American Bible-Thumper Travels To Scandinavia, Freaks Out After Discovering How Secular They Are
Not The Onion!
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/11/07/american-bible-thumper-travels-scandinavia-freaks-out-discovering-secular-video/
Pastor Marty McLain, who describes his religious belief as deriving from a literal interpretation of the Bible, was given the opportunity to see how secular Scandinavia is by a documentary series called The Norden. The concept is simple: find narrow-minded Americans and throw them into countries like Norway, Sweden and Denmark and watch them have panic attacks. It actually sounds like a lot of fun....
McLain, who’s favorite expression is “wow,” is wowed a lot. Almost no one he talks to on the street seems interested in God. One guy puts it bluntly: “If there is no god, why should I believe in him?” Ouch.
A few highlights:
While interviewing several members of a church in Copenhagen, McLain makes the mistake of assuming that, given their faith, they must be homophobes like he is. After he laments the fact that the oppressive government made Denmark’s churches perform same-sex marriages, the Reverend had to awkwardly tell him that neither he nor anyone else at the church had a problem with gay people. McLain’s pained expression is priceless.
He runs into a man on the street who (finally!) says he believes in God. Excited, McLain asks if he is a Christian. The man tells him, no, a Muslim. McLain: “A Muslim!”
An excruciating discussion with a humanist over coffee ends with the humanist telling McLain, “In short, I have no need of a god. To put it bluntly.” McLain stares off into space, his mind melting.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I will watch it later.
yet gawd "has always been there" despite no one ever seeing him. Reichwing "logic" proves yet again that you can't fix stupid. 
support their heads? 
wonder if they'll figure out how to upload their brains...
It is that simple. 
I feel like it might violate call-out rules to name him but it's not real hard to figure out who he is since he posts about it a lot and his screen name here is his first initial and his last name.
There are a lot of Dudeists here though. I became a Priest of the Church of the Latter-Day Dude several years ago myself.
jwirr
Norway and Sweden have still a "state sanctioned Church" - but the connection between State and the Church is a much more loose one than in the 1960s - and I think, in Sweden Svenska Kyrkan (the Swedish Church) have to pay for itself - and its upkeep of churches and buildings - even if they have the possibility of getting help from the Government if need arise and they have no economical ability to do it them self..
In Norway - we still have a State Churches - even if it officially is a less connection between State and Church - it is more intertwined beaten the two parts than in Sweden - and we still have to pay taxes - who to a degree goes also to the upkeep of churches, and buildings and other facilities. And by tradition many families decide to baptize their children - in the church - often after sunday mass - my nephew and his sisters is all baptized in the church - even if my sister belong to a different church than the state sanctioned church - and I'm not sure about her husband - I think it is mostly out of tradition from his part - but anyway - my nieces was baptized in a church who is from the 11 century - a nice, old church who is still active in the summer.. My nephew is baptized in a church who is from the 1800s - but whose foundations is old, going back to the first 1000 years AD...
I'm not sure about how it works in Denmark to be honest - as the Queen Margrethe II is still the defender of the faith and so one - but then again, Denmark have always, at least from the late 1800s had a rather easy going attitude to church things - and specially in the 20th and 21 century have made much progress about having a rather lay back attitude to church things... It is mostly, as in Norway, tradition who make people goes to church now and then - and if one have a belief, they keep it to them self - as it is a personal matter... A progress to be honest - from the time, back in the 1960s and 1970s - where the priest could force his personal belief onto others - and make life miserable for the ones he doesn't liked... My brother and me was not baptized in the Norwigian Church - becouse the minister there was not pleased my parents was not married - and had two kids - that was a bad things even in 1976.. But then again - when they finaly married, it ended a year after in a rather complicated divorse... Long story... My mom married a swede in the 1990s - and was happy married with him, as he was able to help and care for her in a way no other man had being doing. Sadly they got just 10 years togheter - and my mom was alone for the next 10 years - Now I do hope they both are in the heavens - doing whatever they want as both of them are healty if maybe little nude 
Anyway - If it is a after life - I do hope both my parents - and moms husband for a decade is in good hands - and is cared for...
But then - we also have a whole different organized country than in the US - I suspect most americans, even if they envoy our riches and our public founded health care and a lot of different other things that I take for granted - we have a lot more rules, officially as unofficial who have to be followed at all time - and we often have laws in place for things that is "freedom" in the US... But it works good in most cases as we know it - and we kind of accept it, even if we disagree with it..
