General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders: What's Wrong With America Looking More Like Scandinavia? [View all]Diclotican
(5,095 posts)madaboutharry
Most people in the nordic countries have a degree of religious belief - many is baptized as young children, maybe more out of tradition than because of a religious feber from the parents part - but religion is a personal matter in great deal - and most people will feel uncomfortable around people who show off their religion to much - something that could be a clash of culture when people who are used to a different attitude to religion is intruding on our personal space... Many people have no religious belief or connection to religion all together - even if they have been baptized as baby's - it is just not a thing for them....
I think some of it comes from the fact the nordic countries have had their share of "Nutters" who imposed their will on the majority - for a long time it was compulsory to wist the church every sunday - for hours at end - and if you did not - you could be arrested by the local sheriff - or the police if you lived in the city's - you could even be fined - if you counted to not take your time wisting the local church - and if you not followed it up - you could end up in a prison even - that last one was seldom used - because it cost the state to mutch.... But as the 1800s contained most of the countries started to be somewhat secular - mostly because of the influx of new knowledge - and that even the church itself was starting to moderate itself. And I also suspect the fact that we had a pressure valve in the ability to leave Norway - for the americans - that in most cases be the United States - ended most of the religious feber - as they for the most part by the end of the 1800s had emigrated to the americans - to make up a new frontier there instead of continue to be fanatical about it in the old country - who also was one of the poorest countries in the World at the spring of 1900s... 100 year later, Norway was one of the richest countries in Europe - and in the world..
In all - I think the nordic countries is rather secular in their views - and as first stated - religion is a private matter for most - and for the most part it is just not polite to make a fuzz about which church you belong to - or if you belong to any church at all... It is up to yourself and your own views to be honest...
Diclotican