Awakening (Finnish religious movement) in the context of "Ecclesia (sociology of religion)"

⭐ In the context of Ecclesia (sociology of religion), Awakening (Finnish religious movement) is considered to differ most significantly from an ecclesia in terms of its


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⭐ Core Definition: Awakening (Finnish religious movement)

The Awakening (Finnish: herĂ€nnĂ€isyys, Finnish pronunciation: [ˈherĂŠnːÊiÌŻsyːs]; or körttilĂ€isyys, Finnish: [ˈkĂžrtːilĂŠiÌŻsyːs]) 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.

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👉 Awakening (Finnish religious movement) in the context of Ecclesia (sociology of religion)

Various sociological classifications of religious movements have been proposed by scholars. In the sociology of religion, the most widely used classification is the church-sect typology. The typology is differently construed by different sociologists, and various distinctive features have been proposed to characterise churches and sects. On most accounts, the following features are deemed relevant:

  • The church is a compulsory organisation into which people are born, while the sect is a voluntary organisation to which people usually convert.
  • The church is an inclusive organisation to which all kinds of people may belong, while the sect is an exclusive organisation of religiously qualified people.
  • The church is an established organisation that is well integrated into the larger society and usually inclined to seek for an alliance with the political power, while the sect is a splinter group from a larger religion: it is often in tension with current societal values, rejects any compromise with the secular order and tends to be composed of underprivileged people.
  • The church exhibits complex hierarchical bureaucratic structures, while the sect is a smaller, democratic and relatively informal organisation.
  • The ministers of a church are formally trained, educated and ordained, while the sect rejects sharp distinctions between clergy and laity, and is often ruled by charismatic leaders.
  • In theology and liturgy the church is inclined to dogmatism, traditionalism and ritualism, while the sect promotes intensified spiritual experiences for its members and adopts a more inspirational, informal and unpredictable approach to preaching and worship.

The church-sect typology has been enriched with subtypes. The theory of the church-sect continuum states that churches, ecclesia, denominations and sects form a continuum with decreasing influence on society. Sects are break-away groups from more mainstream religions and tend to be in tension with society. Cults and new religious movements fall outside this continuum and in contrast to aforementioned groups often have a novel teaching. They have been classified on their attitude towards society and the level of involvement of their adherents.

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Awakening (Finnish religious movement) in the context of Lyhdynkantajat

Lyhdynkantajat (Finnish for "the lantern bearers") is a group of sculptures at the main entrance to the Helsinki Central Station in Helsinki, Finland. The sculptures were designed by Emil Wikström and completed in 1914. Lyhdynkantajat is part of the façade of the Art Nouveau station designed by Eliel Saarinen.

The sculptures consist of four male figures made of granite, bearing spherical lamps in their hands. The square-jawed figures have muscular chests, but the bottom parts of their bodies consist of columns decorated in a way typical to Saarinen. The men have haircuts typical of the Awakening movement. It is said that the peasant Jalmari Lehtinen, born in the late 19th century, posed as a model for the figures. Lehtinen, who had worked as a gardener in Wikström's Visavuori home studio, had served as the model for some of Wikström's earlier sculptures as well. The Visavuori art museum contains many competition sketches of the Lyhdynkantajat sculptures. The granite figures have probably been made at the Ab Granit Oy factory in Hanko, like the pedestal of the Elias Lönnrot monument. The actual sculpting was done by a sculptor named Talja and his son. The bear figures of the old Vyborg railway station in Vyborg, Russia were also made by the aforementioned men.

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