Conventicle Act (Sweden)

Last updated
1855 depiction of a Lasare
(Reader) woman preaching in a conventicle. Lasare i Norrland.png
1855 depiction of a Läsare (Reader) woman preaching in a conventicle.

The Conventicle Act (Swedish : Konventikelplakatet) was a Swedish law, in effect between 21 January 1726 and 26 October 1858 in Sweden and until 1 July 1870 in Finland. The act outlawed all conventicles, or religious meetings of any kind, outside of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, [1] with the exception of family prayer or worship. The purpose was to prevent freedom of religion and protect religious unity, as such unity was regarded as important to maintain the control of the Crown over the public through the Church. The law only applied to Swedish citizens, while the religious freedom of foreigners was protected by the Tolerance Act.

Contents

History

The law was initiated in 1726 to prevent the popularity of Pietism, which was spreading rapidly in Sweden in the first half of the 18th century, and used against early proponents such as Thomas Leopold, Johan Stendahl, and Peter Spaak. [2]

During the 19th century, the Conventicle Act was used as a tool against the Shouter movement and the spread of free churches. Free church preachers, such as Baptist Fredrik Olaus Nilsson, were exiled. This law was one reason for emigration from Sweden to the USA in the 1840s and 1850s. [3]

During the 19th century, the law became controversial and was constantly debated in parliament. It was finally abolished in 1858. The new law stipulated that conventicles were not to take place in parallel with the services of the Lutheran Church without prior dispensation. This condition was abolished in 1868 and replaced with the condition that such gatherings were not to take place in the close surroundings of a Lutheran church.

The Conventicle Act was also in effect in Finland, until 1809 the Eastern part of Sweden. The Russian Grand Duchy of Finland kept her laws from the Swedish time until changed by the Diet, which abolished the Conventicle Act from 1 July 1870.

See also

Notes

  1. "1305-1306 (Nordisk familjebok / 1800-talsutgåvan. 8. Kaffrer - Kristdala)". runeberg.org (in Swedish). 1884. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  2. "Jacob Benzelius".
  3. Ljungmark, Lars (1996). Swedish exodus. Swedish Pioneer Historical Society. Carbondale: Published for Swedish Pioneer Historical Society by Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN   978-1-4416-1933-4. OCLC   436089438.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basic Laws of Sweden</span> Constitutional law of Sweden

The Basic Laws of Sweden are the four constitutional laws of the Kingdom of Sweden that regulate the Swedish political system, acting in a similar manner to the constitutions of most countries.

Conventicle Act may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Duchy of Finland</span> Predecessor state of modern Finland (1809–1917)

The Grand Duchy of Finland, also translated as Grand Principality of Finland, was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed between 1809 and 1917 as an autonomous part of the former Russian Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archbishop of Uppsala</span> Primate of the Church of Sweden

The Archbishop of Uppsala has been the primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instrument of Government (1772)</span> Swedish constitution

The 1772 Instrument of Government was the constitution of the Kingdom of Sweden from 1772 to 1809. It was promulgated in the wake of the Revolution of 1772, a self-coup mounted by King Gustav III, and replaced the 1720 Instrument of Government, which had been in force for most of the Age of Liberty (1719-72). Although in theory the 1772 Instrument merely readjusted the balance of power between the Crown and the Riksdag of the Estates, without changing Sweden's status as a constitutional monarchy, in practice it is generally seen as instituting an absolute monarchy, especially after its modification in 1789 by the Union and Security Act, which further strengthened royal power at the expense of the Riksdag. It remained in force throughout the Gustavian era, until replaced by the 1809 Instrument of Government as a result of the Coup of 1809.

The Baptist Union of Sweden is the oldest of several Baptist bodies in Sweden.

