Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I live in Indiana and see about as many churches here as I do in Nashville. They are everywhere. Religion is more subdued where I lived in IA, but it is there. When I was in Boston for work, there were very few signs of religion anywhere. I'd call it a nearly godless area.
I thought the Catholic church was pretty strong in Boston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321
New England, parts of the upper Midwest and pretty much the entire west coast. Vermont and New Hampshire have the lowest church attendance rates in the nation.
The South is basically Jesus Land. I don't care what southerners say. It IS Jesus Land, and if you travel in the South, being from another region, the difference is noticeable. You will see huge towering white crucifixes every 50 miles driving on the interstate. There are many more Christian radio stations. Many more mega churches. And many more politicians who love to mix their personal religious views with public policy. I also spent a month living in Charlotte, and the difference -- albeit not annoying or anything -- was noticeable, coming from New England.
With that said, even an atheist can live just fine in the South, and it shouldn't be a deterrent. I'm just telling it like it is, being from New England. People here rarely discuss religion or go to church. There's like one Christian radio station. Mega churches are rare and politicians don't inject religion with public policy.
The upper midwest? Having just returned from a trip there, there is a Lutheran church in every little town in Northern MN, and there are tons of them in MPS/St. Paul. Ditto Wisconsin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by snj90
Certain parts of Europe are a good example, specifically Northern Europe. Nominally Christian, but most people (i.e., >50% of the population) no longer believe in God. Nevertheless, certain traditions and holidays associated with Christianity persist and retain their cultural importance.
Yes, and they celebrate a lot more Christian holidays than we do in the US, for ex, Pentecost, or Whitsunday as they call it. Some countries get the Monday off as a legal holiday. Holidays Germany 2014 - holidays-info.com
Nobody cares what your religion is in the South. I personally think blue staters DO care what your religion is, that is, if you have one , especially Christianity, they don't like it.
Yeah those 17-21 year olds are most educated among us. lol So much wisdom at those keg parties too.
If college is teaching you there is no God, it sounds more like indoctrination camp than education. College shouldn't be about religion at all and a disbelief in God is still religion.
College has nothing to do with religion - I'd say it's obvious you never went. Which is OK, but please realize your quote here is baffling to anyone who did. Kids already know if they'll be adherents or not by the time they hit college. Things can change as they get older, sure, but by the time you're 20 you already know if you'll worship and at what level for the next decade or three.
If college is teaching you there is no God, it sounds more like indoctrination camp than education. College shouldn't be about religion at all and a disbelief in God is still religion.
College, in general, does not teach anything one way or another about religion. The purpose of college is to prepare you for a career.
It's just that people who have higher levels of education, particularly in the sciences, tend to have less faith in religion and find less relevance for it in their lives (except for the cultural aspects of it).
It is not a joke. These have become Christian holidays, regardless of what they used to be or real dates that Jesus was born/rose from the dead. These are official holidays and dates as recognized by the Vatican and every practicing Roman Catholic. The fact that American capitalism has jumped onto the presents bandwagon for both Christmas and Easter but especially Christmas to fuel buying and advertising campaigns doesn't make it any less of a Christian holiday, it simply means others who do not practice Christianity have an excuse to have access to a Christian holiday. And this is only in more recent years. When my parents and grandparents were kids, they got both fewer, less expensive and extravagant presents and it was a time when not everyone and their mother celebrated Christmas - practicing Christians celebrated Christmas then. It has changed and that is fine but I don't have to like it.
Of course people can do what they want. You can't stop it, and that's fine with me. I simply think it's wrong.
Maybe you don't see Christmas as a religious holiday, and I grudgingly admit I can't blame you considering its commercialization, but it is. It is the day Christians attend mass to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Oh, I agree it's "over the top" and has become too extravagent. I'm Presbyterian and we enjoy going to church on Christmas Eve, but it's become almost tiring in December to deal with all the decorating and gift buying. But I guess I just see Christmas (and to a lesser extent Easter) as holidays for what they are.
^^Same here and I'm Lutheran. I'll add that I grew up in a heavily Catholic area, and not all the Catholics celebrated Christmas in such a religious fashion as JerseyGirl415 and her family did.
