Hacker News Reader

Calvinism influenced the Netherlands a lot, I'm not really so much versed in Calvinism in America but if you want to compare I'd suggest starting there.

Even more interesting because I consider Netherlands the closest you get in Continental Europe to a Scandinavian country (socially/economically speaking).

View on HN

Isn't it also true that in Scandinavia religion started losing ground earlier and faster than in the rest of the West? As far as I know, religion is barely relevant for most scandinavians (apart from the influence it has had on all western culture, of course), whereas it still greatly influences the worldview of most americans.

May be protestantism is the origin of this kind of work ethics, probably exacerbated by american history (colonising a new world, carving a new place for themselves in a barely-known land...).

Scandinavia was never conquered by the Christian (or Muslim) church to the same extent as mainland Europe.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com