where the subjects are dealt with through discussions, games, group works and other activities. During the last years there has been approximately 100 participants annually in the Humanistisk konfirmation (Humanist confirmation) camps. The themes in the camp concern one's life stance, for example human rights
, equality
, racism
, gender role
s, love
, sexuality and lifestyles, but the topics under discussion depend on the participating youngsters' own choices. In the end of the camp there is a festive ceremony in which the participants demonstrate to their families and relatives what they did during the week, through e.g. plays and songs. There are also speeches held by the organisators of the camp, the youngsters themselves, and invited speakers.
was arranged in Copenhagen
, Denmark
in 1915 by "Association Against Church Confirmation". A few years later the organisation changed its name to "The Association for Civil Confirmation".
Civil confirmation became very common during the 1970s and are still common today in atheist families. They are also known as 'nonfirmations', but are rarely linked to any associations.
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. Their purpose is to prepare adolescents for their life as adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
s. Secular coming of age ceremonies originated in the 19th century, when non-religious people wanted a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
comparable to the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Confirmation. Nowadays non-religious coming of age ceremonies are organized in several European countries.
Germany
Modern non-religious coming of age ceremonies originate in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where Jugendweihe
Jugendweihe
Jugendweihe is a secular coming of age ceremony practiced by German 14 year olds. It originated among the secular societies in the 19th century as an alternative to Confirmation by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches...
("youth consecration", today occasionally known as Jugendfeier, "youth ceremony") began in the 19th century. The activity was arranged by independent freethinker
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
organizations until 1954, when the Communist party of East Germany banned it in its old form and changed it to promote Communist ideology. In the GDR Jugendweihe became, with the support of the state, the most popular form of coming of age ceremonies for the adolescents, replacing the Christian Confirmation. After the reunification of Germany the Jugendweihe-activity regained its independence from Communism, but the non-religious rite of passage had become a tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
, and thus approximately 60-70 % of youngsters in the eastern states still participate in it. The age for participating in the Jugendweihe is 13–14 years.
Before the ceremony the youngsters attend specially arranged events or a course, in which they work on topics like history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
, civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and duties, nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, professions and getting a job, as well as lifestyles and human relations. Nowadays there are many different groups organising Jugendweihes, but the most important ones are Jugendweihe Deutschland e. V., der Humanistische Verband Deutschland ("the Humanist Association of Germany"), der Freidenkerverband ("the Freethinker Association") and die Arbeiterwohlfahrt ("the Worker Welfare").
Norway
Human-Etisk ForbundHuman-Etisk Forbund
The Norwegian Humanist Association is currently one of the largest Humanist associations in the world, with 82,890 members. In relation to the size of the national population , it is by far the largest such association per capita.Founded in 1956, the HEF is a member of the International Humanist...
(The Norwegian Humanist Association) has arranged non-religious confirmation courses in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
since 1951. During the last ten years there has been rapid growth in the popularity of the course. In 2006 over 10500 youngsters, approximately 17 % of the age group, chose the humanistisk konfirmasjon or borgerlig konfirmasjon (civil confirmation). The course can be taken in the year of one's 15th birthday. Norwegians living abroad can take the course as correspondence course by e-mail.
Prometheus Camp
In FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
non-religious lower high school students planned a camp for a secular rite of passage as an alternative to the Christian Confirmation, and the first Prometheus-leiri (Prometheus Camp) was held in 1989 by the Finnish Philosophy and Life Stance teachers' coalition. The following year Prometheus-leirin tuki ry (Prometheus Camp Association) was founded for organising the week-long summer camps. The ideology of the association is based on a Humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
world view
World view
A comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society's knowledge and point-of-view, including natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and...
, but it is politically and religiously non-aligned. One of the main principles of the activity is tolerance towards other peoples' life stance
Life stance
A person's life stance, or lifestance, is their relation with what they accept as being of ultimate importance, the presuppositions and theory of this, and the commitments and practice of working it out in living....
s.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
, and also participate in a Christian Confirmation. The usual age of participants in a Prometheus Camp is 14–15 years, but there are also "senior camps" for older youngsters. In recent years the yearly number of participants has been around 900, which is approximately 1,5 % of the age group.
The themes in the Prometheus Camp are: differences, prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
; drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
; society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
and making a difference in it; the future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
; world views, ideologies and religions; personal relationships and sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
; and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. These topics are worked on in open discussions, debating, group work, small drama plays or playing games. Every camp is organised and led by a team of seven members: two adults and five youngsters. At the end of the camp there is a Prometheus Ceremony, in which the participants perform a chronicle about their week for their friends and family. They also get a Prometheus-diploma, a silver coloured Prometheus-medallion and a crown of leaves that is bound by the camp leaders. Weekend-long continuation camps are arranged in the autumn. Annually one Prometheus-camp has been arranged in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, two in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
and approximately 65 in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
Iceland
In IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
borgaraleg ferming (civil confirmations) are organised by Siðmennt
Sidmennt
Siðmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association is closely tied with the Norwegian Human-Etisk Forbund and is a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union ....
, a Humanist association, as an alternative to the Christian Confirmation for the 13 year old. Before the civil confirmation the youngsters take a preparation course about ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, personal relationships, human rights, equality, critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
, relations between the sexes, prevention of substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, skepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
, protecting the environment, getting along with parents, being a teenager in a consumer society, and what it means to be an adult and take responsibility for one's views and behavior. The course consists of 12 weekly group meetings, each lasting 1,5 hours. Youngsters living outside Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
can take the course as a concentrated version during two weekends. The teachers of the course are usually philosophers. In the end of the course there is a formal graduation ceremony in which the participants receive diplomas, and some of them perform music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
es. There are also prominent members of Icelandic society giving speeches. Since 2000 approximately 90 youngsters have taken the course every year.
Sweden
The association Humanisterna (The Humanists) started secular coming-of-age courses in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the 1990s in the form of study circle
Study circle
A study circle is a small group of people who meet multiple times to discuss an issue. Study circles may be formed to discuss anything from politics to religion to hobbies...
s, but they were soon replaced by a week-long camp where the subjects are dealt with through discussions, games, group works and other activities. During the last years there has been approximately 100 participants annually in the Humanistisk konfirmation (Humanist confirmation) camps. The themes in the camp concern one's life stance, for example human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
s, love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, sexuality and lifestyles, but the topics under discussion depend on the participating youngsters' own choices. In the end of the camp there is a festive ceremony in which the participants demonstrate to their families and relatives what they did during the week, through e.g. plays and songs. There are also speeches held by the organisators of the camp, the youngsters themselves, and invited speakers.
Denmark
The first civil confirmation in the Nordic countriesNordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
was arranged in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1915 by "Association Against Church Confirmation". A few years later the organisation changed its name to "The Association for Civil Confirmation".
Civil confirmation became very common during the 1970s and are still common today in atheist families. They are also known as 'nonfirmations', but are rarely linked to any associations.