The Religion and Political Views of Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren was born in Stockholm, Sweden and grew up there and in Nyland, Sweden.

Lundgren was raised a Lutheran. He says he went to Sunday school and church every week, but that was just sort of he way things were done in his day.[1]

Now, he seems to maintain a sort of loose, perhaps traditional, connection to his religious ways. But it all seems very casual, perhaps intellectual, and he speaks of it as a thing of the past. He said:

Now, I became more interested in the historical aspect of [religion] and I love history, I love churches, I love antiques. I love to imagine what it was like in those days and what religion meant to people. So right now, I do go to church occasionally. I don't do it every day, every week. I think I've become a more spiritual person with age.[2]

Other than that, Lundgren is fairly vague. It would be nice to know what he means regarding his becoming more spiritual with age. Let us know in the comments if you've got any leads.

Not a fan of the old country's ways

Lundgren's homeland is often the envy of liberal Americans, who point to its low crime rate, high quality of life, and heavily socialized economy as a sort of utopia. It's not uncommon to hear them wistfully speak of the social advantages of being Swedish.

But take it from the horse's mouth. Not everyone from Sweden is smitten with their way of doing things. Lundgren has criticized the high taxes that come with living in a social welfare democracy. When asked what he pays in taxes, he said:

We used to pay 90 percent. 101 percent I think, at some point?[3]

And echoing the sentiments of libertarian philosophers a la Friedrich Hayek, Lundgren thinks the homogenous, equality-of-result society of Sweden suppresses freedom and the incentive to succeed. He said:

Basically it's a more socialistic society. Socialism, it's more like, you know, people who have any special talent or any special drive, they try to keep them down rather than encourage that.[4]

Despite these sentiments, when Lundgren spoke out about his environmental concerns, Sweden's Green Party encouraged him to run for office. He wasn't into it.[5]

I imagine it would be difficult to represent a far-left political party in a country one resents for its relatively far-left policies. He's a man of his convictions.