Norway gets all secular, cuts ties with state-run church

Norway is now a secular nation. The country's parliament has passed a constitutional amendment severing all ties with the Church of Norway, which, by tradition, every baptized citizen becomes part of when he or she is baptized. The unprecedented action means the government will no longer be involved in appointing deans and bishops. Nearly 80 percent of Norwegians are registered members of the church -- its roots extend back to the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century -- but only 2 percent (2 percent!) go to church regularly. Maybe parliament made the right call after all: 72 percent of Norwegians don't even "believe in a personal God."