[ICTHUS]

Does anyone know anything about the Herrnhuter Fraternity mentioned by http://www.webcom.com/kierke/bio/backgr.html? It was referred to as Soren Kierkegaard's religious denomination, and I wasn't sure what their beliefs or theology would have entailed. I'm just wanting to get a bit of an idea of Kierkegaard's religious upbringing, and what sort of presuppositions or he might have brought to his work as a philosopher.

Some other relevant information gleaned from other places in that document...

His religious denomination was the pietistic Herrnhuter 'fraternity'. He had a sombre view of life and brought up his children to a strict form of Christianity, which particularly emphasized the sufferings of Christ. He suffered from periodic attacks of depression, awareness of sin and scrupulosity. He especially doubted the salvation of his soul.

In 'The Viewpoint of My Authorship' Kierkegaard writes in a purely biographical vein:

"As a child I was strictly and earnestly brought up to Christianity, humanly speaking, insanely brought up: even in my earliest childhood I had been overstrained by impressions which were laid upon me by the melancholy old man who was himself oppressed by them -- a child, insanely travestied as a melancholy old man."

Elsewhere is written: "I owe everything to my father from the very start. When he, melancholy as he was, saw me looking sad, he would say, 'See that you duly love Jesus Christ.'"

It was particularly the suffering Christ that the father presented to the child. His son says that from boyhood upwards he was brought up to the view that the truth must suffer and be derided and scorned. He mentions as well the indignation he had felt from childhood because, long before he had experienced it himself, he had learned that the world was ruled by lies, meanness and injustice. "Even as a small child I was told, as solemnly as possible: that everyone spat at Christ (who, indeed, was the truth), that the multitude (those who passed by) spat at him and said: 'Shame on you.' I have kept this deep in my heart. This thought is my life." So it was. The picture of Christ which his father impressed on the boy's mind remained with him throughout his life as the dominating experience. In several places Kierkegaard wrote that the overwhelming impression of Christ made in his childhood 'humanly speaking' made him intensely miserable. "It was all connected with the relationship with my father, the person I have loved most -- and what does that mean? It means thzt he is just the person who makes one miserable -- but out of love. His fault lay not in lack of love, but in confusing an old man with a child." But 'religiously speaking' in the long run he was grateful to his father."From him I learnt what paternal affection means, and thus I was given the concept of divine paternal love, the only thing in life which is firm and unshakable, the true Archimedean point."

[Athanasius]

I believe they were/are Moravians, but I can't be sure since their websites are all in German!

[ICTHUS]

What are Moravians?