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The purpose of this essay was to investigate the transition of the document “Riktlinjer för Svenska kyrkans konfirmandarbete” from theoretical guidelines to practical implementation. Another aspect of the essay involved an examination of how the concepts of knowledge, experience and religious experience were utilized within these guidelines and in the written plans of confirmation work across three parishes. A third aspect of the essay was to investigate what kind of assistance the parishes could get to implement the guidelines into the parish work. Additionally, an exploration was conducted to understand the resources these parishes intended to employ in order to achieve the goals set for confirmation work.    This study contributes to ongoing research on religious education for young individuals in present-day Sweden. The study employed an abductive approach and embraced a pragmatic perspective on knowledge. To articulate the process, I utilized Bo Lindensjö’s and Ulf P. Lundgren’s theoretical model, focusing on the formulation, transformation and realization arenas. When scrutinizing the application of concepts within the documents, I relied on the Church of Swedens’s definition of knowledge, Ulf Jonsson’s perspective on knowledge and Karl Rahner’s definition of religious experience.   An observation emerged revealing an increase in the involvement of individuals and institutions as the realization phase approaches. Notably, the concept of experience featured more prominently in the written plans of parishes compared to the concept of knowledge. The parishes aimed for confirmands to acquire experiences centered around community engagement and Christian rituals, such as worship and prayer. These goals were also present in the guidelines but with a broader scope. Analysis of the available resources highlighted a challenge in aligning abstract objectives with tangible means. Furthermore, in two out of three cases, a detailed didactic reflection seemed lacking.

Anti-Semitism is a growing problem in society and it shows in schools. Students with aJewish background do not only have to put up with taunts and abuse on a daily basis, but theyalso need to stand up for their Jewish identity when being taught about Judaism and theHolocaust. This essay examines how anti-Semitism expresses itself in the classroom and howteachers work to prevent anti-Semitism. The foundation of the work is to gain anunderstanding of the current subject through students' perceptions and to see what toolsteachers have in their professional role. When we searched for references, our main goal wasto find information that displays the perception from students affected by anti-Semitism andfrom the teachers who teach the subjects in order to find out how the theory works inpractice. We have used various databases such as ERIC via EBSCO, Education ResearchComplete ERC as well as scientific reports and literature to answer our questions. Our resultsshow that teachers feel a lack of material and knowledge to adapt and make changes inteaching. It also appears that Jewish students are exposed to both physical and psychologicalviolence and that they need to hide their Jewish identity in order to feel safe on the schoolgrounds.

Against the background of the Swedish western society characterized by secularization or religious complexity, researchers believe that religion will continue to have a great importance at the individual level. The reason is human nature to search for meaning, but the individual needs to search on her own. The aim of the study is to compare the search for and experience of meaning in two different spiritual practices in this context, and the main question is: In what ways do the spiritual practices of Zen Buddhist meditation and Ignatian Spiritual Exercises contribute to a stronger experience of meaning in life? To investigate this, a combination of theories is used. The first theory, Lewis R. Rambo's conversion theory (1993) with gradual phases, was functioning as a time axis. The second theory, Tatjana Schnell's empirical theory of meaning in life and questionnaire SoMe (2021) containing five dimensions with underlying sources of meaning, was used both as an inspiration for the survey's questions as an instrument in the analysis. The method included an abductive approach when there is an alternation between empiricism and theory. In addition, a comparative method was used to detect differences between the practices. The material was based on a semi-structured interview with six informants, three from each practice, who used it for at least three years and were analyzed using systematic text condensation. The result based on Rambo’s theory showed the same macro context, but none had practitioners of the practice in the vicinity, which did not agree with the theory. An unexpected similarity was that the informants were not experiencing a crisis before they applied for the practice, but a longing “for something more”. The analysis based on Schnell's theory showed that the rituals were clearly connected to the two central and strong dimensions of meaning. In the comparison between the number of strong sources of meaning, no noticeable difference was found between the practices, but was separated out of each religion’s perception of reality and human vision. The conclusion can be drawn that the rituals of both of the practices had an important effect on the transformation processes in the new way of life, and meaning in life had changed when the individual actively used the practice. In both spiritual practices, there was a clear connection between the practice and very strong or strong sources of meaning. Furthermore, there was a need to develop the theory, that is, the combination of a theory of conversion and a theory of meaning-making. The interviews could have been followed up with a quantitative survey with Schnell's SoMe form or Steger's MLQ form, or a combination of these, to uncover additional aspects in the question of whether spiritual practices can contribute to a stronger experience of meaning. It could also strengthen the validity of the study. Previous research shows that this is an unexplored field and as meaning in life is strongly connected to health further investigations can be needed.      Keywords: crisis - conversion, Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, search for meaning, meaning, meaning in life, meditation, Zen Buddhism.

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Since the naming of Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila as the first female Doctors of the Church in Roman Catholicism, one might have expected an increased theological interest in female mystics as theologians. However, the history of theology has neglected the female mystics of the Middle Ages as theologians in their own right, a trend that persists even today. They are often reduced to being viewed solely as mystics and are placed within the sphere of private religion. Despite the rise of feminist theory and theology, mediaeval women mystics have not been fully recognised as theologians capable of engaging in dialogue on contemporary questions. The Anglican theologian Sarah Coakley has been using neglected theological traditions in her work, and her theological method may provide the resources needed to engage in dialogue with mediaeval female mystics, much like how Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are still referenced today. The purpose of this master's thesis is to demonstrate how Sarah Coakley's theological method can be used to engage in dialogue with mediaeval women mystics. This purpose has been narrowed down to focus on the most recent female Doctor of the Church in Roman Catholicism, Hildegard von Bingen, and her eucharistic theology. Using an inductive method, the main question of this thesis was formulated as follows: How can Sarah Coakley's theological method be utilised to engage in dialogue with the eucharistic theology of Hildegard von Bingen? Employing a combination of hermeneutic methodology and the concept of tradition from Alaisdar MacIntyre, I have reconstructed Coakley's theological method using her three books: Powers and Submissions, God, Sexuality, and the Self: An Essay on the Trinity, and The New Asceticism. The main aspects I have reconstructed and reformulated include her Christian Neoplatonic ontology and epistemology, her perspective on contemplation, and her concept of radical attention to the 'other.' The concept of radical attention has been redefined as radical love for one's neighbour, serving as both the foundation and goal of theology. By juxtaposing these aspects of Coakley's theological method with Hildegard's eucharistic theology in her work Scivias, I am allowing Hildegard and Coakley to engage in a constructive dialogue with each other. From this dialogue, two main concepts emerge that contribute to both Coakley and Hildegard. Firstly, there is a refinement of the reconstructed concept of radical love for one's neighbour, supplemented by a constructed concept of bona opera from Hildegard. Secondly, there is an understanding of the Eucharist as a contemplative practice that introduces a concept of simultaneity to both eucharistic theology and the theology of contemplation.

This thesis is about how myth can create pain-relief and meaning in suffering through catharsis. My definition of myth is a narrative that is meaningful and crafting a worldview that is shared by a community. Catharsis is the pain-relief and meaning-making process that occurs when a narrative is told well. I compare a traditional religious worldview, Christianity, with three secular worldviews on life to examine how each of them views suffering and what solutions they have for suffering. I also examine various studies that show that myths and narratives can be meaningful and give pain-relief for people who have experienced trauma and crises. Myths can be conveyed in more ways than through words, for example through the emotional expression, lamentation, and rituals.