Bible Belt (Netherlands)
The Bible Belt is a strip of land in the Netherlands with the highest concentration of conservative orthodox Reformed Protestants in the country. Although the term is of recent origin the Dutch Bible Belt has existed for many generations. Due to the traditions of the local populace, it is also regarded as a cultural area of the Netherlands.
This Bible Belt stretches from Zeeland and Goeree-Overflakkee in the southwest, through the eastern half of South Holland, the West-Betuwe and Veluwe in the center of the country, to parts of the province Overijssel in the northeast. Some exclave communities exist outside the belt with strong conservative Reformed leanings. For example, some municipalities of Friesland, such as Dantumadiel, have characteristics typical of the Bible Belt, as well as Urk, considered by many as one of the most traditional communities in the country.
Locations
Municipalities in the Bible Belt include Yerseke, Tholen, Ouddorp, Opheusden, Kesteren, Barneveld, Nunspeet, Elspeet, Heerde, Epe, Hattem, Zwartewaterland and Staphorst. The three biggest cities regarded to be part of the Bible Belt are Ede, Veenendaal and Kampen. In Overijssel, the Bible belt is more dispersed and not always contiguous from one municipality to the next. Pockets exist such as in Rijssen.The various conservative orthodox Calvinist denominations, such as the Old-Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands, have a combined official membership of about 400,000 people, approximately 2.5% of the entire population, although other sources estimate their share at about 7%.
History
When Flanders and North Brabant were reconquered by the Spanish army during the Eighty Years' War, their Protestant inhabitants were required to either convert to Catholicism or leave. Many emigrated north of the border, particularly during the Twelve Years' Truce of 1609–21. Many of them later became staunch supporters of the pietist movement known as the Nadere Reformatie.Following the 1832 schism, known as the Afscheiding, and the 1886 Dutch Reformed Church split which was led by Abraham Kuyper, they left the mainstream Dutch Reformed Church and founded their own, more conservative congregations, the most notable of which are the Christian Reformed Churches and the Reformed Congregations, known colloquially as zwarte-kousenkerken.
The Bible Belt differs in many aspects from the traditionally Catholic provinces of North Brabant and Limburg to the south and northern parts of the Netherlands, which are traditionally mainline Protestant and increasingly secular, with similarly low church attendance figures.
Life and tradition
The church plays a central role in the life of Bible Belt communities, and they typically oppose the liberal practices of mainstream Dutch society, such as euthanasia, gay rights, abortion, prostitution, and pornography. In some parts, activities like watching television are forbidden. In Staphorst, for instance, swearing is discouraged, many women wear skirts or dresses, and the automated bank machine and other services are closed on Sundays. In Bible Belt communities, a strong religious tone in public life is accompanied by a conservative outlook, a preference for large families, and an emphasis on traditional values. Statistically, the highest birth rates in the Netherlands and the youngest populations are within this region, and they also have the lowest divorce rates.An aspect of Bible Belt society that has drawn the attention of the Dutch general public in the 1990s is the suspicion of parents towards state-run vaccination programmes.
The Bible Belt provides a base of support for the Reformed Political Party and Christian Union.