Religion under uppbyggnad - en studie av Synteiströrelsen i Sverige

The history of religion shows that religion has never been a final product. Rather religion has always been influenced by and adapted to its historical and local context. Today’s society is no exception. Globalization has meant that information, ideas and communication can take place without having to take geographical considerations. This has also effected the emergence of new religions. Synteism is one of the new religious movements we can find in Sweden. It’s a religion in the making and is in constant change as part of its philosophy. It was “founded” in 2012 and amongst it founders are Alexander Bard, Jan Söderqvist and Joel Lindefors. The aim of this paper is to investigate the rituals, practices and activities of the synteism, and to analyse their functions and importance for its members/practitioners. A qualitative approach was chosen and semi structured interviews were conducted. As the synteism is very much a religion that is linked to internet, its internet forums were also studied. Moreover, a book written by Bard and Söderqvist has been part of the material. The result shows that the rituals practices and activities are important for its members, but as the religion is in constant change it’s hard to pin down certain core rituals that will last. Change, influence and shared memory and experiences are key characteristics of synteism. Some of these are often seen in other religions