Lutheranism Works in Norway

[Whag]

I think this is very impressive. Norway has evolved a great culture since the days of blood-drinking vikings.

http://news.yahoo.com/killer-gloats-...144357920.html

[Whag]

We can learn from Norway when the tensions begin to rise in the Trayvon case.

This can easily go in Civics 101, btw.

[Tassman]

I think this is very impressive. Norway has evolved a great culture since the days of blood-drinking vikings.

http://news.yahoo.com/killer-gloats-...144357920.html

Actually, Norway has the fourth highest rates of Atheism/Agnosticism in the world. But, I agree, it is a very impressive society.

http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html

It also has a low rate of people in jail at: Norway: 64 per 100,000 people compared to the Christian USA having the highest in the world at: 715 per 100,000.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...ers-per-capita

[MaxVel]

I think this is very impressive. Norway has evolved a great culture since the days of blood-drinking vikings.

http://news.yahoo.com/killer-gloats-...144357920.html

It is a bit different from how many countries would handle this kind of situation, that's for sure.

When you say their culture 'has evolved', are you meaning that it is closer to some ideal culture; or that it is in some way better than their earlier viking culture; or that it is more fit for survival; or simply that it has changed; or something else?

[shunyadragon]

I think this is very impressive. Norway has evolved a great culture since the days of blood-drinking vikings.

http://news.yahoo.com/killer-gloats-...144357920.html

I disagree with your stereotype of the Vikings/ Archeology shows that they were a sophisticated ship building fishing and military naval culture, and no more barbarian than the other cultures in Europe. Thet were simply the best at what they did, and settled and colonized much of coastal British Isles, especially in the north.

the Norwegians could hardly be called a traditional Lutheran culture, because like other Scandanavians they are more humanist in general. I am not overly impressed with the race relations of the Scandanavian culures today.

[Whag]

I disagree with your stereotype of the Vikings/ Archeology shows that they were a sophisticated ship building fishing and military naval culture, and no more barbarian than the other cultures in Europe. Thet were simply the best at what they did, and settled and colonized much of coastal British Isles, especially in the north.

the Norwegians could hardly be called a traditional Lutheran culture, because like other Scandanavians they are more humanist in general. I am not overly impressed with the race relations of the Scandanavian culures today.

I mainly thought it would be a good topic of discussion, since Norway has a strong Lutheran background. What do you think accounts for their emotional restraint?

[Adrift]

America has higher rates of people in jail because of longer prison sentences than most nations, and because America is more likely to jail people for nonviolent crimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?pagewanted=all

Despite the recent decline in the murder rate in the United States, it is still about four times that of many nations in Western Europe.

But that is only a partial explanation. The United States, in fact, has relatively low rates of nonviolent crime. It has lower burglary and robbery rates than Australia, Canada and England.

People who commit nonviolent crimes in the rest of the world are less likely to receive prison time and certainly less likely to receive long sentences. The United States is, for instance, the only advanced country that incarcerates people for minor property crimes like passing bad checks, Whitman wrote.

Efforts to combat illegal drugs play a major role in explaining long prison sentences in the United States as well. In 1980, there were about 40,000 people in American jails and prisons for drug crimes. These days, there are almost 500,000.

© source where applicable

[Whag]

America has higher rates of people in jail because of longer prison sentences than most nations, and because America is more likely to jail people for nonviolent crimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?pagewanted=all

Despite the recent decline in the murder rate in the United States, it is still about four times that of many nations in Western Europe.

But that is only a partial explanation. The United States, in fact, has relatively low rates of nonviolent crime. It has lower burglary and robbery rates than Australia, Canada and England.

People who commit nonviolent crimes in the rest of the world are less likely to receive prison time and certainly less likely to receive long sentences. The United States is, for instance, the only advanced country that incarcerates people for minor property crimes like passing bad checks, Whitman wrote.

Efforts to combat illegal drugs play a major role in explaining long prison sentences in the United States as well. In 1980, there were about 40,000 people in American jails and prisons for drug crimes. These days, there are almost 500,000.

© source where applicable

Do you think I was too hasty in attributing Norwegian cultural restraint to institutionalized religion (the culture of the church of Norway)? Maybe it's just a product of a relatively healthy society (compared to the US) and the overall recognition in human beings that responding to madness with rage only exacerbates the horror.

[Adrift]

Do you think I was too hasty in attributing Norwegian cultural restraint to institutionalized religion (the culture of the church of Norway)?

Do I think you were too hasty? Not really. Its an interesting theory. I'm assuming things like climate, semi-isolation, and just cultural habits and tradition have a lot to do with it as well. I'm assuming the "blood-drinking vikings" remark was a bit tongue in cheek.

[Whag]

Do I think you were too hasty? Not really. Its an interesting theory. I'm assuming things like climate, semi-isolation, and just cultural habits and tradition have a lot to do with it as well. I'm assuming the "blood-drinking vikings" remark was a bit tongue in cheek.

I just realized the Norwegian black metal bands still drink blood from skulls. It's probably cherry kool aid, though.

[Adrift]

I just realized the Norwegian black metal bands still drink blood from skulls. It's probably cherry kool aid, though.

I wouldn't be too surprised if it wasn't... Just sayin'

[Whag]

I wouldn't be too surprised if it wasn't... Just sayin'

The "singer" of that band had a ziploc bag with a dead rotting bird inside it. Before he'd go out on stage, he'd open the bag and huff it to put him in a morbid (but still rockin') mood.

[Adrift]

The "singer" of that band had a ziploc bag with a dead rotting bird inside it. Before he'd go out on stage, he'd open the bag and huff it to put him in a morbid (but still rockin') mood.

How evil.

Its funny how a band like Swans or early Killing Joke can evoke, what I consider, a much darker and sophisticated mood with less of the theatrics

Then again, I've had friends who've seen GG Allin and Gwar (not in the same night), and maybe theatrics pay off in the end.

[Whag]

How evil.

Its funny how a band like Swans or early Killing Joke can evoke, what I consider, a much darker and sophisticated mood with less of the theatrics

Then again, I've had friends who've seen GG Allin and Gwar (not in the same night), and maybe theatrics pay off in the end.

Black metal sounds like swarming bees and Wagner.

[Adrift]

Black metal sounds like swarming bees and Wagner.

Well you got the swarming bees part right.