Casual Ex-Catholics vs. Strict Ex-Protestants
Posted on Feb 18, 2016 by Trevor in Religion
In The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates, distinguished primatologist Frans de Waal briefly contemplates some of the cultural/religious differences in his native Holland. The south, where he grew up, was more characterized by laid-back Catholicism, but the north featured more of a strict Protestantism. I’m including some excerpt below.
The North
It was only when I moved to a northern city that I noticed the tortuous relationship some people develop with religion. Much of post-war Dutch literature is written by ex-Protestants bitter about their severe upbringing. “Whatever is not commanded is forbidden,” was the rule of the reformed church. Its insistence on frugality, black dress code, continuous fight against temptations of the flesh, frequent scripture readings at the family table, and its punitive God, all contributed greatly to Dutch literature. I have tried to read these books, but have never gotten very far. Too depressing.
The church community kept a close eye on everyone and was quick to accuse. I have heard shocking, real life accounts of weddings, at which the bride and groom left in tears after a sermon about the punishment awaiting sinners. Even at funerals, fire and brimstone might be directed at the deceased in his grave so that his widow and everybody else knew exactly where he’d be going. Uplifting stuff.
The South
In contrast, if the local priest visited our home, he could count on a cigar and a glass of jenever (a sort of gin). Everyone knew that the clergy enjoyed the good life. Religion did come with restrictions, especially reproductive ones (contraception being wrong), but hell was mentioned far less than heaven. Southerners pride themselves on their bon vivant approach to life, claiming there’s nothing wrong with a bit of enjoyment. From the northern perspective, we must have looked positively immoral, with beer, sex, dancing, and good food being part of life.
De Waal then goes on to consider how one’s religious temperament colors one’s exit from that religion.
Possibly the religion one leaves behind carries over into the sort of atheism one embraces. If religion has little grip on one’s life, apostasy is no big deal, and there will be few lingering effects. Hence the general apathy of my generation of ex-Catholics, which grew up with criticism of the Vatican by our parents’ generation in a culture that diluted religious dogma with an appreciation of life’s pleasures. … [S]outhern ex-Catholics look back with so much less bitterness at their religious background than northern ex-protestants.
Later he goes on to share his thesis:
[A]ctivist atheism reflects trauma. The stricter one’s religious background, the greater the need to go against it and to replace old securities with new ones.
From a Mormon Perspective
My own observations from within Mormonism validate de Waal’s thesis. Some of the most evangelical atheists I know were just as zealous and extroverted with their beliefs when they wholly subscribed to the former religion.
I would add an important caveat, however, to the binary portrayal with which he categorizes commitment (devout vs. casual). I know personally a number of Mormons who are quite devoted to their religion but who hold very nuanced, non-literal, or otherwise unorthodox views. This personality type, when they leave their religion, tends to hold equally measured and nuanced views on the other side.
So while devotion may well be a generally good predictor of the type of atheist one becomes, I think a more accurate predictor is whether the adherent was a dogmatic, black-and-white thinker. I think a person who is drawn to exclusivist, conclusive dogma will seek it out regardless of their religious framework.
