A fact from Korpela movement appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 28 November 2006. The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that the Korpela movement was a short-lived cult during the 1930s in Northern Sweden and Finland whose controversial sexual rituals eventually led to the arrest of 60 followers?
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I just did a moderate-sized edit to this page, removing several POV comments, including the repeated use of the word "lewd," which is pretty POV, and the implication that spirituality and sexuality are antithetical.
Septegram14:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not my point of view, it's the point of view of the court since they were convicted for lewdness, thus it is safe to say that the sexual activities were lewd. -Obli (Talk)?15:58, 28 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I still say it's POV. The fact that the court considered their actions "lewd" in 1939 doesn't mean we'd still consider them "lewd" today. Quoting the court by saying they were convicted of "lewdness" is one thing, but to characterize the acts as "lewd" as though there were some universal standard for lewdness is another.
Bear in mind that in some places you can get executed today for oral sex; standards vary through space and time. In the 1930s, it's entirely possible that they were doing nothing more than a little consensual adultery, although the reference to minors would lead one to suspect otherwise. However, that's pedophilia, not "lewdness."
"Lewd" is a pejorative term unless used within the narrow confines of a judicial ruling. In this article, the term was used several times without being a specific reference to or quotation from the ruling of the court.
