TheBible Belt (Dutch:Bijbelgordel, Biblebelt) is a strip of land in theNetherlands with the highest concentration of conservative orthodoxReformedProtestants in the country. Although the term is of recent origin (named by analogy after theBible Belt of theUnited States) the Dutch Bible Belt has existed for many generations. Due to the traditions of the local populace, it is also regarded as acultural area of the Netherlands.[1]
This Bible Belt stretches fromZeeland andGoeree-Overflakkee in the southwest, through the eastern half ofSouth Holland, the West-Betuwe andVeluwe in the center of the country, to parts of the provinceOverijssel in the northeast. Some exclave communities exist outside the belt with strong conservative Reformed leanings. For example, some municipalities ofFriesland, such asDantumadiel, have characteristics typical of the Bible Belt, as well asUrk, considered by many as one of the most traditional communities in the country.
Municipalities in the Bible Belt includeYerseke,Tholen,Ouddorp,Opheusden,Kesteren,Barneveld,Nunspeet,Elspeet,Heerde,Epe,Hattem,Zwartewaterland andStaphorst. The three biggest cities regarded to be part of the Bible Belt areEde,Veenendaal andKampen. In Overijssel, the Bible belt is more dispersed and not always contiguous from one municipality to the next. Pockets exist such as inRijssen.
The various conservative orthodox Calvinist denominations, such as theOld-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%.[citation needed]
WhenFlanders andNorth Brabant were reconquered by theSpanish army during theEighty Years' War, their Protestant inhabitants were required to either convert to Catholicism or leave. Many emigrated north of the border, particularly during theTwelve Years' Truce of 1609–21. Many of them later became staunch supporters of thepietist movement known as theNadere Reformatie (further reformation). Following the 1832 schism, known as theAfscheiding ("Secession")[2], and the1886 Dutch Reformed Church split (Doleantie ("Sorrow")) which was led byAbraham Kuyper, they left the mainstreamDutch Reformed Church and founded their own, more conservative congregations, the most notable of which are theChristian Reformed Churches and theReformed Congregations ("Gereformeerde Gemeenten"), known colloquially aszwarte-kousenkerken ("black stockings churches").
The Bible Belt differs in many aspects (amongst them a regular Sundaychurch attendance – often twice on a Sunday) from the traditionally Catholic provinces ofNorth Brabant andLimburg to the south (where Sunday church attendance averages between 2% and 3%[3] of the population) and northern parts of the Netherlands, which are traditionally mainline Protestant (dominated by theProtestant Church in the Netherlands[4]) and increasinglysecular, with similarly low church attendance figures.
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 aseuthanasia,gay rights,abortion,prostitution, andpornography. In some parts, activities likewatching television are forbidden.[5] In Staphorst, for instance, swearing is discouraged, many women wear skirts or dresses, and theautomated bank machine and other services are closed on Sundays.[6][7] In Bible Belt communities, a strong religious tone in public life is accompanied by a conservative outlook, a preference for large families (the region has relatively highfertility rates), 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.[8]
An aspect of Bible Belt society that has drawn the attention of the Dutch general public in the1990s (when concerns of ameasles epidemic emerged) isthe suspicion of parents towards state-runvaccination programmes.[9][10]
The Bible Belt provides a base of support for theReformed Political Party (SGP) andChristian Union (CU).[6]