It has always been difficult for me to convey to my American friends just how secular Sweden has been. You can look at the data, which show us perched in the top-left corner of the World Values Survey’s global map, leading the world in secularism and self-expression. This tells you something—but numbers don’t capture the texture of everyday life.
When I started school at age seven, I was convinced I was the only Christian among the three hundred students in attendance. That turned out to be not quite true; the others were just clever enough to keep their heads down.
If someone discovered I went to church, they were baffled. How could I possibly believe in fairy tales? Had I missed the memo? Religion was obsolete, science had disproved God’s existence, and now, finally free from its oppressive force, we were about to build a brave new world. It was other kids telling me this—not tenured professors at elite universities.
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