Thanks for your feedback and some of your kind words Dany.

I am not sure I picked up on every point you made. Maybe you could clarify a bit for me. Are you living close to Norway or literally close to my neighbourhood?

I didn't quit catch why you brought up Jews. Was your point that many of them are conservative just like the Mormons I mentioned? It seems sensible what you say, I am just trying to make sure I follow your narrative correctly.

Regarding my experience with Mormons. What I describe in this article is of course filtered. I left out my bad impressions, as I deliberately wanted to only write positive stuff for a change. I wanted to make it clear that I don't think everything is bad about American conservatives. I can also see their qualities.

But you are absolutely right, that there is a dark side that one does not necessarily see right away. I think my first encounter with Mormon society was very positive. In fact I tried to go to University there, despite being a atheist.

Of course when you live in a society for longer as I did you start seeing the less visible parts. You meet people who didn't match the narrow and rigid expectations of deeply religious societies.

I remember e.g. meeting a girl who had had a child out of wedlock. She got shunned by her whole community and was in a rather difficult position. The way she got treated would have been unthinkable in a non-religious social democracy that I grew up with.

And I know that among Christian conservatives there is an embrace of physical punishment of children. I have never seen this, but I know indirectly that this is prevalent. For a Norwegian like me, this is quite offensive. As a society we have been for a long time been very concerned with the rights of children and banned physical punishment many decades ago. I have seen several generations of Norwegians raised without the use of physical punishment.

It surprised me that so many conservative religious people emphasize punishment and revenge rather than forgiveness and love.

It is not like I haven't used any form of punishment raising my kids, but that has only been stuff like depriving them of candy, playing games, TV or maybe their stuff animals. It has not ever been about inficting physical pain.

I do wish there was a way to encourage religious conservatives to change and be more open minded. I am not sure how you best do that. It seems like today the see themselves as under siege or attack and they are lashing back. Ultimately they are hurting themselves and their loved ones.