Att vara kristen i en postkristen tid -Upplevelsen av religion och identitet hos unga svenskar

Most people experience Sweden as a secular country, which could cause problems for Christian adolescents at school. The secular society has become the new normal for many people which results in Christian adolescents often having to defend themselves and their beliefs at school when questioned by their non-Christian peers. We interviewed seven people who wanted to share their experiences from their adolescence. The purpose of the study is to examine how Christian adolescents experience attendance at a non-religious school in a secular country. The theoretical framework from which the analysis is drawn upon is the theory of Socialisation Process by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann and the concept of Stigma by Erving Goffman. The results demonstrate there is vulnerability in being a Christian at school in a secular country. Some participants reported that they might be less active in the church during their adolescence. They also reported an unwillingness to discuss their faith with non-Christians when questioned. Several of the respondents describe a qualitative difference between the friends who shared their beliefs and the friends who didn´t. To a large extent the friendship between those who have shared beliefs remains to this day