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rachel_abby_reads's review
3.0
This book explores the history of the portrayal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark in the nineteenth century.
Denmark has been at least nominally Christian since the eleventh century, and Lutheran since the sixteenth. In 1848, there was a change of power from strict monarchy to constitutional monarchy, and it included a nominal freedom of religion element: people should be free to worship, or not, according to their own desires.
This freedom was somewhat. . .theoretical. Lutheranism is deeply tied into Danish identity: births, marriages and deaths are all logged through the Lutheran church. Census rolls are taken by Lutheran parish - the Lutheran church was often the local arm of the Danish government.
When missionaries came to Denmark by 1850, sharing a message of revelation and restoration, and especially gathering as saints in the United States, there was a back lash. The religion was weird, the converts were a little holier than thou, and they aren't DANISH. Converts left Denmark and Danishness behind them (was the portrayal).
This author explored the history of the portrayal of Danish converts in the media and culture of the day, and the way it evolved from vitriolic to farcical (think Book of Mormon Musical), to actually holding political office. It also discusses the self-perception and cultural identity of Danish immigrants; those that joined the Church and came to the United States.
The initial premise for this is the political cartoons depicting Muhammed in the Jyllands-Posten periodical that prompted a back lash. I believe she posited that the look at the history of the Church of Jesus Christ in Denmark would be a pattern for acceptance of the Muslim immigrants in Denmark.
I found it interesting because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ with Danish convert and immigrant ancestry and a serious Danish genealogy research hobby- the subject matter resonated on several points. But as I finished the book, I realized that the author never tied off on the modern connect to the Jyllands cartoons. Perhaps she felt comment was outside the scope of her work.
Denmark has been at least nominally Christian since the eleventh century, and Lutheran since the sixteenth. In 1848, there was a change of power from strict monarchy to constitutional monarchy, and it included a nominal freedom of religion element: people should be free to worship, or not, according to their own desires.
This freedom was somewhat. . .theoretical. Lutheranism is deeply tied into Danish identity: births, marriages and deaths are all logged through the Lutheran church. Census rolls are taken by Lutheran parish - the Lutheran church was often the local arm of the Danish government.
When missionaries came to Denmark by 1850, sharing a message of revelation and restoration, and especially gathering as saints in the United States, there was a back lash. The religion was weird, the converts were a little holier than thou, and they aren't DANISH. Converts left Denmark and Danishness behind them (was the portrayal).
This author explored the history of the portrayal of Danish converts in the media and culture of the day, and the way it evolved from vitriolic to farcical (think Book of Mormon Musical), to actually holding political office. It also discusses the self-perception and cultural identity of Danish immigrants; those that joined the Church and came to the United States.
The initial premise for this is the political cartoons depicting Muhammed in the Jyllands-Posten periodical that prompted a back lash. I believe she posited that the look at the history of the Church of Jesus Christ in Denmark would be a pattern for acceptance of the Muslim immigrants in Denmark.
I found it interesting because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ with Danish convert and immigrant ancestry and a serious Danish genealogy research hobby- the subject matter resonated on several points. But as I finished the book, I realized that the author never tied off on the modern connect to the Jyllands cartoons. Perhaps she felt comment was outside the scope of her work.
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