The Korpela movement, or Siikavaara sect, was a

religious sect A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, typically emerging as an offshoot of a larger organization. Originally, the term referred specifically to religious groups that had separated from a main body, but ...

started by

Laestadian Laestadianism (; ; ; ), also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a pietistic Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Swedish Lutheran state church administrator and ...

preacher

Toivo Korpela Toivo is a masculine given name most commonly found in Estonia and Finland meaning hope. Alternately, it is a short form of the name Tobias. It may refer to: * Andimba Toivo ya Toivo (1924–2017), Namibian politician and anti-Apartheid activist ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

during the 1920s. It saw its decline later during the next decade as its practices involved heavy drinking and unconventional sexual activities toward the end of its existence, which subsequently led to the conviction of 60 of its followers.

History

The grounds for the Korpela movement were laid in 1928 when Toivo Korpela, a self-proclaimed

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

who had been rejected from his congregation in western

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, started to travel around the

Torne Valley Torne may refer to: * River Torne (England), a river in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England * Torne (Finnish and Swedish river) The Torne, also known as the Tornio (, , , , ), is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. For approximately hal ...

to preach. The mainstream of the Laestadian movement were troubled by his activities and in 1931, it was openly suggested that Korpela could have "succumbed to

vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

" and that "the authority of the word of god was endangered" unless he changed his view on important matters of faith. When Korpela stopped preaching in 1934 due to his conflicting views with the Swedish Laestadian church, the movement survived without his leadership and new leaders emerged from inside the community. One of the new leaders of the cult was Sigurd Siikavaara, who officially started the movement following Korpela's exile (thus the alternative name of the movement). More unorthodox elements such as apocalyptic beliefs and ecstatic rituals were introduced following the change of leadership. These beliefs and practices were later denounced by Korpela himself in an interview given in 1935. Following the involvement of Swedish authorities, Siikavaara was institutionalised in an

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

for 67 days, and upon his release the practices of the movement took a turn towards sexual rituals, which would ultimately lead to its demise. Following the radical change in practices, the Swedish government involved itself further, previously being tolerant toward religion, now targeting the

sexual ritual Sexual rituals fall into two categories: culture-created, and natural behaviour, the human animal having developed sex rituals from evolutionary instincts for reproduction, which are then integrated into society, and elaborated to include aspects ...

s, especially with concern for the involvement of minors. In 1939, police arrested 60 people, leading to the end of the movement, which at its peak had gained an estimated total of 600 followers.

Beliefs and practices

The spiritual beliefs of the movement were initially similar to those of

Laestadianism Laestadianism (; ; ; ), also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a Pietism, pietistic Lutheranism, Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Church of Sweden, Swedish Lu ...

, although apparently not accepted by the Laestadian community as a whole, hence Korpela's initial reaction from central Finland. Following the exile of Korpela, his two closest preachers, Sigurd Siikavaara and

Arthur Niemi Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

began to introduce the belief that a flying ark would bring 666 true believers to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and that the last 1,335 days of the world had begun, one date set for the arrival of the ark that was reported by newspapers at the time was March 14, 1935. It was later taught that the ark would not be an actual physical ark, but the spirit of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

, granted to the followers of the Korpela movement. All claims and beliefs were more or less loosely based on interpretations of an old version of the Bible, as the new translation of the Bible at the time was preached as an abomination. Following Siikavaara and Niemi's brief confinement to mental asylums the beliefs and practices changed focus; Siikavaara claimed to have been invested with the spirit of the prophets and Christ, essentially proclaiming divine status, and gave the followers of the movement forgiveness for their

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

s, thus enabling them to engage in swearing, drinking, gambling and hitherto-prohibited sexual rituals. Upon his arrest in 1939, Siikavaara was an alcoholic and had allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with 30 women other than his wife. These facts have been questioned by relatives of Siikavaara who say that there actually were not any sexual rituals. Said rituals were merely rumours created by Laestadians, imagining the worst possible sins.

References

;Inline ;General * * Sjöström, Henning (1969) ''Silverarken'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (1988) ''Dagning;röd!'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (1987) ''Kristalliarkki'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (1988) ''Kolmen kyynärän jumalat'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (1989) ''Korpelan enkelit'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (1998) ''Kristallarken'' * Pohjanen, Bengt (2003) ''Trevliga djävlar'' {{in lang, sv Laestadianism Religious organizations established in the 1920s Religion in Sweden 1920s establishments in Sweden New religious movements established in the 1920s 20th-century establishments in Norrbotten County