Sunday with Saint Olav and the Stave church

This last Sunday we went to church.  This particular church exemplifies all the best church has to offer:  comfortable pews, power point projectors instead of hymnals, and lots of touching and laying of hands.  Ok, I repent, that is my idea of hell.  This church was the antithesis of modern with a woodsy tar smell, quiet, stark and very very old.  We went to a museum containing one of the few remaining "Stav(e) churches" left in Norway.  This 1000+ year old medieval wooden post and beam church is only steps from our house at the Folk Museum and is named after the enormous wooden posts at the corners or "Stav" that hold up the entire structure.  Amazing to be sheltered by 1000 years old wood specially grown slowly to be strong and resist rot.   

The Stav church represents the taming of the wild Vikings and their conversion to Christianity.  Who is credited with gently and lovingly, more like brutally and aggressively converting the heathens?  The great Saint Olav.  Having grown up in Minnesooooota near the great college of Saint Olaf, I'm ashamed to admit that I never learned anything about this particular historic figure.  Take a look at the picture on the left. Jesus?  Close,  that is Saint Olaf.  He spent his life trying to convert the Vikings with the mighty sword (not the bible but an actual sword, upper left panel), but wasn't successful until he was stabbed in battle and died (lower right panel). You see, his finger nails grew and apparently he did not decay after dying (upper right panel). 

I know you're probably thinking what I am....too much pickled herring.  Yes, that could embalm anyone for at least three days.   But, the folksy people of Norway didn't put two and two together and they  converted to Christianity.  Here is a photo of my children looking captivated enough to convert in the Stav Church on a rainy day.

Apparently, St. Olav did such a good job of converting the masses that the state still requires religion class in school.  To the teachers credit, however, it is more like a mixture of world religions/sociology with therapy 101 (write down and discuss feelings words).  Where can I sign up?

Conversion by order of King Sverre