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Handbook of Nordic New Religions

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Handbook of Nordic New Religions Handbook of Nordic New Religions Edited by James R. Lewis Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen LEIDEN | BOSTON For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> Contents List of Figures and Tables ix Notes on Contributors x Introduction 1 PART 1 Denmark 1 The Study of New Religions in Denmark: A Brief and Subjective Research History 1985–2014 13 Mikael Rothstein 2 Old New Religions in Scandinavia 36 Olav Hammer 3 misa and Natha: The Peculiar Story of a Romanian Tantric Yoga School 62 Sara Møldrup Thejls 4 The Baha’is of the North 77 Margit Warburg 5 Danish Dianetics: Scholarship on the Church of Scientology in Scandinavia 93 Kjersti Hellesøy and James R. Lewis PART 2 Finland 6 The Study of New Religious Movements in Finland: An Overview of Previous Research 111 Tommy Ramstedt 7 From Western Esotericism to New Spirituality: The Diversity of New Age in Finland 126 Jussie Sohlberg and Kimmo Ketola For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> vi Contents 8 Diversification, Mainstreaming, Commercialization and Domestication – New Religious Movements and Trends in Finland 141 Måns Broo, Marcus Moberg, Terhi Utriainen and Tommy Ramstedt 9 Combining Christianity and New Age Spirituality: Angel Religion in Finland 158 Terhi Utriainen PART 3 Norway 10 A Study of New Religiosity in Norway 175 Ingvild Sælid Gilhus and Lisbeth Mikaelsson 11 Royal Angels in the News: The Case of Märtha Louise, Astarte Education and the Norwegian News Press 190 Siv Ellen Kraft 12 The Spiritist Revival: the Raising Voice of Popular Religion 203 Anne Kalvig 13 Studying Up, Down, Sideways and Through: Re-presenting Seeking in a Norwegian Setting 221 Ann Kristin Eide 14 The Art of Living Foundation in Norway: Indigenization and Continuity 239 Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen 15 Acem: Disenchanted Meditation 254 Margrethe Løøv 16 Norwegian ‘Conspirituality’: A Brief Sketch 268 Asbjørn Dyrendal 17 Approval of the Shamanistic Association: A Local Norwegian Construct with Trans-Local Dynamics 291 Trude Fonneland For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> Contents vii PART 4 Sweden 18 New Religious Movements and Alternative Spirituality as an Academic Research Field in Sweden – Some Reflections 313 Liselotte Frisk 19 The New Religious Movements – What Happened to Them? A Study of the Church of Scientology, The Children of God, iskcon, The Unification Church and The Rajneesh Movement and Their Development over Time 325 Liselotte Frisk 20 The Spiritual Revolution, the Swedish Way 343 Peter Åkerbäck 21 The Ahmadiyya Mission to the Nordic Countries 359 Brian Arly Jacobsen, Göran Larsson and Simon Sorgenfrei 22 Heralds of the Cosmic Brotherhood: The Story of the Swedish Contactee Sten Lindgren 374 Erik A. W. Östling 23 Are the Space Brothers Socialists? Swedish Indigenization of the ufo Mythical Complex 390 Jessica Moberg PART 5 Baltic States and Outside Perspectives 24 Lithuanian Occulture and the Pyramid of Merkinė: Innovation or Continuity? 411 Milda Ališauskienė and Massimo Introvigne 25 The “Back to Nature” Worldview in Nature-based Spirituality Movements: The Case of the Anastasians 441 Rasa Pranskevičiūtė For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> Contents 26 Activities of Hindu-Related Movements and Western Esoteric Groups in Latvia 457 Anita Stasulane 27 New Religious Movements and New Age in Estonia 478 Ringo Ringvee 28 Fire and Ice in Midvestjard: American Religion and Norse Identity in Minnesota’s Heathen Community 495 Murphy Pizza Index 503 For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> part 5 Baltic States and Outside Perspectives ∵ For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV chapter 24 Lithuanian Occulture and the Pyramid of Merkinė: Innovation or Continuity? Milda Ališauskienė and Massimo Introvigne The social phenomenon of the Pyramid of Merkinė has become, during the last ten years, a consolidated part of the field of alternative religions in Lithuania. The Pyramid of Merkinė was built in 2002, and soon attracted the attention of the public opinion, politicians, and the Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church. We will discuss the features of the Pyramid of Merkinė phenomenon within the context of modern Lithuanian alternative spirituality. The basis of such dis- cussion is empirical research at Pyramid of Merkinė that was carried out by Ališauskienė in 2010–2012. It consisted of participant observation, interviews with the visitors of the Pyramid and a study of the texts of Povilas Žėkas. The research started in 2010 by approaching Povilas. He declined to take part in this research from the beginning, but was very interested in its results.1 One of the reasons why the research at the Merkinė Pyramid was met with a certain reservation is because, during the previous year, the place had attracted the attention of the government. The Pyramid is situated within the Dzūkija National Park, in Southern Lithuania, and Žėkas was accused of illegal construction with respect to