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This is not true. From a quick google I found that 76 percent of Americans identify with being Christian. Also support for gay marriage has increased but no where near the what you think it is. The liberal biased media outlets only put support at around a 50/50 split. The states which are heavily liberal are legalizing it, but most of them that are like that have already done it. Many of the 50 percent the media claims supports gay marriage live in a couple of very large urban states like NY, NJ, Ca etc. Three quarters of the states have constitutional bans against gay marriage and they will likely stay that way. You may want America to become less religious like Europe but that is not going to happen anytime soon. Pockets of America are becoming that way, places that are large, urban and mostly Northeastern so if that is what you want then Boston or New York will make you feel at home. The rest of America will remain as it has been for decades. This is still a largely Christian nation and that is what really upsets you.
I'm not upset at all, though it sounds as if you are. It is not an emotional subject to me. Your reply did not even address my post, which I don't believe you read or understood. This is not about liberal biased media outlets--it is fact. And Google is a search engine, not a source. Gallup is a polling company--they are not liberally biased.
Well, that's an improvement anyway. During the 10 years I lived in TN it seemed to be about 7 out of 10. They'd get excited when there were lots of natural disasters in a cluster saying that the rapture was coming. Scary.
Well that could be absolutely true for Tennessee, as people with those beliefs tend to be concentrated in certain areas.
I am comfortable with my beliefs and I know I have been saved by my savior Jesus Christ. I live in Tennessee so as another poster stated I live among many people who agree with my point of view. I also am aware of the "other America" up in the northeast where people are the opposite, largely atheistic and secular. This is why our country is so divided. Judging by how my posts are being dismissed as being full of ignorance and statements about how I am not understanding the replies I guess I don't have much more to add to this. This is a prime example of the stark differences in America's internal culture war, and the difference between Europe and the United states when it comes to religious belief. Im glad I am here in Tennessee, I guess that is exactly where I belong.
I am comfortable with my beliefs and I know I have been saved by my savior Jesus Christ. I live in Tennessee so as another poster stated I live among many people who agree with my point of view. I also am aware of the "other America" up in the northeast
And the south west except Utah, and the west coast, and the north midwest. And Alaska and Hawaii.
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj72
Judging by how my posts are being dismissed as being full of ignorance and statements about how I am not understanding the replies I guess I don't have much more to add to this. This is a prime example of the stark differences in America's internal culture war, and the difference between Europe and the United states when it comes to religious belief. Im glad I am here in Tennessee, I guess that is exactly where I belong.
Well, the way you spoke about homosexuality, dismissed polls and pretty much made the Bible the law for everyone to follow you do not leave any room for any other point of view that does not agree with yours. So yes, your posts are dismissed.
1. Europeans are much more sophisticated than Americans. They have gone through a longer history, experienced more wars and bloodshed, witnessed religious wars and revolution, and have seen extortion and corruption by religious institutions. In my view, Europeans have a healthier skepticism of religion.
2. The vast majority of Americans are not fanatics. All of those pictures and videos represent the extreme exception ... people of the Westboro Baptist Church and their ilk. Remember that here in the US, the legalization of abortion and contraception, gay rights and legalized same-sex marriage, etc. are pretty much keeping pace with most of Europe.
I kind of like the Jante Law mentality here in Scandinavia, which negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate. The Jante Law mentality is like the polar opposite of the American Dream.
This sounds exactly like the mentality in American city ghettos. Black males / boys who earn good grades and are successful in school, are often criticized by their male friends for "acting like White people" and are pressured into lowering their achievements. The situation is compared to a pot or basket full of crabs, caught by fishermen. The crabs on top of the bunch, try to reach out and escape out, but the other crabs reach the claws up and pull them back down into the pot.
I still say that "street preachers" are very rare. I have almost never seen any street preachers, in 33 years of working downtown in a large metropolitan U.S. city on the east coast. I also have only once in 60 years, encountered a Mormon missionary.
This is changing the subject, but have any of you, even visited a fundamentalist church, or are you just assuming stereotypes? I will say that the large fundamentalist churches in my area are very racially diverse. The large fundamentalist church closest to me, is pastored by a white couple who have 3 adopted black children (now grown). And many racially-mixed marriages, of all combinations, are in their congregation, and in other big fundamentalist churches nearby. I cannot say that about the Unitarians. Unitarian churches that I have visited, tend to be all White people. Just some food for thought.
Last edited by slowlane3; 11-11-2013 at 04:25 PM..
This is not true. From a quick google I found that 76 percent of Americans identify with being Christian. Also support for gay marriage has increased but no where near the what you think it is. The liberal biased media outlets only put support at around a 50/50 split. The states which are heavily liberal are legalizing it, but most of them that are like that have already done it. Many of the 50 percent the media claims supports gay marriage live in a couple of very large urban states like NY, NJ, Ca etc. Three quarters of the states have constitutional bans against gay marriage and they will likely stay that way.
