Religious Socialization and Dimensions of Spiritual Violence

Young adulthood is a critical period of life in religious communities, with regard to whether a person stays in a community or diverges from it. The continuity of many Christian movements is based on not only the recruitment of new people, but rather the fact that a person remains in the community she or he has been raised in. Joining a religious community in adulthood constitutes a rather dramatic change in one's life. The situation is definitely different when one is born into a religious community: i.e. a child is socialized, or brought up in a religious community from birth. Socialization in religious communities takes place through concrete activities as well as the spiritual teaching undertaken by the community. In addition, the socialization of children and young people takes place with the help of family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

The socialization of a young person in a religious movement can occur without problems. In this presentation however, the focus of the examination is in those dimensions of socialization which may show up as being problematic for young persons. Socialization is analyzed as a potential form of spiritual violence, which is understood as a mental or physical violence articulated through one’s belief or existence in the religious community. It is an exercise of power against members of the community, which reduces the ability to determine one’s own future. Birth into a religious movement is not in itself a spiritual violence, but in the socialization process, there are many factors that are relevant to the emergence of such violence. Empirically, the presentation focuses on two religious groups: the Jehovah's Witnesses and also Conservative Laestadianism, the largest revival group in Scandinavia. As dimensions of spiritual violence, the presentation examines themes of human rights, “non-alternativity” and the asymmetric use of power.