Life Story of Helge Fossmo, Former Pastor of Knutby Filadelfia, as Told in Prison

Abstract

In January 2004 the religious community of Knutby Filadelfia gained notoriety in Sweden after a young woman was shot dead and a young man seriously wounded. One of the pastors, Helge Fossmo, the husband of the murdered woman, was later found guilty of incitement or conspiracy to murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The actual perpetuator was, however, one of his mistresses, who was committed to psychiatric care. The case became subject to extraordinary media attention, with focus on the congregation’s charismatic head pastor, Åsa Waldau, and the innovative teachings of the group. This article is based on a narrative analysis of an interview in prison with the former pastor Helge Fossmo, as a step towards understanding the psychological, social and ideological forces that may have contributed to the violence in the Knutby case. Narratives are culturally framed and draw on cultural resources, are socially constructed, and become consolidated by repetition. The narrative of Fossmo draws upon the cultural resource of the “evil cult narrative,” as well as the social resource of his therapist, whose perspective is strikingly similar to the one Fossmo presents.