the glass dome covering the Pyramid (Figure 24.1). The case was taken to the courts, and different state institutions seemed to have different opinions about the issue. Apparently, some political pressure was also applied, while thirty thousand signatures supporting the cupola were collected.2 The struggle over the glass dome also led to the foundation of a non-governmental association called Česukų kupolo ir piramidės išsaugojimo 1 This research was carried out in 2010 and was partly supported by the Lithuanian Science Council Student Research Fellowship Award (Student – Andreij Ryčkov). During Ališauskienė’s first meeting with Žėkas, it was apparently difficult for him to understand the social-scientific approach to the phenomenon of the Pyramid. He suggested waiting for results from physical and bio-energetic studies. After the first conversation, he conceded that a sociological research on the Pyramid might also be useful. Almost a month after the first stage of research, Ališauskienė was also contacted by the lawyer who represented a newly established organization to support Povilas Žėkas in his fight to keep the glass cupola covering the pyramid against governmental objections. 2 From Ališauskienė’s personal conversations with officials from the Dzūkija National Park Office and the State Territorial Planning and Construction Office of the Ministry of the Environment. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2015 | doi 10.1163/9789004292468_026 For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> 412 Ališauskienė AND Introvigne Figure 24.1 Massimo Introvigne and Povilas Žėkas outside the Pyramid. sąjūdis (“Movement for the Preservation of the Česukai Cupola and Pyramid”). This organization has received public support from some politicians and news- papers, including the weekly Laisvas laikraštis (“Independent Newspaper”: see “Merkinės piramidė” 2010). In 2012, the local court authorized the Municipality of Varėna to start the procedure for issuing the construction permit that would possibly lead to the legalization of the cupola. In 2011 and 2012, Introvigne visited the Pyramid and conducted interviews with Povilas and some visitors. The interviews focused mostly on Povilas’ doc- trine. Later, Žėkas supplied Introvigne with unpublished English language translations of significant portions of his materials, and answered by mail several additional questions about his doctrines, his family, and his relations with Lithuanian culture. Povilas Žėkas – Visionary Povilas Žėkas was born in 1983. He was the only child in his family. He earned a b.a. degree in Biology at one of the Lithuanian universities, and later For use by the Author only | © 2015 Koninklijke Brill NV <UN> LITHUANIAN OCCULTURE AND THE PYRAMID OF MERKINĖ 413 unsuccessfully tried to earn a m.a. degree in the Study of Subcultural Groups. Povilas speaks good English, and tries to welcome every visitor to the Pyramid personally. He obviously sees himself as a Catholic, while criticizing Church leaders for their attitude toward new ideas. What follows is largely based on Povilas Žėkas’ book that was published in 2004. The first part of this book contains his autobiography, which is presented within the framework of a standard hagiography in the Christian tradition, and describes his life and the special events that reveal the peculiar- ity (or holiness) of his person. The reader is given the impression that this part of the book is told by Povilas’ mother. She explains that, since his childhood, Povilas was recognized as a special child: When he reached the age of four, it seemed he forgot that he walks this earth. Most of his time was spent staring at the sky. Then the more serious questions started. I was forced to find an astronomy book to find answers. It was hard to explain such terminology to a young child. That’s why this task was given to his grandmother. Povilas got introduced to the study of the subject of theology in a language that both – he and his grandmother – understood all too well. This is why even before going to the first grade he knew a lot of various poems and prayers, and was familiar with the popular hierarchy of the figures in heaven. žėkas (2004), 5–6 Povilas’s mother describes him as a special child with abilities that are not ordi- nary for his contemporary. Similar stories might be found within biographies of other religious leaders. For instance, Ravi Shankar the founder of the Art of Living Foundation was also described as peculiar since his childhood (Ališauskienė 2012a,b). Such references to the childhood make the described person more important and legitimized from the time perspective in the eyes of believers. The second part of the book is organized as questions and answers – appar- ently, with questions asked by Žėkas and answers given by God. The analysis of the text shows that the author uses many common Catholic words like God, God the Father, God the Son, Trinity, angels, guardian angel, hell, or revelation. The book, however, tells a creation story that is somewhat different from the biblical version, and understands the Catholic terms in a different way than Catholicism does.
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