New religious movements are often introduced as suspect and controversial, not least according to media. This essay investigates how new religious movements are described in religion textbooks through a critical discourse analysis. The aim of the essay is to illustrate how new religious movements are presented and discussed in textbooks, as well as comparing how the content corresponds with the curriculum for religious studies 2 in the Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis focuses on the language use in the textbooks, for example which discourses, categorizations, and terms that recur. The questions are: (1) How are new religious movements introduced and presented in religion textbooks? (2) Which terms are used and how are they discussed? (3) How do religion textbooks relate to the curriculum in religious studies 2?

This study is about the mythological figure Lilith, a female demon from Sumerian mythology who later became thename of Adam's first wife in some parts of Judaic faith. According to medieval folklore, she also appeared as aseductive demon who killed her lovers, a danger to women giving birth and eater of children. As a political symbol, shehas become known in some circles as the first feminist and a strong female character who has been demonized due toher independence and strong will. In popular culture, she has numerous incarnations in various media. The purpose ofthis study is to examine her portrayal in the lyrics of the metal band Cradle of Filth. The main material is the band'salbum Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, its narrative follows the bands version of Lilith. To fulfill the purpose, a contentanalysis is used, with a gendered theory as perspective. This paper also examines the relationship between the theory ofocculture and contemporary music.The results show how Cradle of Filth takes inspiration from many myths about Lilith, but mainly conveys the image ofLilith as a succubus, the demonic temptress that kills her partners. She is described as the perfect woman, and thisincludes being violent, hypersexual and ambitious.

This study focuses on how the religion of Christianity has been covered in Swedish textbooks between the years 1968 and 2018. The study further aims to compare and highlight the similarities and differences that time has had on how Christianity is covered, with regards to number of pages dedicated to the religion, what is said about the religion et cetera. Further the analysis shows that there are traits in the books that survive through time, and others that does not. A critical element to understanding these traits that highlights the description of Christianity, is understanding the tendencies that each textbook displays. The tendency in question varies from example not including women in certain aspects, only focusing on the good that Christianity stands for but choosing not to account for the “dark spots” in the history of this religion such as the crusades or the Spanish inquisition. Finally, there are also an interest in this study to show how the chosen textbooks also treats the didactic questions to see in what way that some fundamental aspects are covered.   In short it can be said that the book that represents the “earlier” period in this study shows signs or tendency to promote Christianity a bit more than the others. The meaning of this is simply put, that the textbook from 1968 praises the religion more and gives it a lot of space in the book, compared to the other ones. The textbook from 1997 however shows signs of the complete opposite. In fact, the 1997 textbook tended to show less of Christianity as a whole and give more room to acknowledging the “dark history” that happened in the name of Christianity, for example the crusades. The textbook from 2018 shows signs of a more “balanced” approach to Christianity of the three. A sort of middle path where there are signs of a better proportioned number of pages is given to the religion, and a recognition to both the good that Christianity stands for as well as the bad that has happened in the name of said religion.

This study is about a King of Sweden and his relationship to Martin Luther’s theology. Gustavus III was king in Sweden during the 18th century and he is mostly famous for being a friend of the theater and arts. This study investigates the religious relationship between the king and the image of Martin Luther’s theology. My main question in this study asks how Gustavus III described himself as a Lutheran Monarch. The method consists of a content analysis of primary sources from the late 18th century, mainly Helgdagsreduktionen from 1772 and the Eccelesatique-samlingar from 1789. The result shows that the King had churchly ambitions and was interested in liturgical questions. The result also shows Gustavus III worshipped former kings of Sweden which influenced how the king wanted to describe himself as a good Lutheran in the shadow of Gustavus I and Gustavus Adolphus. The household theology of Martin Luther shows the position of the king and how he absorbs this position in his writing to the subjects and the priests. The king’s function is viewed as a father that maintained the subject’s true path to Christianity. The image of Gustavus III is also central in this study because the idea of the early modern monarch was forged in the very foundation of the protestant reformation which Martin Luther started.

