Human-Etisk Forbund
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| Abbreviation | HEF(Human-Etisk Forbund) |
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| Formation | April 9, 1956 |
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Membership
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84,300 (2013) |
| Website | human |
The Norwegian Humanist Association (Norwegian: Human-Etisk Forbund, HEF) is one of the largest secular humanist associations in the world, with 84,300 members. Those members constitute 1.7% of the national population of 5,038,100, making the HEF by far the largest such association in the world in proportion to population.
Founded in 1956, the HEF is a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). The Norwegian Humanist Association is an organization for people who base their ethics on human, not religious values. Most members are agnostics or atheists. HEF supports the following statement of the IHEU:
Former HEF secretary general, Levi Fragell, was president of the IHEU (1988–2003) and is Chair of IHEU’s Committee for Growth and Development. In June, 2007 Åse Kleveland became chairman of the Board of the organization.
According to its bylaws, the organization works to ensure access to humanist ceremonies and spreading knowledge of humanism. The organization previously also worked for a separation of church and state (the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway was the state church of Norway until 2012). A civil confirmation organized by HEF has gained popularity among the Norwegian young during recent years. About 17 percent of Norwegian 15-year-olds are now taking part in HEF's civil confirmation.
On July 9, 2006 a prominent member of the Norwegian Humanist Association, Mr. Jens Brun-Pedersen, called for prime minister Jens Stoltenberg to advocate the separation of church and state. He argued that the second article of the constitution of Norway which defines the "Evangelical-Lutheran Religion" as "the official religion of the State" and the 12th article of the constitution which requires half of the ministers of the cabinet to be members of the state church is discriminatory, and that Norway can't criticise countries advocating sharia law when the constitution favours Lutheran members of society.
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