Atheists are one of the most stigmatized groups in the United States. It’s no secret that non-believers are frequently regarded as “immoral.” In fact, a little under half of all Americans wouldn’t even consider voting for an atheist, let alone marrying one.

To understand just how normalized it’s become to denounce non-believers, watch this short clip where Steve Harvey unabashedly describes atheists as “idiots”—even going as far as suggesting segregation.

The United States likes to tout itself as a secular nation, but can we really call ourselves secular when religion is so deeply embedded in our society? A nation that is more deserving of that title seems to be Sweden—a country where 76 percent of the population identifies as non-religious.

Sweden’s non-religious attitude can be traced to the country’s classrooms where religion and atheism are not ignored but openly discussed. Open religious debate may seem strange, considering merely talking about religion is considered rude in the United States.

According to a University of Gothenburg thesis shared in Reddit’s Everything Science community, “In Swedish classrooms, religion is often associated with an obsolete time when people just didn’t know better—as if religion used to serve a purpose but there is no need for it in the modern world.”

The study followed 13 high school teachers in 2012 who taught 24 different study groups. The teachers often provoked politically incorrect discussions asking students why they think people believe in religion.

Unsurprisingly, most of the students viewed religion in a negative light. “I found that religious faith is portrayed as incompatible with being a modern, rational and independently thinking human being,” stated the study’s author Karin Kittelmann Flensner.

“In Sweden we are secular, individualistic, and tolerant.”

Take a look at this transcript in which students describe why they don’t believe in religion.

Student 1: “My parents are like super-non Christian, like totally extreme… It’s a bit mean to say this, but I feel like, Christians, [are] unintelligent. I really think that. Because I cannot relate to how you might think that you can blame everything on someone else. ‘Yes, but like, I beat my wife, but [if I] go and confess [my] sins, all sins disappear. I’m forgiven.'”

Student 2: “I do not understand how you cannot see a connection between religion and fairy tales. This is not brought up enough in my opinion… It’s like I should start worshipping Mickey Mouse for example.” Student 3: “The author of the Bible must have been high on drugs.”

At the same time, the students didn’t show hatred towards religious people. Rather, they displayed empathy—understanding the need for religion, even if they themselves think it’s silly.

“Man has like always believed. For many it has been a way of dealing with death and the difficulties in life. Yes, and… People need something bigger than themselves in order to feel secure,” said one student. In fact, the students recognized that Sweden was very much a Christian country—not in the religion sense—but in a cultural one. For example, everyone admitted to celebrating Christmas and they were proud of the fact that a lot of their traditions and beliefs grew from a Judeo-Christian heritage. That’s really not a surprise when you consider that the country’s history is deeply entangled with Christianity. A country which has followed Christianity much longer than America has. “One has, after all, a sense of belonging, you’re raised in a Christian country, even if you are an atheist you are living in a Christian country, it’s like the foundation,” said one student. Even Islam was on the table for debate—a bold move considering Muslim immigration is a touchy topic in Sweden. In fact, a growing number of far-right, anti-immigrant Sweden democrats are securing votes for government positions. Teachers even asked students if they think Muslim women should wear the hijab (head scarf). Many of the Muslim students, in fact, held liberal and secular views, saying that the head scarf was not a part of Islam and ridiculing nations that require it from a young age.

Muslim Student 1: “[In the Quran, it] says dress modestly!” Muslim Student 2: “So it’s up to you. It does not say ‘you must, you must wear a veil, you must go dressed like that.'” Muslim Student 1: “It depends on where you live! That is not Islam. It’s their culture! They make their children who are fucking two years old wear hijab!”

In the United States, we discourage religious debate in public classrooms (outside of University). Critiquing any aspect of religion is, simply, politically incorrect. Perhaps if we fostered more open debate, atheists—and those practicing any religion, for that matter—would be more accepted.