. . . Which
brings us, Gentle Reader, to a companion, though opposite illustration—Sweden.
In 2000, an
article in the Los Angeles Times titled Sweden
Ends Designation of Lutheranism as Official Religion, January 1, 2000,
Staff Writer Carol J. Williams wrote: “State
will no longer appoint bishops. Critics had said the special relationship was
giving a sense of exclusion to the growing number of Catholics, Orthodox
Christians and Muslims.”
If I
understand this article correctly, the nation, Sweden, formerly a nation known
for staunch Lutheranism (Christian) as its official religion, is now moving
away from its 500-year Protestant Christian allegiance toward a new social
order, presumably in order to accommodate diversity and appease minorities. As
I see it, it is no stretch to propose that breaking from a 500-year identity to
explore a new approach to religious identity would have to, as all change does,
stir at least a certain amount of social disarray—call it an identity crisis,
if you will.
In 2012,
that movement away from Sweden’s previous joint church and state approach to
politics and religion led to another surprising move. In addition to Orthodox,
Catholic and Protestant Christians, Sweden now included a non-Christian social
order as a religion and made that “religion” an official religion in the state.
That social order or “religion” is called Kopimism, or file sharing of
information (members consider information “holy”, to the sure consternation of
copywrite holders, if none other). It is led by a political evangelist. Am I
wrong, or is this not the state once again supporting a religious-political
agenda by sanctioning the rejoining of church and state under the umbrella of approved
Kopimism? I am sitting here scratching my head, trying to make all this make
sense.
Well, one
thing for certain, I don’t know about you, but contemplating this development
leaves me speechless.
Recently, I also read this news in USA Today, Friday,
May 24, 2013, News, p.10A: “Normally tranquil Sweden on edge as unrest
brews. Hundreds of rioters take to the streets in immigrant suburbs. . . Swedes have been increasingly worried over
immigrants failing to integrate and the cost to the state in benefits.”
Hmmmm, doesn’t seem everyone has been appeased
by the meant-to-be-mollifying actions of the Swedish State.
To be continued . . .
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