Knowing, Being, Doing – Perhaps Not So New: A Comment on Illman and Czimbalmos, Temenos 56 (2)

A comment on the article ‘Knowing, Being, and Doing Religion: Introducing an Analytical Model for Researching Vernacular Religion’ by Ruth Illman and Mercédesz Czimbalmos, published in Temenos vol. 56 no. 2 (2020), 171–99

Forest burials in Denmark: Nature, non-religion and spirituality

Burial in the forest is a recent, non-confessional alternative to the established cemeteries owned and run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. Danish forest burials fulfil common criteria for non-religion and they are an example of institutionalized non-religion. Their non-confessional character is emphasized in the information material directed towards potential buyers of forest burial plots. Forest burials appeal to both non-members and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church; in fact, nearly two-thirds of those who had a forest burial by the end of 2021 were members of the church. I have participated in seven tours conducted at different forest burial sites, and I have interviewed nearly fifty participants about their motives for considering buying a forest burial plot. In my analyses, I structure the interviews along the three dimensions, knowing, doing, and being. I found that the motives for people to choose a forest burial reflected both non-religious and religious/spiritual considerations. Forest burials exemplify a religious complexity where nature, non-religion, religion, and spirituality intersect. In this complexity, I see the institution of forest burial as a non-religious vessel, which the buyers fill with their individual thoughts and acts

Anna-Lise Bjerager: Det gælder dit liv. Bent Lexner om jødedom og eksistens

Anmeldelse af:Anna-Lise Bjerager: Det gælder dit liv. Bent Lexner om jødedom og eksistens. Kristeligt Dagblads Forlag, 2015

Juletræet i Kokkedal. En sag om religion, nation og politik

The Christmas tree a air in Kokkedal began in November 2012, when the Muslim majority in the board of a housing association decided to abandon the tradition of having a Christmas tree on the premises. e decision caused an unusual stir in the press and divided politicians and the public on issues of Danish culture, integra- tion and religion. Many of the public voices disagreed about whether the a air had to do with religion or with a Danish national tradition. is disagreement is explained by the concept of civil religion, which sociologists of religion have introduced for analysing cases when the nation is claimed to stand under a particular divine providence. In Denmark, the Christmas tree harbours references to both the nation and to religion, and it is an important civil religious symbol. is explains why the a air became hotly debated all over Denmark.

Når det hellige og det verdslige rum smelter sammen

Danske kirker i udlandet ligner i sociologisk henseende andre indvandrersamfunds religiøse institutioner, idet udlandskirkerne foruden at danne ramme om et dansk-præget kirkeliv i høj grad også dækker mange af immigrantsamfundenes sociale behov. De mange verdslige aktiviteter betyder, at kirkerne ikke altid opretholder en skarp adskillelse mellem det hellige og det verdslige rum. Eksempler fra danske kirker i Argentina og Rotterdam illustrerer, at det kan udfordre folkelige opfattelser af det betydningsfulde i at holde helligt rum adskilt fra verdsligt rum. Den danske stat og dansk erhvervsliv spiller en central rolle i flere af udlandskirkernes hverdag, og en udlandskirke som den danske sømandskirke i Singapore har udviklet sig til en lokal dansk offentlig sfære for de ca. 1.500 fastboende danskere i Singapore

Per B. Katz: Man skal blande sig - Uri Yaari in memoriam

Anmeldelse af:Per B. Katz: Man skal blande sig - Uri Yaari in memoriam. Forlaget Ajour, 2014

Christoffer Rosenløv Stig Christensen: Mirjams flugt

Anmeldelse af:Christoffer Rosenløv Stig Christensen: Mirjams flugt. Jyllands-Postens Forlag, 2012.