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Hope is Not Enough : Examining the Role of Spirituality in Encounters with Climate Emotions: A Case-Study of Danish Green Churches

Olsen, Line Lundager LU (2024) HEKM51 20241
Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
This research builds on the assertion that spirituality can be beneficial to human-wellbeing and in creating nature-connection. Applying that notion within the historical context of Christianity and its ties to the work-ethics of capitalism, the paper presents a case-study of the Threeclover Church, a Protestant Green Church in Denmark’s capital region. The aim is to gain further understanding of how Green Churches can aid when confronting difficult climate-crisis emotions by fostering cultures of care. The research examines the practices of bringing climate conversations into the spiritual space at Threeclover Church, and how that interacts with an existing, dominant culture of uncare and climate-crisis denialism (CCD). Using theory on... (More)
This research builds on the assertion that spirituality can be beneficial to human-wellbeing and in creating nature-connection. Applying that notion within the historical context of Christianity and its ties to the work-ethics of capitalism, the paper presents a case-study of the Threeclover Church, a Protestant Green Church in Denmark’s capital region. The aim is to gain further understanding of how Green Churches can aid when confronting difficult climate-crisis emotions by fostering cultures of care. The research examines the practices of bringing climate conversations into the spiritual space at Threeclover Church, and how that interacts with an existing, dominant culture of uncare and climate-crisis denialism (CCD). Using theory on CCD and cultures of care/uncare, combined with the history of Christianity and the role of spirituality in environmental-mindsets, the field of Threeclover Green Church is examined. Through a collection of written sermons, ethnographic participatory observations of Masses, conversations with the congregation and the online presence of the church, a critical semiotic analysis of Threeclover is conducted, to give a holistic account of the church’s activities as a Green Church, finding that the Christian values of church-members does affect their relation to nature both, through practices of gratefulness and through a sense of moral duty. (Less)
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author
Olsen, Line Lundager LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9174447
date added to LUP
2024-09-12 14:10:53
date last changed
2024-09-12 14:10:53
@misc{9174447,
  abstract     = {{This research builds on the assertion that spirituality can be beneficial to human-wellbeing and in creating nature-connection. Applying that notion within the historical context of Christianity and its ties to the work-ethics of capitalism, the paper presents a case-study of the Threeclover Church, a Protestant Green Church in Denmark’s capital region. The aim is to gain further understanding of how Green Churches can aid when confronting difficult climate-crisis emotions by fostering cultures of care. The research examines the practices of bringing climate conversations into the spiritual space at Threeclover Church, and how that interacts with an existing, dominant culture of uncare and climate-crisis denialism (CCD). Using theory on CCD and cultures of care/uncare, combined with the history of Christianity and the role of spirituality in environmental-mindsets, the field of Threeclover Green Church is examined. Through a collection of written sermons, ethnographic participatory observations of Masses, conversations with the congregation and the online presence of the church, a critical semiotic analysis of Threeclover is conducted, to give a holistic account of the church’s activities as a Green Church, finding that the Christian values of church-members does affect their relation to nature both, through practices of gratefulness and through a sense of moral duty.}},
  author       = {{Olsen, Line Lundager}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Hope is Not Enough : Examining the Role of Spirituality in Encounters with Climate Emotions: A Case-Study of Danish Green Churches}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}