Nordic Satanism and Satanism Scares: The Dark Side of the Secular Welfare State

Abstract

The authors examine the interaction between the practice of Satanism and widespread public concern over Satanism in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The authors analyse the unique features of Satanism and Satanism scares in the social and cultural context of Nordic “folk church” Lutheranism and the Nordic welfare state. They also discuss how and why in certain periods the fear of Satanism became one of the most visible public issues in the region, and what factors contributed to the decline of public interest in Satanism.

Heavy metal as controversy and counterculture

“…What made Black Metal interesting news was not ideas as such, but an escalation in internal competition for transgressive, subcultural capital that ended in two murders, multiple church arsons and episodes of assault. This, combined with a militant, anti-Christian, anti-social attitude, made Black Metal an ideal example of the Satanism that the Evangelicals had warned about (Hjelm et al 2009;see Kahn-Harris 2007).…”

Dallying with danger, transcending the Rubicon

“…Os autores assinalam que o perigo percebido do heavy metal na década de 1980 decresceu à medida em que a própria popularidade do gênero diminuiu e ele entrou no mainstream. Por outro lado, houve poucos "pânicos morais" em relação a bandas de death ou black metal, embora continuem a produzir o mesmo conteúdo (Hjelm et al, 2009). Assim, "it is in situations where the genre is dislocated from its perceived place in culture when controversies arise" (Hjelm;Levine, 2011, p. 9).…”

“…Por outro lado, houve poucos "pânicos morais" em relação a bandas de death ou black metal, embora continuem a produzir o mesmo conteúdo (Hjelm et al, 2009). Assim, "it is in situations where the genre is dislocated from its perceived place in culture when controversies arise" (Hjelm;Levine, 2011, p. 9). Uma dessas situações-limite é quando músicos cometem crimes, como ocorreu no início dos anos 1990 na Noruega (Patterson, 2013;Hagen, 2011;Moynihan;Søderlind, 2003).…”

“…Nesse contexto, não é de se estranhar que frequentemente ocorram ondas de perseguição a minorias, dissidentes e artistas no mundo islâmico, onde o crime de blasfêmia, apostasia ou difamação religiosa ainda vigora (Hjelm;Levine, 2011;Levine, 2009). Devemos também ter em mente que em muitos casos a pregação de doutrinas contrárias ao islamismo e o proselitismo a outras religiões são crimes, refletindo também a sujeição dos "povos do livro" no período prémoderno, como exemplificadas pelo chamado "Pacto de Omar".…”

Satanism as Reflected in Alan Walker’s Selected Song Lyrics

“…The feature of Satan is part of a pervasive cultural icons group in the popular culture of the late modern West. As quoted from Hjelm, Bogdan, & Petersen [10], although religious and political extremist dominates the news today, the occasional reference to 'satanic' activities still pops up from time to time in national and international media. The phenomena of Satanism are spreading rapidly especially in the western countries [8][9] [15].…”