Vancouver Sun: The Dutch: Pragmatic about sex, drugs AND religion
The Dutch: Pragmatic about sex, drugs AND religion
A Dutch journalism professor from Ede Christian University has come to Vancouver to interview me about how Canadians deal with religion in the public sphere. It brought to mind when I did the opposite: Travelled to the Netherlands to learn about their admirable way of dealing with religion in a secular society.The first and only time I showered naked with a female stranger was in this city of social experiments. It was the early '70s. It was a youth hostel. There was me, another guy and two attractive young women in a large shower room. Nobody flirted. Nobody got excited. But the shower experience set my image of the Netherlands forever: liberal, egalitarian, tolerant, matter-of-fact. Even though fewer Dutch people attend religious institutions than in Canada, the Dutch generally welcome non-coercive public expressions of religion, spirituality and ethical discussion. Many see public religion as a way to integrate people from all walks into one cohesive civil society.
Labels: EU, Netherlands, Tollerance
