> The divine right of kings was a perversion of Christianity.
That's nice. But it existed and was religiously accepted for a millenium and a half anyway.
> I can tell you why human sacrifice is wrong. Can you tell me why witch burning is wrong?
Because it's murder.
> So where did the power-base come from?
Same power base of any king.
I heartily recommend that you try to find a copy of "Christian History," Issue 63 (Vol. XVIII, No. 3) from 1999. The entire issue is devoted to "A Severe Salvation: How the Vikings took up the faith."
If you think the conversion of Scandinavia was a bottom-up phenomenon, you're in for a surprise. Much of the rest of Europe was the same... the king tells you what religion you are.
Actually, it's not according to the legal definition -- i.e. the killing of a human being by a sane person, with intent, malice aforethought . . . and with no legal excuse or authority.
Now, one with Christian sensibilities will think it's wrong i.e. it's merciless; the old Norse legacy of trial by ordeal led to bearing false witness; it violated the Golden Rule; it was a judgemental, the casting of the first stone and unnecessary but those who don't believe in a divine good greater than the state can't call it murder.
I heartily recommend that you try to find a copy of "Christian History," Issue 63 (Vol. XVIII, No. 3) from 1999. The entire issue is devoted to "A Severe Salvation: How the Vikings took up the faith."
If you think the conversion of Scandinavia was a bottom-up phenomenon, you're in for a surprise.
What I'm saying is that it was not all command of the king or conversion by sword. There was envy good examples of unsung individuals; distorted examples of not so good individuals; and the inherent disatisfaction of a false religion and a pointless life.
There were many Scandinavians who believed before the kings issued the decrees, and many who didn't afterwards.
Anyway, it the conversion was very good for Scandinavia and very good for the world.
Consider King Olaf Trygvesson:
With his fleet now fortified to 94 ships, he came back to England and joined forces with the Danish king Svein Forkbeard. Together they raided England, "burning villages, laying waste the lands, putting numbers of people to death by fire and sword, without regard to sex, and sweeping off an immense booty." Seizing horses, they rode wildly through many provinces and slaughtered the whole population with savage cruelty, "sparing neither the women nor children of tender age."
This was before he became a Christian. The idea that Christianity somehow encouraged any tendancy he had towards violence is not reasonable.