In America, where there is separation of church and state, the government neither taxes nor funds religious organizations (beyond occasional grants for certain social services and a few other exceptions). But in much of Europe, tax revenues are used to support churches—a set of affairs that leaves many secular people feeling put out.

In at least one place, people have come up with a clever strategy for subverting the tax laws: Earlier this month, the BBC and The Guardian reported on a peculiar new religion gaining momentum with some residents in Iceland—Zuism. Followers purport to be worshipping ancient Sumerian gods, but the group’s raison d'être seems to have more to do with political and tax reform, with a long-term ambition to create a separation between religion and government.

The group is mostly atheists and agnostics, and currently has more than 3,000 members. They take issue with Iceland’s religion registry and tax laws, which use tax revenue from everyone to fund religious organizations. Zuists argue that those unaffiliated with one of the qualifying religions are getting less for their money than those with affiliations. “It has turned into a protest and movement in Iceland,” said Snæbjörn Guðmundsson, an Icelandic geologist and a board member of the Zuist organization. “The Zuism organization is more about the legislation, and changing the environment from state-funded religion.”