This thesis examined the relationship between the rhetoric in Swedish socialist newspapers and themes in Christianity in the period 1880-1900. The analysis focused on Christian themes in socialist rhetoric and how it was expressed. This thesis is related to a field of how religion is constructed and related to ideological and political ideas. Bearing for the research is therefore the idea that Christian themes and language ware used in socialist rhetoric during the research period. The results reflected themes such as Christian socialism, Jesus as the true socialist, The kingdom of God, The fallen church and God as a sinner. Further on, the research showed that the classic socialist criticism of religion cannot be understood as a critique of religion itself but rather a critique of the distorted and perverted Christianity the church, the clergy and the state was accused of. The socialist newspapers showed many attempts of relating socialist ideas and values to Christian ideas and values in attempts to relate them to an understanding of an original and compatible Christian socialism. Furthermore, the newspapers utilized Christian theological parlance in their political rhetoric for the purpose of criticizing the current state of politics. The research showed that the relationship between the growing positivism and modernism of the period 1880-1900 and religion is more complex than previously understood. Previously it was assumed that science and modernism replaced religion. But the relationship between socialism and Christianity contains attempts at reconstruction and cooperation for the purpose of arguing for a more morally just way of living and constructing society. The transfer was not teleological or linear; it was a new way of interpreting religion and finding ways to make it fit the new ideas. Previously in this field, it was assumed that ideological rhetoric was propagated mainly through appealing to people’s emotions rather than logic and argumentation. This thesis showed that the use of rhetoric by socialist newspapers is far more complex in the way they propagate their cause by appealing to people’s emotions using logic and argumentation. The results in this thesis could well be used in the teaching of the relationship between religion, modernity, and politics to show that they are under constant negotiation and reconstruction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hj-57251 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Liew, David |
| Publisher | Jönköping University, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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