A Norwegian bishop addressing the recent bombing and shooting attacks in his country said Norway has “countered this insane terrorism by demonstrating love and solidarity.”
“We have brought out a social capital we maybe even did not know was there. We must rebuild our trust in human beings as fellow human beings,” said Church of Norway Bishop Tor Singsaas of Nidaros at the opening of the annual St. Olav Festival in Trondheim on July 28.
In the days since the attacks, Norwegian priests and church workers have joined in caring for the survivors and the victims’ families, with churches opened for people seeking comfort and community. Oslo’s Lutheran Cathedral, situated a few blocks from the damaged government buildings, has become a center for mourners to light candles. Outside the cathedral, flowers cover large areas and also the street.
For years, many religious and political conservatives in the U.S. have sought to connect Islam to violence carried out by Muslims, and argued that Muslims often fail to denounce terrorism committed by Islamic extremists.
But in the wake of the horrific attacks in Norway by a right-wing extremist who identified himself as a Christian warrior against Islam, many of those American conservatives are finding themselves on the defensive, especially after some of them prematurely portrayed the terror attacks as the works of Muslims.
Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God, noted close parallels between the 32-year-old …