Essay: An observation about the countries that handled the coronavirus pandemic well so far. And let's look at Finland.

Finland was a great place to be during the coronavirus pandemic. Long live Finland, whose citizens have capitalism, lots of consumer choices, free speech and many other freedoms!

I will also point out the a very large percentage of the countries that have handled the coronavirus pandemic so far have a Protestant cultural legacy or were strongly influenced by such a country (U.S. had a strong influence on Japan, Singapore was a British colony). See: Protestant cultural legacies.

The national flag of Finland has a cross on it which reflects its Christian heritage.

Finland has a cultural heritage of Lutheranism.

In July of 2021, Der Spiegel indicated that Finland was the best at handling the coronavirus pandemic based on an index based on excess mortality, restrictions on people's lives and liberty, GDP performance and vaccination coverage.

Some of the of most successful countries that handled the coronavirus well in terms of per capita deaths are: New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Iceland, Norway and Finland.

Obviously, some of the countries had geographic advantages which made them less porous as far as infected people coming into their countries (Islands, etc.).

Let take a look at Finland, which is not an island.

One of the most successful developed countries to tackle the coronavirus that didn't have the advantage of being geographically isolated (New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, etc.) was Finland, whose deaths per 100,000 people was very respectable.

Does Finland have private medical companies and capitalism? Yes.

Does Finland have lots of free speech and many other freedoms? Yes.

Does Finland give its consumers a lot of choices? Yes.

Is Finnish society very harmonious or is there a lot of contention and the calling of various people scum, deplorable, irredeemable, etc.? According to the article Understanding Finnish Culture is Key to Thriving in Finland, "Finns have a reputation for reticence, thoughtfulness and unemotional behavior. They are quiet, reflective, somber and, for some, seemingly stubborn and standoffish. They are unwilling to speak unless they have something of importance to say. There is a saying that when a Finn says something, they really mean it."

Did the harmonious Finnish people have public-private partnerships to tackle the coronavirus pandemic? Yes, they did.

Next time some contentious, leftist/liberal tells you the answer to solving the coronavirus pandemic in a country is to shut down free speech and demonize opponents, tell them how beautifully Finland handled the coronavirus pandemic.

I will also point out that a very large percentage of the countries that have handled the coronavirus pandemic so far have a Protestant cultural legacy or were strongly influenced by such a country (U.S. had a strong influence on Japan, Singapore was a British colony. USA and Taiwan are allies.). Finland has a Protestant cultural heritage. See: Protestant cultural legacies.

According to Wikipedia, which is a website founded by an atheist and agnostic, "Finland is a predominantly Christian nation where 67.8% of the 5.5 million overall population are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Protestant), 29.4% are unaffiliated, 1.1% are Orthodox Christians, 0.9% are other christians and 0.8% follow other religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, folk religion etc."

Here I stand on the countries that handled the coronavirus pandemic well. I can do no other.

"Unless I am convicted by Scripture or by right reason (for I trust neither in popes nor in councils, for they have often erred and contradicted themselves) -- unless I am thus convinced, I am bound by the texts of the Bible; my conscience is captive to the Word of God, I neither can nor will recant anything, since it is neither right nor safe to act against conscience is neither. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen." - Martin Luther

Protestant missionaries and economic and societal development

See also: Protestant cultural legacies

The Protestant Martin Luther in 1529, painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder

The article The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries published in Christianity Today notes:

“

In his fifth year of graduate school, Woodberry created a statistical model that could test the connection between missionary work and the health of nations. He and a few research assistants spent two years coding data and refining their methods. They hoped to compute the lasting effect of missionaries, on average, worldwide... One morning, in a windowless, dusty computer lab lit by fluorescent bulbs, Woodberry ran the first big test. After he finished prepping the statistical program on his computer, he clicked "Enter" and then leaned forward to read the results. "I was shocked," says Woodberry. "It was like an atomic bomb. The impact of missions on global democracy was huge. I kept adding variables to the model—factors that people had been studying and writing about for the past 40 years—and they all got wiped out. It was amazing. I knew, then, I was on to something really important." Woodberry already had historical proof that missionaries had educated women and the poor, promoted widespread printing, led nationalist movements that empowered ordinary citizens, and fueled other key elements of democracy. Now the statistics were backing it up: Missionaries weren't just part of the picture. They were central to it... Areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women), and more robust membership in nongovernmental associations. In short: Want a blossoming democracy today? The solution is simple—if you have a time machine: Send a 19th-century missionary."

”

Finland: A country with a Protestant heritage and a most sensible prison system and society

• Prisoners In Finland Live In Open Prisons Where They Learn Tech Skills

Christianity and social stability

St. Basil of Caesarea founded the first hospital. Christian hospitals subsequently spread quickly throughout both the East and the West. See: Christianity and hospitals

See also: Christianity and social stability

There are numerous resources pointing out the benefits of Christianity/religion as far as social stability:

• Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability by Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., 2006

• Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability by Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., 1996

• Religion and crime reduction

• Protestant cultural legacies

• Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

• Christianity and hospitals

• Irreligion and lower economic productivity/stability

• Christianity and scientific progress

• Atheism and loneliness vs. Christian love, fellowship and joy

• Christian worldview concerning resolving conflict among Christians

• Physical and mental health benefits of religiosity

• Religion and morality

• Irreligion and moral decline

• Atheism and world peace

On behalf of all Bible-believing Protestants in the world, I declare victory!

All countries with a Protestant cultural legacy are great to live in. See: Protestant cultural legacies and Christianity and social stability

As much as I hate to say it, on behalf of all Bible-believing Protestants in the world, I declare victory!

The atheist and Harvard University historian Niall Ferguson declared: "Through a mixture of hard work and thrift the Protestant societies of the North and West Atlantic achieved the most rapid economic growth in history."

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See also

• Atheism and the coronavirus pandemic