【单选题】

For more than four centuries, to be Swedish was to be Lutheran (路德教派的).Every newborn there was automatically registered as a member of theChurch of Sweden, the official Lutheran denomination. The marriage between church and state was so strong that it took an act of Parliament to change the prayer book, and bishops were chosen by members of theCabinet.

But Sweden, like the rest of WesternEurope, has been transformed by a wave of immigration. The Stockholm phone book is still full of Larsons andEricssons, but there are also listings now for folks named al-Ghusan, Ng, and Singh. Many of these newcomers have brought along their own religion. To the Swedes, with their unbending commitment to egalitarianism, it no longer seemed fair to give official favour to one faith over the others.
The Swedish government made a huge leap of faith last New Year’sDay, which was to disestablish theChurch of Sweden and to pull the plug on public subsidies and government control over a faith that maintains a church in virtually every city and hamlet throughout this peninsulA、
A、year later, the church leaders say that the separation they feared has been a blessing. "I think we all see a stronger sense of commitment now," says PastorDavid Olson. "People realize it’s up to them to maintain our churches, no the government. "
That is not to say many people show up in their churches on Sunday mornings. "It is a secular society," shrugged Mr. Olson, who routinely preaches before three dozen people in an imposing old church that seats 900. "People don’t go to mass. They don’t even know how to go. They call me up and say, ’Do I need to reserve a seat for Sunday morning ’ "
Still the church has traditionally played a key role in Swedish life. "People go at the special times—Christmas,Easter, and baptisms, weddings, funerals," notes the ReverendChristinaBerglunD、"TheChurch of Sweden is rooted in people’s consciousness. They feel an attachment to the church building itself in their home town. "
One of the major concerns about the disestablishment was how to maintain the churches now that tax revenue will no longer pay for their upkeep. To solve this problem, the government has agreed to continue collecting the annual payment that always went toChurch of Sweden.But now the "church tax" will be voluntary, an optional check-off box on the tax return form.And the government will allocate the money to RomanCatholic, Muslim, Jewish, and other faiths as well as the Lutherans.
The telephone book of Stockhohn shows that ______.A．the Swedish society is becoming more multi-cultural
B．Sweden’s population has been outnumbered by immigration
C．newcomers came with their own religious beliefs
D．foreigners benefit from Sweden’s commitment to equality