The Catholic Church in the Nordic countries was the only Christian church in that region before the Reformation in the 16th century. Since then, Scandinavia has been a mostly non-Catholic (Lutheran) region and the position of Nordic Catholics for many centuries after the Reformation was very difficult due to legislation outlawing Catholicism. However, the Catholic population of the Nordic countries has seen some growth in the region in recent years, particularly in Norway, in large part due to immigration and to a lesser extent conversions among the native population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Covenant Church of Sweden</span> Reformed free church

The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden, founded in 1878, was a Swedish evangelical free church. It was the second-largest Protestant denomination in Sweden, after the national church, the Church of Sweden. In 2011, the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden completed a merger with two other denominations, resulting in the new denomination Uniting Church in Sweden. The denomination was a member of the Swedish Free Church Council, the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches, and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

The Archdiocese of Turku, historically known as Archdiocese of Åbo, is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and its see city is Turku.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Sweden</span> Overview of religion in Sweden

Religion in Sweden has, over the years, become increasingly diverse. Christianity was the religion of virtually all of the Swedish population from the 12th to the early 20th century, but it has rapidly declined throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conventicle</span> Small, unofficial religious meeting of laypeople

A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level conventicle is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word for church, and points to Jesus' promise in Matthew 18:20, "Where two or three are met together in my name."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awakening (Finnish religious movement)</span> Lutheran religious movement in Finland

The Awakening is a Lutheran religious movement in Finland which has found followers in the provinces of Savo and Ostrobothnia. The origins of the movement are in the 18th century. It has functioned inside the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland throughout its existence. Formerly very pietist, the movement is currently considered within mainstream Finnish Lutheranism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformation in Sweden</span>

The Reformation in Sweden is generally regarded as having begun in 1527 during the reign of King Gustav I of Sweden, but the process was slow and did not end definitively until the Uppsala Synod of 1593 and the following War against Sigismund, with an attempted counter-reformation during the reign of John III (1568–1592).

The Tolerance Act was a Swedish law, enacted by Gustav III of Sweden 24 January 1781. It guaranteed freedom of religion and full citizen rights for all Christian immigrants and foreign residents in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Church Law 1686</span> Law of the Church of Sweden

The Swedish Church Law 1686 was a Swedish law which regulated the relationship between the state and the church in Sweden from 1686 until the Swedish Church Law 1992, as well as in Finland until 1870. It replaced the previous Swedish Church Ordinance 1571.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baptists in Finland</span> Protestant church in Finland

Baptists in Finland have existed since the middle of the 19th century. They are part of the Baptist branch of Protestant Christianity and belong to three different Finnish church associations. Swedish-speaking Finns formed the Swedish Baptist Union of Finland, while Finnish-speaking Baptists are united in the Finnish Baptist Church ; two Finnish congregations are a part of the Seventh Day Baptists. In addition, a few independent Baptist churches exist, including Grace Baptist Church in Tampere. The congregation was formerly known as Perinteinen Baptistiseurakunta in Finnish and International Baptist Church in English. Agape International Baptist Church in Pedersöre is also among the independent Baptist churches.

Kyrkogångsplikt was the legal obligation of the population in Sweden–Finland to attend weekly mass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Läsare</span> Pietistic movement in Sweden

Läsare or the Reader movement was a Swedish Pietistic Christian revival movement of people who stressed the importance of reading, that is, reading the Bible and other Christian literature. It was influenced by both the Herrnhuters and the Methodists and has been described by scholar George M. Stephenson as a "second religious reformation in Sweden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conventicle Act (Denmark–Norway)</span> Danish–Norwegian law regarding religion

The Conventicle Act was a decree issued 13 January 1741 by King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway and forbade lay preachers from holding religious services – conventicles – without the approval of the local Lutheran priest. The law was repealed in 1839 in Denmark and 1842 in Norway, which lay the groundwork for freedom of assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Palmqvist</span>

Per Palmqvist, also Palmquist, was a Swedish Baptist pioneer and organist. He is regarded as one of the founders of Sunday school in Sweden. Palmqvist, along with his two brothers Johannes and Gustaf Palmquist, were early leaders of the Swedish Baptist movement in Sweden.

References