the goddess of death Jabemeahkka. Like many pagan religions, the Sámi traditionally see life as a circular process of life, death and rebirth. The shaman is called a Noaidi and the traditions are passed on between families with an ageing Noaidi training a relative to take his or her place after he or she dies. Training goes on as long as the Noaidi lives but the pupil had to prove his or her skills before a group of Noaidi before being eligible to become a fully-fledged shaman at the death of his or her mentor. The Norwegian church undertook a campaign to Christianise the Sámi in the 16th and 17th century with most of the sources being missionaries. While the vast majority of the Sámi in Norway have been Christianised, some of them still follow their traditional faith and some Noaidi are still practising their ancient religion. Sami people are often more religious than Norwegians. State policy An act approved in 2016 created the Church of Norway as an independent legal entity, effective from 1 January 2017. The Church of Norway was previously the country's public religion, and its central administrative functions were carried out by the Royal Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs until 2017. The Evangelical Lutheran Church is still mentioned in the constitution. The state also supports religious aid organisations such as Norwegian Church Aid financially. Clergy train in the theological faculties of the University of Oslo and the University of Tromsø, as well as VID Specialized University, formerly Misjonshøgskolen (School of Mission and Theology) in Stavanger and Menighetsfakultetet (MF Norwegian School of Theology) in Oslo. Menighetsfakultetet is by far the most important educational institution for the Norwegian clergy. Men and women can both become members of the clergy of the church. The church has two sacraments namely Baptism and Holy Communion. Religious education In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of Norwegian parents who had sued the Norwegian state. The case was about a subject in compulsory school, kristendomskunnskap med religions- og livssynsorientering (Teachings of Christianity with orientation about religion and philosophy), KRL. The applicants complained that the refusal to grant full exemption from KRL prevented them from ensuring that their children received an education in conformity with their atheist views and philosophical convictions. A few years earlier, in 2004, the UN Committee on Human Rights in Geneva had given