Abstract
In a comment on Richard F. Tomasson’s 1980 book about Iceland, the American sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset notes that Tomasson ‘traces the ways in which Icelandic culture developed out of the medieval pre-Christian society – in its language, relations between the sexes, egalitarianism and the high frequency of illegitimate births. He also points out the areas of contradictions and discontinuity, noting that Iceland has been transformed in the twentieth century by modernization of the society and international influences upon the culture.’ The purpose of this essay is to give a more in-depth analysis of some of Tomasson’s observations with regard to the status and role of religion in this society. Iceland appears to be a very secular society, but up to very recent times, the national church had a strong position in Icelandic society, and its participation in the life-rituals of families, in national festivals, and in local rituals and festivities has been considered self-evident by the authorities and a large majority of the people. A very homogeneous culture and strong nationalism have a role here to play, but there were also seeds of individualism and pragmatism which may have led the way to differentiation and secularization. Secularization and modernization went hand in hand with the national liberation movement, but nevertheless the national church also made a major contribution to the nation-state building process. It would seem that the Icelanders have throughout their history been more political than religious – and often they seem to have been tolerant in religious and moral issues but fundamentalists in political matters. At least it seems profitable to analyse the reli- gious history of Iceland – the conversion of Iceland at the Alþingi in the summer of 1000; the Reformation in the mid-16th century, and the rapid process of modernization in Iceland – in the context of the political history. Foreigners have often wondered about the liberal attitude of Icelanders in relation to premarital sex, and often they ask why spiritualism and belief in elves and hidden people seem to have survived modernization and secularization. Other possible paradoxes include the very recent appearance of non-Christian religions, such as the Asa faith (which is supposed to revive the pre-Christian religion in Iceland), Islam and Buddhism. And how are we to understand the general support, even among the clergy, for same-sex marriages? In my essay I will try to contextualize these and related questions into an overall picture of the religious history of the Icelandic people.
Highlights
In this essay I will try to do just that, focusing on religion referring to my own research and others, using a bird’s-eye view with the help of an American sociologist, Richard Tomasson, who stayed in Iceland in the 1960s and published his book: Iceland, the first New Society in 1980
Together with an increasing interest among artistic and literary circles in symbolism and the esoteric, this mitigated secularism and atheism among those who valued freedom and individualism and wanted to leave past oppression and poor conditions behind. It seems as if this liberal theology, with its nationalism and its tolerant attitude towards popular religious developments such as spiritualism and theosophy, became somewhat like a Liberation Theology for the new Icelandic bourgeoisie and middle class during the first half of the 20th century, as they established their own interests and cultural identity vis-à-vis the Danish interests. (Pétursson 1990, 190–5.) This development strengthened the position of the Evangelical Lutheran National Church, notwithstanding a more conservative wing based in the YMCA and YWCA, which was highly critical of liberal theology and especially of some liberal theologians leaning towards esoteric ideas and spiritualism (Pétursson 1981)
Iceland the First New Society, the American sociologist Richard Tomasson presents an interesting survey of the Icelandic history from its origin to modern time, and identifies some basic values and traits of the national character, tracing them as far back as to the formation of the society and culture and the composition of the Sagas
Summary
It may be argued that Icelanders were both syncretic and individualistic in religious matters during their first period of the settlement in the newly inhabited island. The annals say, that these practices were soon totally abandoned because of the respect that the people had for their bishops This suggests that the conversion of Iceland to Christianity was a process that took at least two centuries, and that there was a pluralistic situation in religious matters before the Christian church and completely established itself in the 12th century. Concerned about the status of Christian beliefs and practices in Iceland, the Royal Administration sent an emissary to Iceland, Pastor Ludvig Harboe, to carry out a survey of the religious and moral situation of the Icelanders He travelled around Iceland in 1741–5, investigating questions such as the educational standard of the local clergy and the reading skills and Christian knowledge of young people. When people started to move to the fishing villages in the late 19th century, the local pastors could no longer themselves function as the teachers of the young generation, and hired ambulatory teachers who travelled between the local farms; and towards the end of the 19th century, more and more clergy set up children’s schools in their parishes. (Pétursson 1990, 61–7.)
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