Abstract
The author examines the decline of religion thesis and the privatization thesis by studying the role of religion in two state institutions in Norway, namely prisons and the military. Focus is directed towards the field of relations between the Church of Norway's military and prison service chaplaincies and representatives of other faiths, especially Islam. Data consist of interviews with prison chaplains and representatives from the Chaplaincy Norwegian Army, imams, as well as public policy documents. This study shows that there are no signs of a decrease in the Church's formal functions within the military or the prisons. In addition, military and prison chaplains act as intermediaries between the state, official representatives of the Muslim faith communities, and Muslim prison inmates, conscripts, and military personnel, and they negotiate between these parties. This study concludes that the role of the Church of Norway in military and prison chaplaincies is a clear illustration of the continuing intertwining of religion and state in Norway.