A religion based on beliefs (Zuism) from thousands of years ago is allowing some Icelandic citizens to avoid mandatory religious taxes.
The Biblical apostle Paul, in a letter to the Romans, wrote that people should “give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes.”
Nowadays, though, thousands of Iceland’s citizens are scrapping the Bible and attempting to sidestep a government-mandated religious tax. Instead, they’re embracing a strain of an ancient religion complete with multiple gods, poetry readings and tax refunds.
Roughly 3,000 Icelanders have reportedly converted to Zuism, a religion that was officially recognized by Iceland’s government back in 2013. While that low number would hardly fill the Laugardalsvöller – which is, as surely everyone knows, the national stadium of Iceland, located in Reykjavik – a few thousand supporters isn’t inconsequential for a country with a population of only about 330,000. Roughly 1 percent of Icelanders are believed to identify as Zuist.