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Protestant Anglos in New England were not, by and large, displaced. They are still there, simply outnumbered by wave after wave of Catholic immigrants.
"Displaced" may be the wrong word, I'm not suggesting they migrated. I'm suggesting that New England was once a protestant, anglo-dominated culture, and now it isn't.
the only sizable catholics populations in new england are the irish, who are, at least in that part of the nation, at this point in time, rather lax catholics. so are the italians. the mexicans, whose' populations are increasing, are more devout and superstitious but they lack any kind of political power to make themselves socially prominent.
anyways "northern culture" is far from restricted to new england and the mid atlantic. your made a mistake in forgetting the upper midwest/great lakes, who have argueably been the geographical heart of "northern culture" since the turn of the century.
As a southerner, from a southern family from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina dating back as far as the early 1600's, I can say from my own experience that the religiousity of the south has been overly exaggerated. The church has nothing to do with my life, nor nothing to do with the lives of most of my friends and aquaintances. It is there if you want it, or as a noted American poet stated, "Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare".
there are plenty of native Southerners who never go to church. I know a ton, even in my hometown which was small. Out of all the families that live around my parents, only my family goes to church (and we're Catholic) The Bible-thumping families always stood out as odd. So my point is, I don't think its transplants who are causing this change. It has already been part of the culture
anyways "northern culture" is far from restricted to new england and the mid atlantic. your made a mistake in forgetting the upper midwest/great lakes, who have argueably been the geographical heart of "northern culture" since the turn of the century.
Well, I think the definition of 'Northern' when talking about American culture is defined in historical terms. Otherwise Alaska, being furthest north, would be the paragon of 'Northern' culture. And Key West (or even Puerto Rico) would be the same for 'Southern' culture.
The area you are describing is usually described as being the 'Upper Midwest' when describing American regional culture. And while having some commonalities and relationships with the historical 'North', cannot be conflated with the Northeast into some kind of supra-regional American cultural area anymore than New Mexico, a state that is geographically south is part of 'Southern' culture.
In the rural South you'll find a much stronger Bible belt culture than in the cities. Yes, the cities have the big megachurches but they also tend to be a little more liberal (relatively) than your small backwoods country churches. The Bible Belt is not uniform from Texas to North Carolina. There are various degrees of religiousness as well as conservatism within. If you want to find a Mayberry-like town where everything revolves around church and church events, you'll probably need to look for a small town outside of a major metro area.
there are plenty of native Southerners who never go to church. I know a ton, even in my hometown which was small. Out of all the families that live around my parents, only my family goes to church (and we're Catholic) The Bible-thumping families always stood out as odd. So my point is, I don't think its transplants who are causing this change. It has already been part of the culture
I agree, I was born and raised right here in small town south Alabama and I haven't been to church since I was about 9 years old (I'm 31 now), even then I went with my grandparents because my parents didn't go. There is a church next door to my house and 75% of the people that attend are over 60. Among the younger generation I'm guessing less than half go to church, and there aren't hardly any transplants in my area.
I agree, I was born and raised right here in small town south Alabama and I haven't been to church since I was about 9 years old (I'm 31 now), even then I went with my grandparents because my parents didn't go. There is a church next door to my house and 75% of the people that attend are over 60. Among the younger generation I'm guessing less than half go to church, and there aren't hardly any transplants in my area.
You might give that church a try...old folks and Jesus can be a pretty cool combo!
I keep reading in the various forums here on C-D that church life is extremely important in the South, that one's social life often revolves around church activities, and that people place great importance on going to church. To each their own, but to me, this is also vitally important and one of the things that I so love about the Southern culture and really feel is lacking in many parts of the North, or at least to the same degree as it is found in the South.
My dh, who is the son of Southern parents who moved North for a job in the mid-1950s, wants very much to move South in a couple of years for a variety of reasons. I think that would be wonderful, since to me, living in a place known as "The Bible Belt" sounds absolutely wonderful. Still, I'm wondering if the recent influx of Northerners who don't necessarily value religion in their lives are causing a shift in the way of thinking across the South, and if it is becoming less religious as a whole because of it. I would like to think that Northerners who move to the South don't try to mold it to fit their image, sort of a "Boston with palm trees", more or less, but I know that that probably isn't always the case.
So, I guess my question boils down to, if my dh wants us to move to a Southern city such as the outerlying areas of Atlanta metro or Charleston, will we still be able to find that Bible Belt culture, or is it being bleached out of the fabric of areas of the South that are seeing the greatest wave of Northern immigration? I know that it is still that way in the smaller towns, but I have also heard that those places aren't generally very open to Northern transplants (and understandably so), and I would hate to live somewhere where I wasn't accepted because my parents chose to raise me in Ohio.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
(Oh, and please overlook my typo. I realize it isn't "thransplants", but I was typing quickly on my way out the door.)
I think your experience will very much depend on the particular area you end up living in. I am a transplant (West Coast, East Coast, Overseas, etc.) and grew up in a highly secular society. Religion has played absolutely no role in my life - and I have lived for quite a few decades.
While the idea of living in the bible belt is appealing to you, it is equally scary to me. Please keep in mind that I don't mean any offense to you or your beliefs - I am aware that all to often one's particular viewpoint is attacked for no reason whatsoever. I am not that kind of person. I am only bringing this up to provide you a framework for my experiences in having moved to the south.
As I said, I was afraid of what would await me if I moved here - and I can say that my fears have NOT come true. Sure, there are a lot more conversations to be had that involve the word "church" than I have had anywhere else in this country or this world, but all of it is very respectful of other's beliefs or non-beliefs. I do NOT find that church is an integral part of life in my particular area (south of Atlanta), mainly because everyone in this town is a transplant from elsewhere.
In that sense, I would think that your theory is partly correct. A large influx of Northerners can erode the religious fabric of southern society. However, I do think that you would only experience this kind of erosion in communities that comprise a majority of transplants. This means, of course, that you would best stay away from areas that attract transplants - such as Buckhead or Peachtree City.
It seems to me that you can find the opposite as well - mainly because even in my town, there still is a presence of religion and church that is much stronger than anywhere else I have lived. In other words, there are bound to be a majority of communities that adhere to the values and beliefs that you hope to find.
I wish I could point you in the direction of some of these towns, but I am still too new here to really have a good grasp of surrounding areas. Still, I don't think you have anything to worry about - the south can be exactly what you want it to be.
Perhaps, that is a fair summary of life here: It is what you make it and to the best of my knowledge, your neighbors will happily let you live your life if you let them live theirs.
As stated b y some fellow southerners in previous threads, many do not attend church regularly. The high numbers of attendees may be to having answered what church do you belong. But I know of more that don't attend at all than do. Just for the record I attend often, however, many will say they do just because they believe it is what they should say in southern society. I know this is not the case.
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