death that they chose death. However, is suicide the correct term for this horrible choice? The at present often indiscriminately repeated description of this type of crime in the form of murder as ”suicidal murders” is in my opinion both sometimes true and at the same time often leading us upon a false track. Surely these persons wanted to die, but many of them did not seek to end their lives. Instead, they were intent on continuing it in heaven. Their longing for heaven drove them to seek a swift and secure passage there. Others were not primarily longing for death, but instead wanted to flea from at horrible life, filled with for example torturous punishments. There is some variation, but quite a lot of similarities in the findings and theories in the Christian world pointing at some form of theology, both taught by the Church and becoming a part of popular culture and life. Tyge Krogh has concluded that a connection exists between Lutheran and Pietistic theology and praxis and the murders he labels as ”suicide murders”.879 He even writes: and This study has probably satisfactorily revealed that Krogh in these stateA result of Christian theology The importance of the Lutheran execution ceremony and the Pietistic development of it is underlined by the geographical distribution of the suicide murders. My research shows that such murders were a significant criminal problem only in Lutheran countries and cities.880 The extraordinary Lutheran focus on the preparation of criminals sentenced to death and the creation of the highly religious executions ceremony had its origin in distinguishing features of the Lutheran faith. The Lutheran soteriology stressed that salvation followed the acknowledgement of one’s sinfulness and required the sinner to turn to God in remorse.881 the explanations of the acts 879 Krogh 2012, passim and p 172 sqq. 880 Krogh 2012 p 4 sq. 881 Krogh 2012 p 172. 246
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