Why thousands of Icelanders are joining an ancient Sumerian religion

An ancient Sumerian religion, Zuism, is currently undergoing an awakening in Iceland, far away from where it first flourished in southern Mesopotamia.

The religion's new adherents seem more motivated by the tax code than by any sacred text, as they sign up in droves to protest against paying part of their taxes to the state church and other religious organizations.

The Icelandic people registering themselves as Zuists are part of a larger trend happening in the country now, as people show a new willingness to stand up in opposition to traditional institutions.Many trace this new attitude to Iceland's financial crisis of 2008. It was one of the hardest hurt economies anywhere in the world. All three major banks defaulted, the government brought in severe austerity measures, and as the economy went into depression, so did many Icelandic people. Now, as the rest of the world lauds Iceland for its financial recovery, many Icelanders say that they're no longer the same people they were before the crisis.

• Snæbjörn Guðmundsson is a board member of Zuism Iceland. 
• Guðmundur Steingrímsson is a current Icelandic MP and founding member of the Bright Future Party
• Kristín Loftsdóttir is a professor of anthropology at the University of Iceland

This segment was produced by the Current's Catherine Kalbfleisch.