I went to Catholic School for 8 years, was an altar boy, did readings, my father is a lay minister, etc., etc., and we didn't celebrate Christmas in such a religious fashion as JerseyGirl415 and her family did, nor were we worried about non-Christians celebrating with presents. At least in Wisconsin, and most of the general region it seems, proselytising and passing judgement is fairly minimal despite a good number of people who went to church. I myself became an atheist (and later agnostic) in 5th grade in Catholic School, and just rode it out the rest of the way. Not a big deal. These beliefs should be held privately, anyway.
^^Same here and I'm Lutheran. I'll add that I grew up in a heavily Catholic area, and not all the Catholics celebrated Christmas in such a religious fashion as JerseyGirl415 and her family did.
I'm glad people agree with some part of what I'm saying. Again, of course anyone can celebrate and I understand that. At the end of the day it's not a big deal. I'm not going to get into a fight with my friend, or anyone else, about it, but truth be told it kind of bothers me - I can't help feeling that way even if it may seem ridiculous to some. I guess since I grew up in a fairly religious home/family, and attended church not just on Christmas but every other holiday and throughout the year on and off weekly if we could, I can't see it any other way because I associate the holiday with religion more than anything.
I have always celebrated by going to church but that's about where the overly religious aspect of it ended (aside from saying grace at dinner - but we do that every holiday. Just because I think Christmas is a religious holiday above all else doesn't mean I celebrated by praising God and Jesus all day and night... I simply went to church either on the Eve or Day then spent time with family, eating lots of Italian food ). The fact that Christmas is religious was always made important in my family, above presents. This is in contrast to my friend I mentioned who was raised with no religion and as an atheist, celebrates it solely for the gifts, and claims to not know it was religious until rather late in life, which I really cannot wrap my head around at all. Some people I grew up with did not attend church on Christmas and I remember not understanding that as a child, knowing what Christmas is celebrated for. It seems the large majority who celebrate Christmas today don't go to church even on the holiday, and some aren't Christian or religious at all. It's interesting. I guess it has become cultural and traditional more than anything, which I find kind of sad to be honest.
All that being said, I do think my town is fairly religious. We are overwhelmingly Catholic, with many Irish and Italians, so I think that is why we tend to be a pretty Catholic town and Christmas was always a big deal in my town, even if not everyone celebrates it for religious purposes.
If any gift giving holiday was going to catch on and become mainstream rather than staying with the religious, you'd think it'd be Hannukah - 8 days of presents is better than 2. As a kid, my Jewish friends used to playfully gloat that they get more presents than us (or at least more days of presents) and there were times when I actually was jealous. But I didn't start celebrating it just because…
Last edited by JerseyGirl415; 07-15-2014 at 01:42 PM..
All that being said, I do think my town is fairly religious. We are overwhelmingly Catholic, with many Irish and Italians, so I think that is why we tend to be a pretty Catholic town and Christmas was always a big deal in my town, even if not everyone celebrates it for religious purposes.
I was in New York City and north Jersey during Christmas last year. It did feel like there was a more "intense" Christmas vibe there compared to what I'm used to in the Washington DC area. The news media also seemed to cover more of the directly religious aspects of Christmas - such as the Vatican mass. I think that's where the Catholic influence is evident.
In the Washington DC area, people mostly just shop like crazy and decorate their homes in the weeks leading up to Christmas and exchange gifts on Christmas day. The religious aspect is more subdued.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
). The fact that Christmas is religious was always made important in my family, above presents. This is in contrast to my friend I mentioned who was raised with no religion and as an atheist, celebrates it solely for the gifts, and claims to not know it was religious until rather late in life, which I really cannot wrap my head around at all. Some people I grew up with did not attend church on Christmas and I remember not understanding that as a child, knowing what Christmas is celebrated for. It seems the large majority who celebrate Christmas today don't go to church even on the holiday, and some aren't Christian or religious at all. It's interesting. I guess it has become cultural and traditional more than anything, which I find kind of sad to be honest. 
