This essay is about human beings. These human beings in particular are priests and LGBTQ-persons who work in the Swedish Church in Växjö diocese. During research I have conducted qualitative interviews with people who are LGBTQ-persons and work as priests in Växjö diocese. These interviews have been analyzed through queer theory and Mary Douglas theory about anomalia.My aim with this essay is to find out what it means to be a LGBTQ- person and work as a priest in this diocese.I wanted to learn more about where the difficulties lie. How the priests are treated by others and how they see themselves.

Faith is a phenomenon that engages the individual into emotional, social and daily manners.Religion tends to engage the individual in different levels in the daily life. In the church communion, there is a belief to the traditional and the repeteated behaviour. This shared group is strength by ceremonies and rituals and people in this collective somehow experience another type of reality. This study has a social - psychological perspective and the purpose is to study people?s know-how of faith and why they seek religion in today´s secularized society.

Within this essay a study is made of an LGBTQ-orientated Christian service in Stockholm called Queer Service. The following questions seek to be answered: What reasons does an individual set for his/hers participation in Queer Service? Which aspects of a queer service highlight the participants as important to them?As a method to answer these questions, the author has observed a number of queer church services in autumn of 2012. Moreover communication within the group of the assembly on the social media page Facebook has been followed and five individuals from the Queer Service congregation have been interviewed. As a background to the study, the European religious climate seen from Grace Davies eyes is depicted.  The reader also learns of how the Swedish church has handled questions about homosexuality and bisexuality and what liberation theology is.

This thesis examines the concept of righteousness in the Gospel of Matthew. The research explores the literal meanings and theological functions of the noun ?righteousness? and the adjective ?righteous? through a descriptiveand comparative study of all the pericopes which include these words. The research also includes relevant information about the historical context of the text as well as the central theological themes which relate to the subject.In the research on the literal meanings, it seems that both words primarily occur in ethical teaching and that the concept of righteousness in Matthew is closely related to humanconduct (e.g. Matt 5:20; 6:1).

Public confession and declaration of grace in the mass, following the book of worship of the Church of Sweden, is considered by many to be problematic, and hence the topic of frequent discussion. This is apparent already in the proposal for the existing book of worship, as well as in those official proposals that have been presented in recent years for a revised order of worship. This paper provides a summary account of the historical development of the public confession (and its attendant parts) from the early church into recent times, with a focus on the Church of Sweden, focusing on church regulation and official books of worship. This account shows that a public confession existed in early Christian celebration of service/mass, and that public confession and declaration of grace as we know it today (in the Church of Sweden) has developed from the practice of private confession with a relationship to Holy Communion. In Sweden, the ambitions of the Lutheran program of reformation with respect to public confession did not materialize fully.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen har varit att uppmärksamma uppvärderande omnämnanden av djur i kristen texttradition, företrädesvis i evangelierna, men också i apokryfisk litteratur och i Uppenbarelseboken. Fokus har legat på Jesustexterna, eftersom Jesus är kristendomens förgrundsgestalt och kärna. Därför har djuren kring Jesus blivit mitt huvudstudium, men en återblick görs också till Gamla Testamentet, för att visa att en positiv djursyn finns redan i Moseböckerna och i skapelseberättelsen.Kristen teologi och tradition har negligerat dessa uppvärderande djurbilder, för att istället fokusera på nedvärderande omnämnanden av djur. Den negativa djursynen har varit fullständigt dominerande, och därför är det nödvändigt, menar jag, att arbeta på det sätt som jag föreslår, för att skapa en motvikt och balans. Min arbetshypotes har varit att det existerar uppvärderande omtalanden och beskrivningar av djur, i viktiga sammanhang, och min undersökning har sedan handlat om att identifiera sådana texter, vilket jag också lyckats med.

This essay is an attempt to study some post-modern theological positions with regard to their growing interest in the use of mystical theology and mysticism in theological research in the academic post-modern world, and to see if the 19th century theologian Albert Schweitzer couldprove a resource for this understanding of mystical theology. This position is known in the essay as ?the mystical turn.?To present the background and understanding of this post-modern view of mystical theology the essay presents three theologians, namely: Andrew Louth, Mark A. McIntosh and Sarah Coakley.These three theologians argue for the use of a contemplative and transforming mysticism as a postmodern epistemology in relation to theological research, with growing concern of the status of theology in the secular and post-modern world. Having made clear the views of these three theologians the essay then presents Albert Schweitzer's view on the mysticism of Paul.

Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen iKulturvård, Konservatorprogrammet15 hpInstitutionen för kulturvårdGöteborgs universitet2014:43.

Unlike previous research, this thesis considers the possibility of regarding the morning prayers in Swedish schools as preaching, rather than teaching. 28 morning prayers, delivered in the church of S:t Johannes in the city of Malmö during 1939-1954 by the religious teacher Astri Heimer (1889-1986), constitutes the material for analysis. The purpose of this thesis is to examine if Heimer's morning prayers may be regarded as preaching, and to discuss the significance of this, in particular considering her role as leader of morning prayers.The examination is conducted in three steps. The first step investigates how morning prayers in general ought to be understood - as teaching or preaching? This is done by describing and comparing the literary genres of religious teaching and preaching, looking into the rules and principles which define the field of application.

IntroductionTactile Massage is a generic term that for example includes Massage therapy, Effleurage, Gentle touch, Tactile stimulation, Soft massage and Aromatherapy massage (SBU 2009). Tactile Massage has been proven to activate the perception receptors of the body and stimulates the system of oxytocin and in that way Tactile massage increase wellbeing and decrease pain. The Church of Sweden was formally separated from the state in the year of 2000 and by this means created greater freedom in facilitating its own social and Deaconal programs in separate parishes. Since 2004 a few numbers of deacons have been integrating Tactile massage as a method in Deaconal  ministry within the framework of holistic care in the Church of Sweden.Aim/Research questionsThe aim: From a holistic perspective investigate the use of and to increase the problem-awareness of Tactile massage in the Deaconal ministry within the Church of Sweden.The research questions: How is Tactile massage being used and how are we to describe the experiences of Tactile massage in the Deaconal ministry? What possibilities and difficulties are related to the use of Tactile massage in the Deaconal ministry within the Church of Sweden?MethodThis study is the first explorative research about Tactile massage in Swedish church diaconal context.

The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze similarities and differences in trials and punishment from a gender perspective, during the inquisition in the episcopate of Linköping. A inquisition initiated by duke Karl but performed by archbishop Abraham Angermannus in the year 1596.During the working process a quantitive method was used in the purpose of getting statistic data considering number of men and women that were trialed and punished. A hermeneutic qualitive method was also used in the purpose of closer investigating certain cases that men and women were involved in. The theoretical concepts that have been of importance and used in this study are the individual and the female subject that is based on gender in judicial procedures.The results showed that 49 % of the men were trialed for quarrel. Not as many men were trialed for contempt towards the church and witchery.The most frequently used corporal punishment in this cases were flogging that were executed for totally 38 % of the men.The investigation also proved that men were punished with these forms of corporal punishments for showing their contempt towards the church.

The following study pertains to investigate the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus as it is portrayal in text books aimed at the course Religion 1 for Swedish upper secondary school. The study was carried out by looking at 12 selected books meant to function as teaching aids suitable for the course. The methodology covers both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The study shows that the topic of the resurrection is dealt with in a ratherneutral fashion. A survey of the evidence does not give credence to the notion that the textlength assigned to the resurrection, in any way gives greater importance to the resurrectionbeing of superior value as an Christian article of faith.The results are further discussed, and suggestions are given for how theresurrection of Jesus can function as a didactic tool for the purpose of teaching Christianityfor Swedish speaking upper secondary school pupils, in agreement and harmony with theSwedish syllabus.

Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen iKulturvård, Konservatorsprogrammet15 hpInstitutionen för kulturvårdGöteborgs universitet2009:16.

This essay is a case study that deals with the integration of Scania into Sweden,which started for over 300 years ago. The purpose is to capture why theintegration of Scania succeeded, what were the main reasons or factors and todiscuss the effects the scanian identity and culture had on the integration. This hasbeen done with the help of different theories that will help sort out main factors tothe successful integration. The result of the study revealed a number of factors, tobegin with the scanian identity appeared not to be such a great obstacle for theintegration that one could believe. The identity developed because of the?swedification?, which were the measures the Swedish government took tointegrate the new territory.

According to our apprehension, work of integration is commonly considered managed in the main best through the labour market. Since this path is not available to everybody we wanted to find out how work of integration also can be practised in other areas. The purpose of this paper is to, with focus on children and youth, find out and analyze in what way the people working locally in residential areas and in associations, reflects around integration in general and within their own business, plus in what way they pursue local work of integration practically. The method we have used is qualitative, with unstructured, individual interviews. Our seven respondents within local authority, church and sport clubs, have told us about their work from a perspective of integration.