I disagree. You can blame the "liberal media" but when it comes to gauging the current views on legalized same-sex marriage - or "marriage equality" if you will - the claims for the current majority support is done by statistical and polling organizations such as Gallup, Pew, Quinnipic, Harris, Nielsen, etc. - the same polling organizations that predicted Obama's re-election much to the chagrin of the Republicans. Polling has become more scientific and more precise over the years and that is why political parties, corporations, public organizations, and businesses gladly pay millions of dollars on polls - because of that intelligence is vital to their interests.
Now, on the subject of marriage equality in the US: it has been legalized in 16 states, the District of Columbia, several Americal Indian Tribal nations, and recognized in the US armed forces. Here in Pennsylvania the polls have revealed that the support for marriage equality has shifted to about 55% in favor, about 40% opposed and the rest undecided. A bill to legalize it in the Keystone State has been introduced with 30 co-sponsors.
Contrary to the rather dismissive assertion that legal same sex marriage is limited to only a few pockets in the US, I will make a very safe prediction: in 1 - 2 years at least 20 states will it be legal ... and OVER 1/2 of the US population will be living in a state where it is legal. Complete legalization will come about by the judiciary and this will happen in the next 5 - 7 years.
You know what is funny Magnus? That you display the same hatred mentality that you accuse religion of.
And if you want to start calling people stupid based on their geograpical knowledge, ask the average person in Torremolinos, or some Turkish koliday resort or so many other place to point out on a map where they are. Most of them will have it wrong. And they will also be atheïst. How come such a thing is possible if it is only religion, like you continue to say, is the problem?
My point is: People who make mistakes like the woman in the video does are everywhere, in both Europe, the US and everwhere else in the world. And they can be both atheïst, religious, or anything else.
It doesn't have anything to do with hatred. I am not going to suggest that people lack intelligence for following the Bible so devoutly and often twisting its message to suit their own (often hateful) opinions, but personally I have to question the logic of such people who place such importance on a 2,000 year old book for moral guidance. Maybe it's just me but I would get more sense and relevance to here and now 2013 out of reading Cosmopolitan
One thing that has buggered my mind for a while is why religious insanity is so much bigger in the USA than basically anywhere in Europe. Even in the most religious European countries, such as Poland, Romania, Portugal, Malta and Ireland, the American religious insanity cannot be compared to it.
For example, in Malta, 94% are practising catholics, only 2% is atheist. Abortion is illegal in Malta because of entirely religious reasons, and there is no exceptions, not even in cases of rape. Divorce used to be strictly illegal in Malta until a couple of years ago, for entirely religious reasons by the Catholic-controlled government, the reason why it was illegal was because the Bible says so. Porn is also illegal in Malta for religious/conservative reasons. But even though a country like Malta is so strictly and politically religious, the cultural insanity such as megachurches, street preachers, people shouting openly about their faith and enormous "you're going to hell" billboards cannot be found there.
Another example is Poland, also one of the most religious countries in Europe where abortion is almost entirely illegal and the vast majority are practising Catholics. But the cultural and social religious insanity of America cannot be found there either.
There is countries in Europe that are statistically much more religious than the USA in percent of practising Christians, but even those cannot measure with the religious insanity in the US.
And in the conservative European countries, percent of young earth creationists is very low as well, but in the US it is estimated to be over 40% who believes the world and the universe is merely 6,000 years old.
So what I have been wondering about is why religion has through the years got such an important status in everyday life in the USA compared to anywhere in Europe, even though the USA is of European origin and is ethnically mostly European. Not anything against Americans here, just wondering why it has become this way. If I got anything wrong feel free to correct me.
Some European countries that are statistically more religious than the USA:
Countries in Europe where number of atheists is high and religion does not have much importance at all is Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK.
Simply because many Americans are not well educated in regards to religion and can be easily manipulated into believing almost anything that revolves around faith and the money that can be made from it.
You have been asked there too? Often, or it just happened? In Holland people could ask you anywhere, but in some places much more often than others.
It starts just south east of Rotterdam and goes up north and down south. The Bible belt is much larger than people think. But since religion is much more of a private affair here, people notice it less.
You mean the SGP. We also have two other Christian parties, the CDA and the CU. The CDA have ruled Holland for many, many decades, always being a member of our government.
I thought the CDA wasn't just a Christian party though? I hate to source Wikipedia but this is what I read:
"The CDA is a Christian democratic party, but the Bible is only seen as one source of inspiration, for individual members of parliament. The party also has Jewish, Muslim and Hindu members of parliament, and it favors the integration of minorities into Dutch culture."
You kept asking how the US Bible Belt differs from the Dutch one. You even mentioned one of the major differences between religion in the US and religion in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe (see bolded).
Which brings me back to what I've previously stated: religion is far more of a private affair in Europe versus the United States.
As for the Dutch Bible Belt, if anything it is more of a true Bible Belt than its much larger US counterpart. It is also populated by Orthodox Christians. Many Christians here are not orthodox.
I believe that most of the Orthodox Christians in places like Amersfort just want to be left alone and most likely wouldn't seek to impose their religion on strangers, but I could be wrong?
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