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Sweden’s Newest Religion Posted by on Jan 6, 2012 in Culture, Vocabulary

Sweden is not a religious country. At all. In fact, it is often described as one of the most secular countries in the world. That does not mean that there are not religions, or that there is no spirituality. Such things are alive and well in Sweden. In fact, Sweden has recently become the birthplace of a new religion: Det Missionernade Kopimistsamfundet or the Missionary Church of Kopimism.

The church has decided that the file sharing is a religion. The Swedish government has even acknowledged the church as an official religion. The church claims that it has over 3000 members in more than ten countries. Isak Gerson, a philosophy student at the University of Uppsala founded the religion a couple of years ago and since then has been working to have it recognized by the Swedish government. Just recently that recognition was given.

While this news seems to have taken the internet world by storm, it doesn’t amount to all that much. Nor should it be all that surprising. The acknowledgement as an official religion in Sweden is similar to incorporating a business. It’s an important step, yes, but it has a way to go to supplant the already established religions in Sweden. Of course, it fits well in a country that already has a political party, the Pirate Party, which shares similar views in terms of file sharing.

Below, you’ll find a short vocab list of religious words that may come in handy. In parentheses you’ll find whether it is an en or ett word as well as whether it is a noun, verb, or adjective. Good luck!

(ett) sakrament                        a sacrament (noun/substantiv)
(en) tro                                      a belief (substantiv)
(att) tro                                    to believe (verb)
(en) helig skrift                        a religious text (substantiv)
andlige                                       spiritual (adjective/adjektiv)
(en) religion                             a religion (substantiv)
religiöst                                   religious (adjektiv)
(en) gud                                   a god or God (substantiv)
(en) ängel                                an angel (substantiv)
(en) kyrka                                a church (substantiv)
(en) domkyrka                         a cathedral (substantiv)
(att) be                                     to pray (verb)
(en) bön                                   a prayer (substantiv)
kristen                                     Christian (adjective)
(en) kristen                              a Christian (substantiv)
(en) kristendom                       Christianity (substantiv)
muslimsk                                 Muslim (adjektiv)
(en) muslim                             a Muslim (substantiv)
Islam                                       Islam (substantiv)
judisk                                      Jewish (adjektiv)
(en) jude                                  a Jew (substantiv)
(en) judendom                         Judaism (substantiv)

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About the Author: Marcus Cederström

Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.


Comments:

  1. Elena:

    Hej! For those interested in different religions, I’d like to share that there’s a tv-program on SVT called “Från Sverige till Himmlen” that’s cool, and it’s one of the few programs that you’re able to see in streaming on http://www.svt.se from outside Sweden (most of the programs are blocked for copyright reasons). I watch it to improve my Swedish and it works fine!

  2. Marcus Cederström:

    Great tip!