TheCaptain
Regular Member
In the US, many people believe that a "society without God" would be full of immorality, chaos, crime, murders and rapes. In other words, hell on earth! Most Americans wouldn't vote for an atheist as president, as they doubt the morality of atheists.
The Scandinavian countries are among the most prosperous and have some of the lowest crime and murder rates in the world. So an American would think that the Scandinavian must be very god-fearing, since they have so peaceful and well-functioning societies. But that is not the case! On the contrary, the Scandinavian countries are the most secular in the world. Less than 30% of the Danes believe in God, and only 12% go to church once a month or more.
The American sociologist Phil Zuckerman moved to Denmark and lived there for a year, studying the Scandinavian societies for his book "Society without God". He found out that a society can be extremely civilized, even though it's very irreligious, which may be a big shock for most Americans.
Quote from the book:
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"The United States is arguably the most religious Western democracy. Denmark and Sweden are arguably the least religious Western democracies. Isn't it strange and rather noteworthy, then, that it is in proudly religious America that guns are plentiful (especially handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons), the penal system is harsh and punitive, the death penalty is meted out on a weekly basis, drug addicts are treated like criminals, millions of children and pregnant mothers lack basic health insurance, millions of elderly people go without proper care, social workers are underpaid and overworked, people suffering from mental illness are left festering on city streets, and the highest levels of poverty of all the industrialized democracies is here.
But in relatively irreligious Denmark and Sweden-two nations that most Americans would consider fairly "godless-guns are nowhere to be found; the penal system is admirably humane, merciful, and rehabilitative; the death penalty has long been abolished; drug addicts are treated as human beings in need of medical and/or psychological treatment; every man, woman, and child has access to excellent health care; the elderly receive the finest care; social workers are well-paid and given manageable case loads; people suffering from mental illness are given first-class treatment; and the country boasts the lowest levels of poverty of all the industrialized democracies. I wondered how and why this is so."
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In addition to that, I recommend this radio interview with the author: (I'm sorry, I can't post URLs yet)
Part 1 on YouTube
Part 2 on YouTube
I strongly recommend this book to anybody, who are interested in how a godless society can be well-functioning and civilized. Especially Americans could learn a lot from this book!
Buy the book here
So do you think the Scandinavian countries are successful BECAUSE they are secular, or is it just a coincidence? Does a society always need religion, as many Americans would say, in order to be a moral society? I doubt it. Scandinavians live happily without God.
The Scandinavian countries are among the most prosperous and have some of the lowest crime and murder rates in the world. So an American would think that the Scandinavian must be very god-fearing, since they have so peaceful and well-functioning societies. But that is not the case! On the contrary, the Scandinavian countries are the most secular in the world. Less than 30% of the Danes believe in God, and only 12% go to church once a month or more.
The American sociologist Phil Zuckerman moved to Denmark and lived there for a year, studying the Scandinavian societies for his book "Society without God". He found out that a society can be extremely civilized, even though it's very irreligious, which may be a big shock for most Americans.
Quote from the book:
----
"The United States is arguably the most religious Western democracy. Denmark and Sweden are arguably the least religious Western democracies. Isn't it strange and rather noteworthy, then, that it is in proudly religious America that guns are plentiful (especially handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons), the penal system is harsh and punitive, the death penalty is meted out on a weekly basis, drug addicts are treated like criminals, millions of children and pregnant mothers lack basic health insurance, millions of elderly people go without proper care, social workers are underpaid and overworked, people suffering from mental illness are left festering on city streets, and the highest levels of poverty of all the industrialized democracies is here.
But in relatively irreligious Denmark and Sweden-two nations that most Americans would consider fairly "godless-guns are nowhere to be found; the penal system is admirably humane, merciful, and rehabilitative; the death penalty has long been abolished; drug addicts are treated as human beings in need of medical and/or psychological treatment; every man, woman, and child has access to excellent health care; the elderly receive the finest care; social workers are well-paid and given manageable case loads; people suffering from mental illness are given first-class treatment; and the country boasts the lowest levels of poverty of all the industrialized democracies. I wondered how and why this is so."
----
In addition to that, I recommend this radio interview with the author: (I'm sorry, I can't post URLs yet)
Part 1 on YouTube
Part 2 on YouTube
I strongly recommend this book to anybody, who are interested in how a godless society can be well-functioning and civilized. Especially Americans could learn a lot from this book!
Buy the book here
So do you think the Scandinavian countries are successful BECAUSE they are secular, or is it just a coincidence? Does a society always need religion, as many Americans would say, in order to be a moral society? I doubt it. Scandinavians live happily without God.
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