Birth and Formative Years
Zinzendorf was born just a month after what has become known as The Great Awakening, in which Moravian exiles on the lands of his father committed themselves to a life in Christ. Both his parents were deeply committed to this ideal. His father and his mother, Countess Erdmuth Dorothea von Reuss, came from Pietist families that stressed the indwelling of the spirit. His parents considered their relationship to be a marriage of champions in which the goal was serving Christ. The young Zinzendorf was left in the care of his mother for most of his youth while his father pursued church activities elsewhere. His effeminacy was noted by nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century historians who typically blamed it on his being raised in the company of women: "Christian Renatus . . . had all the ardor without the virility characteristic of his father."
The strong mother/weak or distant father parenting style typically associated with early psychoanalytic attempts to explain homosexuality was also used to further discredit Zinzendorf. As a student, Zinzendorf was known for being frivolous, even bringing a cat to class. At the age of sixteen, he was named vice-elder of the Single Brothers Choir. Moravian communities were dedicated to serving Christ. The traditional family unit was abandoned in order to direct all residents' energies to that goal. Much like the Shakers, Moravian residents lived in groups or choirs according to gender, marital status and age.
Read more about this topic: Christian Renatus Von Zinzendorf
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