Diclotican
TomVilmer
That might be correct - and I know about the first Danish constitution, who was made in 1849 - by the way - That danish King who was king when the first constitution was written - and who ended one of the oldest autocratic monarks in Europe - once also was crown prince to the Danish-Norwegian Crown - and in fact, as he was the highest leader of that crown in 1814, was rather instrumental in making our Constitution a reality in 1814 - he was even given the Norwegian crown, in 1814 in May - but had to give it up by September - when every hope of an independent Norway had been lost - to the arch-enemy Sweden... But since we already had our Constitution who made limits to what the King could do in Norway - the 91 years of same King was more easy than it could have been, if not for persons like Christian Frederik - and many others - who managed to make the constitution a possibility - and in later days - when he was a king, Christian Frederik was still hopefully about a unity between Denmark and Norway - even if he never was to see the day, he always had good memories from the time when he was regent in Norway - on behalf of the Danish Crown.... Norway and Denmark had after all over 400 years under the same crown.. As a danish king, Christian Frederik had to change with the times - and even if wanted to reform the country - he often had to put the brakes on - mostly because he also had to compete with the nobility, who often was problematic working with - and the whole government - as he kind of was not the strongest willed king in the world - and some of his advisor's was more busy making their own bed, rather than fixing others bed... And had not much interest in making sure progress was made for everyone... Even as Denmark was one of the poorest countries in Europe by the mid 1800s - and many had to emigrate, either to Sweden, or to America - as the population in Denmark was rising - and pe pole was not able to live on the land they had been for centuries anymore... And where many, if not most was rather poor - the situation was problematic to say it least - and Denmark was maybe hit harder than many of the other nordic countries, mostly becomes they still had a strong nobility, who had no interest whats so ever in shange... And it was not until 1849, after a decade of problems, and even revolutions, as the summer of 1840-48 had been troublesome, where millions of poor people suddenly had awaken - and turned against their masters - in that climate - the first danish constitution was made - more as a result of panic than of anything else... But for the first time in centuries - it was made boundaries for the Kings powers - and most of the legal power was made in Folketinget - who in turn was responsible for making laws and so one..
After 1000 years, all of the Scandinavian countries is if anything cultural christians - the culture is baked into all form of laws - and maybe even how people thinks - even for the ones who have no real interest in religion whats so ever...
You would always find the ones, who want to challenge the "others" - and if you read some of the blog - or for that different statements around current cases in newspapers, you should believe Denmark, Sweden and Norway was on the brink of being invaded by the muslims - and Sharia installed as the only legal source... With all the consequences that would end in.... I think most of it - is rubbish - and because people is afraid of change - and afraid of anything they do not know...
I know Denmark is small - even compared to Norway - Denmark is tiny - but it is always nice to visit Denmark, it is alarmist like being home abroad - even if the language can be little difficult to understand, specially when in the south of Jutland.. And many danish mistake Norwegian for being swedish - something that make for some interesting problems now and then.... And I guess Norway have the same issue - as we are a small country - our leaders is kind of close to the ones they govern - something that make possible for a more direct approach to democracy - I'm not sure it is many places in the world, you could bump into the prime minister - when they are out walking.... Or for that matter - our king and queen - I had the pleasure of doing that once - and the king was a nice fellow, rather down to earth when you think about it.. our queen a little stiff - but okay in her way.. But I think she is a nice lady, if you get to know here better.. She look like it.. Our late king Olav V, cemented in a way the trust between King and subjects - when he was shown taking the tram as a regular man - instead of being driven around in a car - and when he after the discovery was asked if he was afraid of being assassinated - he answered as just our late king could do it "Why should I be afraid of that - I have 4.5 million bodyguards around me, I do not se any needs for a bodyguard when I am out on my own" - That is a statement about the trust between the King and his subjects..
We also have a few religious nuts around - but no one of them is in any danger of changing the government - that is the big different between some who might have the possibility of changing anything - and someone who might state things as they see it - but who have never any chance of changing anything... Let them have their meeing about how horrible the world is, and why they have the need to burn a holy Book... I found it just childish - as everyone would know - it would infuriate the muslims more than anything else... Even religous Fundies in US have yet to burn the Quran - even if they had treated repeately to do it...
Diclotican
NBachers
Thank you - Im allways lurking around and sometimes I think i wrote - other times I dont - and i can allways hope that I have some intersting things to say too...
Thank you, for being here too Neightbor
Diclotican
A LOT! 
Ayn Rand sounds like the ideal candidate... other than being dead and stuff.
None of us do, really. Some really want one, however.
(the "English church"
. It's an English-speaking congregation under the auspices of the Church of England, and it attracts liberal Christian expats.
So I attend a service and then coffee hour and get to talking with some of the Americans (some business transfers, some students, some married to Swedes). They tell me that Swedish society takes such good care of its citizens that there is little for the churches to do in the way of charitable work. Few people fall between the cracks except late-stage alcoholics and late-stage drug addicts, and the Salvation Army deals with them.
This particular church does its charitable work in Latvia, which is an overnight ferry ride from Stockholm. There the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a complete shredding of the social safety net, so there are a lot of destitute people. The Stockholm group cooperates with the English Church in Riga, Latvia, to help poor people, especially seniors.
Imagine, a church that, unlike the one I attend, doesn't sponsor meal programs because there aren't enough people who need them.
rocktivity
Same thing I tell door-to-door preachers.
