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In this chapter, we examine the Protestant roots of four Finnish values: egalitarianism, work-related (or Protestant ethic) values, education-related values (Bildung in German, sivistys in Finnish), and honesty. We distinguish three levels: cultural, individual, and behavioural. In terms of these three levels, equality seems to be part of the cultural (behavioural) programming of the Finns as a nation, even though it does not figure prominently in the social representation of national identity or rank high in individual value hierarchies. Work-related values seem to be quite central to Finnish national identity, as well as empirically linked to honesty, also a central Finnish value. Education as a value seems to be more on a cultural level, and thus unites a more general Protestant approach, rather than being more specifically Finnish. Honesty is a value for which all three levels – national, individual, and behavioural – are in an agreement in Finland. This chapter advances evidence of a social psychological mechanism through which egalitarianism, Protestant work ethic, and education values jointly produce honesty and other ingredients of a functioning democracy. However, it should be noted that those associations are statistical and not deterministic or straightforward. The Finnish (and Nordic) honesty norm could be seen as a result of a joint influence of several values, not just attributable to the impact of one or two values. ; Peer reviewed

This volume analyses the societal legacy of Lutheranism in Finland in broad terms. It contributes to the recent renewed interest in the history of religion in Finland and the Nordic countries by bringing together researchers in history, political science, economics, social psychology, education, linguistics, media studies, and theology to examine the mutual relationship between Lutheranism and society in Finland. The two main foci are (i) the historical effects of the Reformation and its aftermath on societal structures and on national identity, values, linguistic culture, education, and the economy, and (ii) the adaptation of the church – and its theology – to changes in the geo-political and sociocultural context. Important sub-themes include nationalism and religion, the secularization and institutionalization of traditional values, multiple Protestant ethics, and long continuities in history. Overall the book argues that large changes in societies cannot be explained via 'secular' factors alone, such as economic development or urbanization, but that factors pertaining to religion provide substantial explanatory power for understanding societal change and the resulting societal structures.