En kamp om själar - Doria

the United States, and later on as a prison chaplain. The study shows that he
was appreciated by the local Reds. He even had the opportunity of giving
pastoral care to two Reds that were executed shortly after the war.
Secondly, the study confirms previous findings about the nature of the
information that was spread during the Civil War. The information spread in
newspapers and pamphlets was often false creating hatred and fear. Such
disinformation was also present in the Porvoo region. The local events were
also reported in a distorted way. For example, the numbers of people shot or
murdered were exaggerated both among the Reds and the Whites.
Nevertheless, the study shows that the incorrect information did not create
hatred and exaggerated violence during or after the Civil War, as was the case
elsewhere.
Thirdly, the ”firewall” effect of the revival movements is investigated. It
is noted that a fairly low level of revivalist activity was sufficient to hamper
the Reds’ efforts to engage people in the struggle against the Whites. This was
also the case in areas with large industries and workers’ associations.
Fourthly, the great importance of the Christian associations is pointed out.
The associations rallied an unprecedented number of people in the period
before and after the Civil War. This indicates a great interest in religious
issues among the local population. Thus people attended the meeting of the
associations while church attendance declined after the Civil War.
The final conclusion of the dissertation is that the attitude toward the
church was positive irrespective of one’s choice of side in the Civil War. The
reason for this was the strong attachment of the local population to heritage,
faith and Christian tradition. One can say that the Civil War constituted a very
brief ”Red interlude” in the history of the porvoo region.
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