Context

A recent article, possibly inspired by the notoriety of the recent Danish burqa ban, gives us an insight into Scandinavian ‘Jante Law’. This code of public-opinion-enforced homogeneity, intersects provocatively with the ongoing saga of Boris Johnson, his remarks, their alleged offensiveness, and their political implications. Did Johnson exploit the lack of ‘Jante Law’ in Britain to be rude with impunity because he was rich and prominent? Does the burqa dispute revolve around contested rights to differing common cultures in today’s Britain? Is it genuinely about public fears bred by Islamist terrorism? Or is it about a Muslim woman’s right to her own spirituality?

 

Reflection

Can such questions also be explored via Paul’s condemnation of drunkenness for retarding spiritual growth (v.18)? Is there any difference between the conformism achieved through meditation on God’s word and that enforced, like Jante Law, by the dead-weight of community opinion? Paul’s community are to judge their actions in relation to God’s will before conforming. Fulfilling God’s will, not just obeying a rule, is their goal. Is the burqa worn because Muslim women are oppressed by patriarchy, or because women, having explored God’s word, embrace this, like Paul’s sobriety, for their spiritual good?

Jokes about someone’s attire, especially if, as in the case of covered women, it is not necessarily freely chosen, are disempowering and can be dangerous. When the target is from another community, and the audience is the nation, would-be witty images spawn nastier developments, from letter-boxes and robbers, to medieval spectres and Klansmen. Should politicians and journalists then communicate only in platitudes?

The film about Jante Law conveys the oppressiveness of uninterrupted sameness and moderation. Early Puritans embraced a discipline which saw linguistic flourishes as self-indulgence and refused all but biblical paraphrase (v.19) in worship. I am glad George Herbert disagreed and claimed the freedom to use every resource of language to praise his God (for example, see the entries titled: The Collar; Virtue; Love).

As a student and teacher of language I am grieved by any move to put limits on the power of language to convey individuality, evoke vivid images or mark fine shades of meaning. The gift of fluent yet precise language can be used as a hostile weapon just as the gift of plentiful provision can be an opportunity for drunken excess (v.18). But as the Ephesians could also use their convivial assembly for praise and thanksgiving, so the linguistic skill which makes witty phrases at the expense of burqa-wearers could equally identify the perceived incongruity of the burqa in a free society in a way which is conducive to better understanding of the problem. You might, rather than saying those covered women looked like letter-boxes, say they were like shaded lights or shuttered lanterns. That would put the emphasis where it should be, on what such devout women sadly withhold from wider society, in beauty, smiles, warmth. We could, through ‘care-full’ linguistic precision, then be debating the gains and losses, in a multi-cultural society, of particular spiritual disciplines, whether refusing alcohol, adopting self-denying regimes like Jante Law, or veiling oneself against distraction.

 

Prayer

A meditative prayer on language, which could be used as part of prayers of intercession.

Dear Lord, many of us know that we have used language to hurt those around us.
Do we also know how to use it to heal?
We know all the insulting phrases, the ways of belittling those we disagree with.
Do we also know how to build people up with our words, how to encourage, how to inspire?

Living Word, fill us with your Spirit.
May our words be fluent without shallowness,
vivid without spite or cruelty,
and insightful without malice.
And may our conversations always be guided
by our calling to be salt for the earth,
light for those in darkness,
and love for those who remain among the world’s unloved.
Amen.

 

Questions

• Do you practise any specific spiritual discipline – e.g. total abstention from alcohol, vegetarianism or ‘meatless Mondays’, a Lenten fast, plastic-free endeavours? Or daily prayer or bible-reading? Or an exercise or meditation regime? Why?
• In what ways do you feel such practices draw you closer to God?

 

All-age activity

Give out slips of paper or sticky notes, each with a generic term written on it – e.g. food, drink, water, toys, clothing, shelter, transport, footwear, books, pictures, music. Ask people, working together, to sort them into ‘necessary’ and ‘not necessary’ for a basic good life, and to place each item in an appropriately headed column on a white board or large sheet of paper.

Next, give out some more slips/notes each with a specific item written on it – e.g. warm clothing, high-heeled shoes, burgers, white wine, hybrid car, CD, Poldark, chicken, a video game, home-ownership, Shakespeare, Turner. Ask people to match each of these items to a generic one, and then to say (discuss) whether the refinement (i.e. more specific item) remains a necessity, or not. Do as many items as you can in the time available.

There will be more scope for debate if you have chosen generic and specific items that are likely to illicit different responses in terms of necessary or not. You might also get good debates about how far, and of what kind, items such as books, art, and music are a necessary part of the good life.

Invite people, in the coming week, to continue reflecting on what is necessary and not necessary for a basic good life.

 

Young people

• Is it true that living ‘the Good Life’ is only partly about being true to your principles – because ‘fitting in’ also enters into it? (You could show the BBC Jante Law video.)
• Sticking to Christian principles without becoming excluded as a ‘party pooper’ is often a problem for young people. Ask the group to suggest how they might approach this problem, getting them to decide what aspects are most problematic for them – e.g. sexual mores perceived as prudish; attitudes to alcohol and/or drugs; activities precluded by Sunday church attendance.

 

Brenda Vance is a retired University Teacher of English and a URC Elder.

 

Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by ROOTS for Churches Ltd.

ROOTS publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines.