religion in America vs Europe (features, similarities, Finland, cost)
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 way it is displayed in much of America. Street preaching, megachurches, enormous billboards and banners with hateful messages like "gay marriage is sin" etc and independent churches trying to force their belief on others by such public messages. During the Disney Gay Days in Florida, there is banners saying "Beware of Gay Days" all over the city. You do not see such things in Europe, at least not western Europe. I know that this form of organized hate speech is what Americans considers as free speech and religious freedom, but most of Europe sees it in an entirely different way, except maybe Russia, Belarus and some other countries where such behavior is legal. I consider this type of things to be religious insanity.
I have nothing against people who believes in God, I have friends and relatives who does that.
Religious insanity in America that would never be tolerated by the public in Europe, or even legal for that matter:
Many of these messages (the ones that does not say anything against gays) would be fully legal in all of Europe, but you dont see them anyway. THIS is religious insanity, and I am trying to find out why this is common in America, but not Europe, or anywhere else in the western world for that matter.
Yet there have been anti gay marriage protests in Europe that were bigger than the anti gay marriage protests in the USA and an good example would be in France recently with the Anti gay marriage protest.
Protests against French President Francois Hollande’s proposal to allow same-sex marriage drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in Paris.
“There are many people who are worried about this law,” Laurent Wauquiez, a minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, said today on Europe 1 radio. “Do we have to destroy the family and the place of children in it? We must pay attention to the place of children.” Wauquiez joined the demonstration.
About 340,000 people joined today’s marches, according to police estimates, while organizers indicated a turnout of more than 800,000. Protesters dancing to hip-hop music carried pink flags with white images of the traditional family: man, woman and two children.French Anti-Gay Marriage Protests Draw Hundreds of Thousands - Bloomberg
In addition there were also large anti gay marriage in Spain when the Government there was planning to legalise gay marriage. Yet in the UK the anti gay marriage protests were very small. It seems the Catholic countries in Europe are more socially conservative than the Protestant countries in Europe today.
In addition there were also large anti gay marriage in Spain when the Government there was planning to legalise gay marriage. Yet in the UK the anti gay marriage protests were very small. It seems the Catholic countries in Europe are more socially conservative than the Protestant countries in Europe today.
That's cause the Protestant countries in Europe are mostly either atheist or non-conservative Christian today. It is the UK and Scandinavia that has Protestant majorities and Protestant state churches, and those are also the least religious countries in Europe today. In America it's the total opposite, many American "born again" Protestant sects and other Protestant sects are more extreme than Catholics, very many of those Protestant sects hates or condemns Catholics just as much as they hate or condemns atheists, for some strange reason. I have never experiened any practising Scandinavian Protestants condemning or being hostile towards Catholicism.
Scandinavian and British Protestantism is very different from the common American Protestantism though. British Protestants are usually members of the Church of England. Scandinavian Protestants are usually members of the Church of Sweden, the Church of Norway, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Iceland, the Church of the Faroe Islands or the Church of Finland, usually depending on which Scandinavian country they are from.
It is very rare that Protestants in the UK and Scandinavia joins any other Protestant church than the national one they were born into. The "born again" stuff is also extremely rare in the UK and Scandinavia, I would dare to say almost non-existent. And it's also very rare that anyone creates their own independent Protestant church here.
Last edited by Helsingborgaren; 11-14-2013 at 01:48 AM..
Yet there have been anti gay marriage protests in Europe that were bigger than the anti gay marriage protests in the USA and an good example would be in France recently with the Anti gay marriage protest.
Protests against French President Francois Hollande’s proposal to allow same-sex marriage drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in Paris.
“There are many people who are worried about this law,†Laurent Wauquiez, a minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, said today on Europe 1 radio. “Do we have to destroy the family and the place of children in it? We must pay attention to the place of children.†Wauquiez joined the demonstration.
About 340,000 people joined today’s marches, according to police estimates, while organizers indicated a turnout of more than 800,000. Protesters dancing to hip-hop music carried pink flags with white images of the traditional family: man, woman and two children.French Anti-Gay Marriage Protests Draw Hundreds of Thousands - Bloomberg
In addition there were also large anti gay marriage in Spain when the Government there was planning to legalise gay marriage. Yet in the UK the anti gay marriage protests were very small. It seems the Catholic countries in Europe are more socially conservative than the Protestant countries in Europe today.
I wouldn't read too much into that. The French in particular are far more likely than Americans to take to the streets and protest against something they don't agree with. It has nothing to do with there being more or less opposition to gay marriage in France.
BTW, I saw lots of gay couples in Paris holding hands and displaying affection towards one another. Although the US is generally tolerant of gay people, I have seldom seen that over here.
That's cause the Protestant countries in Europe are mostly either atheist or non-conservative Christian today. It is the UK and Scandinavia that has Protestant majorities and Protestant state churches, and those are also the least religious countries in Europe today. In America it's the total opposite, many American "born again" Protestant sects and other Protestant sects are more extreme than Catholics, very many of those Protestant sects hates or condemns Catholics just as much as they hate or condemns atheists, for some strange reason. I have never experiened any practising Scandinavian Protestants condemning or being hostile towards Catholicism.
Scandinavian and British Protestantism is very different from the common American Protestantism though. British Protestants are usually members of the Church of England. Scandinavian Protestants are usually members of the Church of Sweden, the Church of Norway, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Iceland, the Church of the Faroe Islands or the Church of Finland, usually depending on which Scandinavian country they are from.
It is very rare that Protestants in the UK and Scandinavia joins any other Protestant church than the national one they were born into. The "born again" stuff is also extremely rare in the UK and Scandinavia, I would dare to say almost non-existent. And it's also very rare that anyone creates their own independent Protestant church here.
scandanavia has had a pretty tiny percentage of the population who are catholic for centurys so its unlikely anti catholic prejudice would be common
scandanavians are Lutheran , Lutherans tend to be more moderate , as do Anglicans , by contrast Presbyterians - Calvinists are more hardline in their views , hence the intolerant attitude towards catholics in Scotland and northern Ireland down the centurys , in the usa , Baptists are even more hardline than Presbyterians
the point being , Protestantism has many different strands and stripes
America is the only western nation where Protestantism is remotely potent however , its more or less dead in Europe bar tiny enclaves in the Netherlands , northern Ireland and parts of Germany , protestant identity is important in Glasgow Scotland but their is no real religious depth to it
Over 90% of Americans believe in God.
If the US was in Europe, it would have been probably the most religious nation.
America is indeed the most religious western nation.
Yet there have been anti gay marriage protests in Europe that were bigger than the anti gay marriage protests in the USA and an good example would be in France recently with the Anti gay marriage protest.
Protests against French President Francois Hollande’s proposal to allow same-sex marriage drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in Paris.
“There are many people who are worried about this law,” Laurent Wauquiez, a minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, said today on Europe 1 radio. “Do we have to destroy the family and the place of children in it? We must pay attention to the place of children.” Wauquiez joined the demonstration.
About 340,000 people joined today’s marches, according to police estimates, while organizers indicated a turnout of more than 800,000. Protesters dancing to hip-hop music carried pink flags with white images of the traditional family: man, woman and two children.
In addition there were also large anti gay marriage in Spain when the Government there was planning to legalise gay marriage. Yet in the UK the anti gay marriage protests were very small. It seems the Catholic countries in Europe are more socially conservative than the Protestant countries in Europe today.
In the cases of France and Spain those anti gay marriage protests were more related to their culture than a proof that are more conservative or religious societies.
France and Spain are the countries in Europe with the highest rate of strikes and demonstrations per year, and are about any important measure that their governments approve. Images like those are not unusual in any French or Spanish city protesting about any other issue. They just like to take to the streets.
Portugal has a higher rate of religious people than France and when the government aproved gay marriage there were no remarkable protests. And one of the biggest Gay Pride parade in Europe is the one in Madrid.
im atheist now but im still opposed to gay adoption completely , I wouldn't be too annoyed about gay marriage being made legal and the polls here look like it would be but I wouldn't be rushing out to vote in favour
their has been an unstoppable express train of pretty radical pursuits of changing the definition of the traditional family unit this past decade and I think its time things were slowed down a little
The traditional family unit has been eroded regardless of same-sex adoption - I talk to hardly anyone in my family and I've never sat down for a family meal before, except on Christmas, and even that wasn't an annual occurrence. I'm not bothered about a traditional family unit - especially if you have a family that is a dysfunctional mess. The legalisation of same-sex adoption is unlikely to change much in that regard. Considering how messed up people and families can be despite having apparently 'traditional' units of mother, father, son, daughter etc, it leads me to believe that it isn't really important if it's two people of the opposite sex or two people of the same sex - the only thing that really matters is how the children involved are brought up.
I believe it's important for boys and girls to have an important influence who is of the same gender, but I've been without a father all my life but still had male role models - they just weren't related to me.
Last edited by dunno what to put here; 11-14-2013 at 08:43 AM..
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.
