Elsa Lang Lively

For the third consecutive year, Norway was announced to be the happiest country in the world, according to Forbes’s “The World’s Happiest (and Saddest) Countries” list.  This list is based off of The 2011 Legatum Prosperity Index, which determines the happiest countries according to eight factors they claim contribute to a country’s overall happiness: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom, and social capital.  With all these ingredients for a happy and prosperous nation taken into account, the top five countries were listed to be Norway, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.  The common factor among the recurring top countries over the past few years was the fact they were Scandinavian countries.  What makes these Nordic countries so happy, and is their happiness truly greater than other countries around the world?

Truth be told, I was not entirely shocked when I first saw Norway was ranked number one on Forbes’s list.  The reason for this is because I have grown up in a family with strong ancestral ties to “the old country,” which refers to not one but two countries, Sweden and Norway.  Some of my earliest childhood memories have been centered around Scandinavian smorgasbords, traditional Swedish Christmas carols, and immigration stories from my grandfather, who has managed to trace our ancestry back to the 1500s.  Not only this, but my grandparents are genuinely happy people.  I do not think I have ever seen either one of them become angry or distraught during any of our multiple visits to Wisconsin.  All this taken into account, my perception of Scandinavia and Scandinavian people has largely been shaped by my grandparents, including their traditions and stories.

Therefore, when I first saw Norway was ranked the happiest country in the world, my initial reaction was mere amusement. After all, what other country can eat the smelliest fish and cheese in the world and still sing and polka dance about it?  After researching the matter on the 2011 Legatum Prosperity Index, I discovered several things.  Firstly, Norway has the highest social capital in the world.  This basically means Norwegians have high levels of trust and societal interaction among other Norwegian citizens.  According to this Index, 74 percent of Norwegians say other Norwegians can be trusted, which is the highest rate of national trust in the world.  Not only this, but 43 percent of Norwegians had donated money to charities within the month prior to the survey, and 38 percent had participated in volunteer work.  Some other statistics revealed Norway to have the second-highest ranking safety and security, the third highest for personal freedom and economy, fourth for health and education, eighth for entrepreneurship and opportunity, and twelfth for governance.  All these statistics combined have given Norway bragging rights for being the happiest country in the world.

Despite all these facts and survey results, the question must be asked: What determines the overall happiness of a country?  If you were to ask an American who delights in hunting on the weekends, he or she would probably say happiness is determined in his or her opinion by the right to own and use guns.  If you were to ask a small, self-sustaining village in central Africa that faces problems such as famine and sickness, the members of this community would probably answer happiness is derived from a satisfying dinner and their family’s health.  Therefore, happiness is dependent upon the values an individual or a community holds in priority.

Since this is the case, it could also be argued the religion a country or community holds to be true overall can influence its happiness.  For instance, women living in countries where women are believed to be inferior to men might say they are not happy because of their community’s societal expectations on women.  Perhaps one Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia may feel oppressed and therefore discontent because she must wear a burqua every day, while another Muslim woman may feel happy because she is bringing honor to Allah through her submission and modesty.  So in this case, happiness depends upon an individual’s outlook on life in accordance with society’s perceptions of what is correct and good.  Either way, Saudi Arabia did not make the happiest countries in the world list at all.

From a Christian perspective, on the other hand, happiness comes as a result of pursuing a personal relationship with God.  Psalm 144:15 says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (NKJV).  Depending on the translation of this verse, “happy” is used interchangeably with “blessed.”  The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 say,

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Those considered blessed in this passage are those who display Christ-likeness through their actions and glorify Him through their faith in Him.  From this perspective, then, can a country truly be considered happy if it is an overwhelmingly godless country?  This is where determining true happiness becomes dependent upon its definition.  The world, as well as the Legatum Prosperity Index, seems to define happiness by economic factors and societal structure, while the Biblical perspective of happiness depends upon a relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior.

As previously mentioned, my family’s Scandinavian heritage runs thick in our veins.  Therefore, as a result, Norway was a guaranteed stop during our Lang European Tour of 2009 after my dad retired from the Air Force.  We spent time visiting my dad’s extended family outside of Oslo for the better part of a day, after soaking up the Nordic beauty of the valleys and fjords.  What I remember most about this visit was our cousins talked about God as if He had no effect on the humanity of this generation.  To them, Christianity and reliance on God is a thing of the past, with faith no longer needed because humans can support themselves and determine what is best for the rest of humanity.  As disheartening as it was to hear their views on religion and faith, the reality is the majority of Norwegians share the same set of beliefs.  In fact, Norway has the sixth-lowest religious attendance in the world, with only thirteen percent of Norwegians attending a religious service of some kind.  In May of 2012, the Norwegian parliament voted unanimously to abolish the national church, formerly known as the Lutheran Church of Norway.

Another thing I remember vividly from our stay in Norway was when we had decided to visit a stave church in one of the valleys in southern Norway.  Stave churches date back as early as the twelfth century and were once prominent places of protestant worship across Scandinavia.  Due to fires and building collapse, however, hundreds of these stave churches cease to exist today.  The majority of those still standing can be found primarily in Norway.  In this particular stave church we visited, a young Norwegian woman had been assigned to our family as a tour guide, and she proceeded to tell us the history of the church throughout the years.

I will never forget going up into the attic of the church, where there were statues of pagan Norse gods carved into the supporting beams of the church’s structure.  Our tour guide explained the Christians who had originally built the church carved likenesses of gods such as Thor, Loki, and Odin into the woodwork as tribute to their pagan past, just in case Christianity turned out not to be true.  They did not have complete faith in God and wanted a back-up plan of paying tribute to the old pagan gods if God ended up not existing after all.  I found this to be incredibly appalling and unnerving.  After all, it appeared as if idol worship would have been a part of each church service held in that stave church because of the church’s foundation that was lacking in faith.

In response to my views on the church’s lack of faith I shared with the tour guide, she said this type of a back-up plan is still very much a part of Norway’s religious cultural mindset today.  She said many Norwegians identify themselves as being members of a Lutheran church, but few of them actually attend church or lead lifestyles that reflect the Christian faith.  She included herself in this broad statement as well.  In her opinion, religion is a nice way of paying tribute to her nation’s history, but she did not see the need to actually have a personal relationship with Christ or see the need to demonstrate Christian values through her lifestyle.

So what does this say about Norway’s overall happiness in relation to a Biblical perspective?  Psalm 144:15 intimates it is not possible to experience authentic happiness apart from a personal relationship with God.  This demonstrates how happiness defined by the world does not match our view of happiness according to the Bible.  Therefore, keep this in mind next time you see the latest Forbes issue containing a “Happiest Countries in the World” article displayed on the magazine stand at your local grocery store.  Do not develop an attitude of discontent because the world tells you another country contains the secret to happiness.  Instead, be aware of a need for Christ to attain true happiness.

Works Cited

“The 2011 Legatum Prosperity Index.” http://www.prosperity.com.

“Norway Abolishes National Church.” http://www.patheos.com.

“The World’s Happiest (And Saddest) Countries.” http://www.forbes.com.