Through the Zohar, the major medieval kabbalistic work, the human body is used in order to symbolise the divine structure. Present throughout are also dire warnings against the dangers of the flesh – a sense of anxiety often surrounds matters of the body. This study examines how the central notion of the body as created in God’s image relates to the negative zoharic characterizations of the body and further, how notions of gender and Jewish religious affiliation are reflected in the zoharic views of the body. The results show that characterizations of the body can work to reinforce boundaries and define the own group. The female body is valued differently than the male, the Jewish differently than the non-Jewish body. The idealized human body belongs to the circumcised Jewish male who adheres to proper religious behaviour. The aim of this thesis is to enrich our understanding of the human body as depicted in the major kabbalistic tradition of the Zohar.

The essay describes how leaven was perceived during Israelite times. In what ways it came to be incorporated into the theology of the Hebrew Bible. The inheritance the leaven carries with it is used in various ways in Nt. The essay describes Paul's and Jesus' use of leaven and gives a context for why this use was reasonable. The essay theorizes that the knowledge that the leaven came from Egypt meant that it could not be incorporated into the Israelite cult without exception. Egypt is in some respects the image of idolatry because several gods are worshipped. This means that the sourdough gets a legacy that needs to be managed. The bread leavened with sourdough is necessary during a time when there is a shortage of food at certain times. A bread leavened with sourdough provides more nutrition and makes it possible to store food for a longer period of time. The essay shows how the regulation in the Hebrew Bible lives on in Paul's letter in Nt. Jesus' references to the leaven are more general, where the leaven represents the spiritual in man. Leaven also takes on a different meaning in Nt in that it is attributed both positive and negative qualities. Leaven goes from being regulated in the Hebrew Bible to becoming in the NT a representative of the spiritual in man.

In this essay, Ingeborg Wikander's book Fem år i Kina has been examined through a thematic analysis method. The result showed three distinct categories, each with their own subcategories, which are: Wikander and the women, Wikander’s piety and Wikander, homesickness and national romanticism. When the theoretical framework was applicated onto the study it showed that Wikander generalised and grouped all Chinese women into one category. A category Chandra Talpade Mohanty refers to as “third world woman”, which was a way for Western women to distance themselves from women of another ethnicity, which also can be referred as “othering” a group, creating an Us and Them. Drawing on Malin Gregersen’s reasoning about paternalism and social motherhood, one can see how Wikander took on a nurturing role in the relationships she engaged in while in China. Shirley S. Garrett’s liberation ideology in relation to missionary work is also visible in the letters and works from Wikander.

The thesis aims to present and evaluate Liselotte Frisk’s usage of the father of charismatic research, Max Weber’s, theories regarding charismatic leadership. It does this by examining, using textual analysis, chapters from two works meant to examine and categorize new religious movements. The two works are “Nya religiösa rörelser” and “De nya religiösa rörelserna-vart tog de vägen?”. Three specific New Religious Movements have been selected: the Osho-movement, the church of Scientology as well as Hare-Krishna. The study details Frisk’s usage of Weber’s theories based on an analytical model that in itself is based upon Weber’s own definition of what constitutes charismatic leadership. The study finds that while Frisk uses aspects of Weber’s theories, there are certain aspects that do not align. Rather than seeing this as a fault of Frisk in her application of Weber, it should, however, be seen as a sign of the fact that Weber’s theories are somewhat vague and difficult to adapt and use. There is a reason for why he has been challenged and questioned on his views and terminology concerning charismatic leadership when it comes to New Religious Movements. That being said, there are aspects of it that in the present author’s opinion are still worth to investigate and use when it comes to leadership in religious organizations.

The purpose of this essay is to examine religious themes in the novel The Well of Loneliness by author Radclyffe Hall. The novel has been analysed using a hermeneutic method, with focus on the religious world picture of the novel and the faith of the lgbt characters. Conclusions regarding the religious world picture is a world where God is closely linked to nature. All humans, including lgbt people, are a natural part of his creation. The hatred towards lgbt people can be traced to humans, not God. The novel centers around the religious beliefs of lgbt people outside the realm of institutional religion. Their religious beliefs are often closely linked to their lgbt experiences, and characterized by belief in a god who does not condemn them. Their close relationship to nature can be interpreted as a part of their relationship to God.

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