Spiritual preparedness in World War II

“Everyone agreed that a strong defence demanded not just soldiers and ration cards, but also a general ability among Swedes to resist both psychological warfare and the other demoralising effects of war,” says Ida Olenius.

She has just defended her thesis “Spiritual Preparedness: The Church of Sweden’s Work for Strengthening Swedish People’s Fortitude During the Second World War, 1939–1945”, on the role of spiritual preparedness during the war.

During the Second World War, when Sweden saw Norway, Denmark and Finland attacked, many wondered how to inspire resilience and national loyalty among the people. Alongside military and economic preparedness, emergency authorities and rallying round the policy of neutrality, attention was therefore also given to spiritual preparedness. This was taken to mean a people that was loyal to the nation and prepared to make sacrifices and persevere. A people that was resilient. It was a popular concept. Many wanted to make it their own, but there was disagreement about what was needed to bring about spiritual preparedness among the people.

Desire to define the nation ‘Sweden’

Both the state and the Church of Sweden, as well as popular education and free church movements, organised activities to help strengthen people’s fortitude. It was a way for organisations and authorities to demonstrate their capacity and national loyalty, and also an opportunity for them to define the nation ‘Sweden’. Notably, many felt that Christianity had a self-evident role in Swedish nation-building, while others thought it was irrelevant. Another key issue was the extent to which efforts to promote preparedness were a responsibility of the Church of Sweden.

The thesis “Spiritual Readiness: The Church of Sweden’s Work for Strengthening Swedish People’s Fortitude During the Second World War, 1939–1945” focuses specifically on the approach and activities of the state church. Ida Olenius has analysed the church’s work on preparedness during the war and found that it largely coincided with overall historical trends in the country. This is particularly clear with regard to the commitment to Finland’s war effort in the Winter War, the peak of preparedness activities in 1940–1941, and rallying round the idea of Swedishness.

Strengthening the fortitude of the people

In her research, Olenius has studied the types of initiatives people and organisations within the Church of Sweden took to strengthen the fortitude of the people: Who took these initiatives? What was the organisation like? How did the efforts of the Church of Sweden interact with those of other actors in the arena of spiritual preparedness?

“There was great diversity in terms of slogans, initiatives, actors and organisations – both within the Church and in society at large. Spiritual preparedness received attention not only from the state, the state church and other churches, but also from the labour movement, the popular education movement and political organisations. Church initiatives included church services, of course, but also activities such as citizens’ meetings, information courses and church preparedness films. This indicates a lot of creativity within the Church and a lot of room for own initiatives.”

Renewed relevance of spiritual preparedness

After falling out of fashion for some time, the concept of ‘spiritual preparedness’ has acquired renewed relevance in the public debate. It is based on a fundamental idea that is also relevant in the uncertain international situation that has arisen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olenius observes.

“The question remains of how to inspire resilience to disinformation, perseverance in trying times and national loyalty. Similarly, churches are still expected to play a role in preparedness today, although not necessarily exactly the same role as during the Second World War. But as then, it is important to reflect on what role religious communities can and should play in the event of crisis or war – and what exactly in what is perceived as ‘Swedish’ should be defended if the country comes under attack.”

Elin Bäckström