Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1943, Page 117

SWEDISH AND DANISH CHRISTIANITY
iii
man. Christianity is paradoxical and demands the abandoning
of both an aesthetical and a moralistic attitude towards life.
Confronted with these unprecedented demands everybody must
make his decision: either — or. Indeed, “Either — or” is the title
of one of Kierkegaard’s best known works. A Christianity which
has not been personally appropriated and lived through to its full
extent, is worthless. To the generation following immediately
after Kierkegaard in Denmark, this meant that it was driven to
examine its position as regards belief and philosophy. Beck in
the Home Mission was led to emphasize the inevitability of a per-
sonal conversion. Others were of the opinion that they could not
honestly embrace a belief so difficult of access and so exacting,
and therefore preferred to turn their backs on Christianity com-
pletely.
Among the latter particularly Georg Brandes came to exer-
cise great influence. As he could not accept Kierkegaard’s demand
for an unreserved belief, he turned passionately against Christi-
anity in general. His fierce attack on Church and theology was
well received by many, principally university men and authors.
Literature more and more refrained from Christian belief, and
at present Danish literature only exceptionally occupies itself
with religious problems. The academic world also at present on
the whole holds a position foreign to Christianity and professes
a philosophy of rather a positivistic character influenced by
Brandes and his pupils.
This, however, does not apply to one of the most original
representatives of Danish academic life of today, Vilhelm Gron-
bech, who in 1943 at the age of 70 years retired from his pro-
fessorship of the history of religion in the University of Copen-
hagen. In his very comprehensive work he has treated a great
many different religions. He has, however, preferably dwelt on
the two foundations of occidental culture, Christianity and Greek
religion. His view of Christianity stands out in sharp contrast
to the official preaching of Christianity. According to Gronbech
the Church is only a continuation of the moralizing Judaism which
Jesus condemned. His great pathos is Life, which is not to be
bound by moral rules and forms of organization. This he pro-
fesses to find in Jesus’s preaching which is put in sharp contrast
to the doctrines of St. Paul. The Occident under the influence
of ecclesiastical Christianity has been working at shaping its soul
according to ideal norms in such a way that it has completely