Unpronouncable by a Brit: Fogtdal. And he hits the spot very nicely, especially with Religion: none. Can you believe it? The Danish Church Quango is even trying to horn in on the annual teenfest, demanding more than a brief appearance to collect the gifts! Bible study? Gimme a break.
PS that’s confirmation, btw.
When I was working we had some SAS First Officers on secondment. This group was composed in equal parts Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. It was fun to hear them talk about each other. The general consensus was that the Swedes did everything by the book, The Danes were not quite as rigid and the Norwegians didn’t know where the book was, which didn’t matter because most of them couldn’t read anyway.
They were without exception good guys and I enjoyed flying with all of them but they did sort of follow the definition above.
Janus: One suspects that the reason why a large majority of Danes are still members of the Church of Denmark is that they can’t be bothered to resign. Religion does have its place, but any sort of absolute faith has been undermined by science and reason. In the end it’s what one wishes to believe.
Jazz: There’s an old joke that in Norway, slow is not a pace, it’s a way of life. One thing that struck me about Norway was that, for as clean and modern as it was, it could be remarkably poorly organised. For some reason, even if things were pleasantly functional, there was a slight disconnect in concepts. In Sweden everything is very logical and well-organised. In Denmark, there’s still somehow a clear structure. In Norway, the pieces aren’t properly connected. Lovely countries,all three.
CT, I think superstition plays a part – if I don’t pay my dues, will I still go to heaven? 😱
Jazz, I like the Norwegians’ lack of urgency. Easy to see it’s natural when getting ariund can take for ever.
Janus: If it helps provide comfort and if the structure helps people to better themselves, I see nothing wrong with it. If it’s used as an excuse to be sanctimonious and holier-than-thou, however…
CT, it is for many families a social ‘must have’. They have no interest in religion or the church but wish to use the local clergy as a means to a cynical end. When the clergy insist on respect and good behaviour from the confirmands (and the parents) they face abuse. So like christenings, the ceremonies are often prompted by a superstitious need to conform with little regard for their intended purpose.
Janus: Is it necessarily a bad thing, though, to maintain these traditions? It’s a part of being Danish. The Japanese still have their shrine/temple events even though few Japanese actually believe in their goddesses and gods.
CT, in principle I agree but the Danish take seems to be to mock the origins by concentrating on the fashions and gifts.
Janus: Commercialisation is a pandemic. How many people in the West actually understand the Easter wasn’t originally about rabbits and chocolate eggs or that Christmas wasn’t always about binge-eating and ruining personal finances for the next half-year?
Indeed. 😦
PS I think the problem is compounded by the fact that the Danish Church is a state institution which people pay for. They would respond to my criticism by saying just that.
Janus: In Hunland there is no state church, but anyone who is classified as a member of a church is taxed to support that church. Many churches who would otherwise no longer consider a person an active member of their “flock” are only too content to overlook this inconsistency. After all, if they actually removed those people from their membership lists they’d stand to lose millions a year.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Unpronouncable by a Brit: Fogtdal. And he hits the spot very nicely, especially with Religion: none. Can you believe it? The Danish Church Quango is even trying to horn in on the annual teenfest, demanding more than a brief appearance to collect the gifts! Bible study? Gimme a break.
PS that’s confirmation, btw.
When I was working we had some SAS First Officers on secondment. This group was composed in equal parts Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. It was fun to hear them talk about each other. The general consensus was that the Swedes did everything by the book, The Danes were not quite as rigid and the Norwegians didn’t know where the book was, which didn’t matter because most of them couldn’t read anyway.
They were without exception good guys and I enjoyed flying with all of them but they did sort of follow the definition above.
Janus: One suspects that the reason why a large majority of Danes are still members of the Church of Denmark is that they can’t be bothered to resign. Religion does have its place, but any sort of absolute faith has been undermined by science and reason. In the end it’s what one wishes to believe.
Jazz: There’s an old joke that in Norway, slow is not a pace, it’s a way of life. One thing that struck me about Norway was that, for as clean and modern as it was, it could be remarkably poorly organised. For some reason, even if things were pleasantly functional, there was a slight disconnect in concepts. In Sweden everything is very logical and well-organised. In Denmark, there’s still somehow a clear structure. In Norway, the pieces aren’t properly connected. Lovely countries,all three.
CT, I think superstition plays a part – if I don’t pay my dues, will I still go to heaven? 😱
Jazz, I like the Norwegians’ lack of urgency. Easy to see it’s natural when getting ariund can take for ever.
Janus: If it helps provide comfort and if the structure helps people to better themselves, I see nothing wrong with it. If it’s used as an excuse to be sanctimonious and holier-than-thou, however…
CT, it is for many families a social ‘must have’. They have no interest in religion or the church but wish to use the local clergy as a means to a cynical end. When the clergy insist on respect and good behaviour from the confirmands (and the parents) they face abuse. So like christenings, the ceremonies are often prompted by a superstitious need to conform with little regard for their intended purpose.
Janus: Is it necessarily a bad thing, though, to maintain these traditions? It’s a part of being Danish. The Japanese still have their shrine/temple events even though few Japanese actually believe in their goddesses and gods.
CT, in principle I agree but the Danish take seems to be to mock the origins by concentrating on the fashions and gifts.
Janus: Commercialisation is a pandemic. How many people in the West actually understand the Easter wasn’t originally about rabbits and chocolate eggs or that Christmas wasn’t always about binge-eating and ruining personal finances for the next half-year?
Indeed. 😦
PS I think the problem is compounded by the fact that the Danish Church is a state institution which people pay for. They would respond to my criticism by saying just that.
Janus: In Hunland there is no state church, but anyone who is classified as a member of a church is taxed to support that church. Many churches who would otherwise no longer consider a person an active member of their “flock” are only too content to overlook this inconsistency. After all, if they actually removed those people from their membership lists they’d stand to lose millions a year.