Plan to Ditch God From National Anthem

Country: Switzerland

Date of incident: August 13, 2013


Switzerland is holding a competition to rewrite its national anthem in 2014 because it currently focuses on God. Over £7,000 is being offered as a prize for rewriting the song, which is called the Swiss Psalm. Competitors are asked to include values from the Swiss constitution such as democracy and solidarity.

The man in charge of the competition claims Swiss society is “religiously neutral”, but in a 2010 census two thirds identified themselves as belonging to a church and 20 per cent said they had no religion. One verse of the current anthem, which dates back to the 1800s and was officially adopted in 1981, reads: "When the morning skies grow red / And o’er their radiance shed / Thou, O Lord, appeareth in their light." ... "When the Alps glow bright with splendour, Pray to God, to Him surrender" ...."For you feel and understand, For you feel and understand / That he dwelleth in this land. That he dwelleth in this land."

The winner will be decided by a 25-member judging panel which includes people from the literature, sport and yodelling communities.

The competition will begin in January next year and run for six months. The prize – of 10,000 Swiss Francs – will be awarded in 2015. Source: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/swiss-asked-to-ditch-god-from-national-anthem/?e090813