Laestadianism
The Laestadianism is one of pietistic and Moravian resulting suggestions revival movement in the Lutheran churches in Norway , Sweden and Finland . Other larger communities can be found in the USA and Canada , where they form their own churches. The main focus of the Laestadians today is in Finland.
history
The movement was initiated by the Swedish Lutheran pastor and botanist Lars Levi Laestadius (1800–1861), who worked with the seeds of Lapland. His writings, along with the Bible and the works of Martin Luther , were important basic texts of the movement. Texts from Laestadius are still used in the meetings of the "firstborn Laestadians". Towards the end of the 1990s, a booklet with 23 sermons by Laestadius was translated into German.
Due to various schisms, Laestadianism has split into numerous groups, the largest and oldest of which are all represented in Finland. The " old Laestadians " ( Sw . Gammallaestadianer , Finnish. Vanhoillislestadiolaiset ) reject the third use of the law , while the "newly awakened" (Finnish. Uusheränneet ) from 1906 adhere to the validity of both the law and the gospel for converts. In addition, there have been the traditionalist “firstborn Laestadians” (Finnish: esikoislestadiolaiset ) since 1900 . The youngest large Laestadian group, the “Laestadians of the Word of Peace” (Finnish: rauhansanalaiset ), split off in 1934 , are closest to the old Laestadians .
Practice and teaching
Best known are the Laestadian movement is likely to interiority and emotionalism that shape their meetings and often in ecstasy express, especially in connection with the Lord's Supper (Here you can see the influence of shamanic ecstasy from the old Sami ethnic religion , the important one Has become part of popular piety ) . It is also characterized by a reading of the Bible true to the letter with a clear emphasis on humans as sinful beings. A church member is converted by confessing his sins in front of the church and then confessing to one of the leaders of the movement . He then awards the forgiveness of sins by the laying on of hands. The Laestadians are Lutherans with strict moral standards and are considered extremely conservative on both moral and ecclesiastical issues .
Laestadians place a high value on a Christian lifestyle. Many of them refuse birth control , which often leads to large families. In their meetings (schw. Möte , finn. Seurat ) the forgiveness of sins plays a central role.
Organization and statistics
The churches are led by full-time pastors (USA and Canada) or by lay people (Scandinavia). Many pastors in the Lutheran Church, especially in Finland, belong to the movement. In Finland about 150 pastors are Laestadians. The total number of Laestadians is estimated to be around 155,000, over half of whom are Finns.
There are individual Laestadian communities in Germany , Austria and Switzerland . In the USA , over 50 Laestadian congregations have come together to form the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Juha Pentikäinen: The mythology of the Saamen. Ethnological contributions to circumpolar research, Vol. 3, Schletzer, Berlin 1997. pp. 258–281.