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Author Topic:   I'm proud of my country (poll of world beliefs)
DC85
Member (Idle past 379 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 16 of 28 (89100)
02-27-2004 4:27 PM


WOW!!! who knew Canada and the USA where so different....I thought most of the world was almost all Religious or at least had belief in a specific God amazing.... why do you think the USA is so different? I mean why do people here Believe in God more then other countries? I wonder.....

Replies to this message:
 Message 17 by Azure Moon, posted 02-27-2004 5:44 PM DC85 has not replied
 Message 27 by nator, posted 02-28-2004 6:20 PM DC85 has not replied

  
Azure Moon
Inactive Member


Message 17 of 28 (89128)
02-27-2004 5:44 PM
Reply to: Message 16 by DC85
02-27-2004 4:27 PM


DC85 wrote:
I mean why do people here Believe in God more then other countries? I wonder.....
I question how much impact is felt because the US is really a young country settled by immigrants. We don't have the thousands of years of foundational history like Europe. My ancestral roots go back to Ireland but the reality is... so what? I'm not there and I'm not going there.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 16 by DC85, posted 02-27-2004 4:27 PM DC85 has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 18 by wj, posted 02-27-2004 6:25 PM Azure Moon has replied

  
wj
Inactive Member


Message 18 of 28 (89134)
02-27-2004 6:25 PM
Reply to: Message 17 by Azure Moon
02-27-2004 5:44 PM


Azure, I don't think the age of the US has anything to do with its level of religiosity. Australia and New Zealand are even younger countries with similar cultural backgrounds to the US but have very different levels of religiosity to the US.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 17 by Azure Moon, posted 02-27-2004 5:44 PM Azure Moon has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 19 by Azure Moon, posted 02-27-2004 7:22 PM wj has not replied

  
Azure Moon
Inactive Member


Message 19 of 28 (89140)
02-27-2004 7:22 PM
Reply to: Message 18 by wj
02-27-2004 6:25 PM


wj wrote:
Azure, I don't think the age of the US has anything to do with its level of religiosity. Australia and New Zealand are even younger countries with similar cultural backgrounds to the US but have very different levels of religiosity to the US.
Heck yeah, I could be way off, it was only a thought on a surprising discrepency I didn't expect in the poll. It would really be interesting to get a religion anthropoligist's opinion on this wouldn't it?
edit: spelling. fumbly fingers lectured
[This message has been edited by Azure Moon, 02-27-2004]

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
 Message 20 by DC85, posted 02-28-2004 1:46 AM Azure Moon has replied

  
DC85
Member (Idle past 379 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 20 of 28 (89193)
02-28-2004 1:46 AM
Reply to: Message 19 by Azure Moon
02-27-2004 7:22 PM


I am starting to think the U.K would be the best place to have my family.... We just found out my wife is pregnant and we are already hearing how we shouldn't bring up our child in a Godless home....
and that I am sending my child to hell with me....
And unless he/she has different world Views then I do he/she will need to deal with this crap.... sigh... But its not like I can just up and leave... I had no Idea the that views differed this much from country to country.... does anyone have any theories on it?
[This message has been edited by DC85, 02-28-2004]

This message is a reply to:
 Message 19 by Azure Moon, posted 02-27-2004 7:22 PM Azure Moon has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 21 by Azure Moon, posted 02-28-2004 10:41 AM DC85 has replied

  
Azure Moon
Inactive Member


Message 21 of 28 (89253)
02-28-2004 10:41 AM
Reply to: Message 20 by DC85
02-28-2004 1:46 AM


Congratulations on the upcoming addition to the DC85 family.
I was born in the North but raised in the South, so I know what you mean. It took us a few years of planning, but we left the South and I never regretted it one bit.
The vocal religious are everywhere in the US, but there really is a tremendous difference in attitude when you get out of the bible belt.
One difference I noticed right off was: Where I was raised, the older church women felt it was their duty to be present in the court house every Tuesday. This was divorce court day. You don't find that up here. Another is the church gossips in the south will literally plug up isles in the store gossiping.. I've never seen that here either. Don't get me wrong, church gossips are some kind of standard thing I guess and we have them too, but up here, they gather at somebody's house or off by themselves. Not in public like in the South.
There is a major difference in the kind and intensity of religious persecution once you get out of the bible belt. The big explosions like what I went through after 9-11 can happen anywhere.
What will increase in the North is the door to door neighborhood canvassing from the Mormons and J. Witness. I was not prepared for that when we moved here. But putting up a good No Soliciting sign takes care of 98% of that, and those that ignore the sign anyway get to hear me make a call to the cops. And that will stop it.
I'm with you though, until this thread started, I had no idea that the persecution from the vocal religious wasn't a world wide standard that was taught to all ministers and reverends. But this thread has got me real curious to find out why.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 20 by DC85, posted 02-28-2004 1:46 AM DC85 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 22 by Phat, posted 02-28-2004 10:52 AM Azure Moon has replied
 Message 23 by DC85, posted 02-28-2004 3:23 PM Azure Moon has not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 22 of 28 (89257)
02-28-2004 10:52 AM
Reply to: Message 21 by Azure Moon
02-28-2004 10:41 AM


The sword cuts both ways...
Even though many of you would probably classify me as religious, I tend to see myself as not. My beliefs are concrete, but I get the most flak for them from other professed believers. As an example, here in Denver there is a common union among inner city ministers. The ones who are serious are in an unwritten agreement with the others. The ones who drift from this group are seen as sharks who seek to start ministries for money or for ego fullfillment. There is a definite community standard within the Christians. They look at me funny when I tell them that I am not a biblical literalist. They also think that I should be married. (I am 44) I sometimes see them as too narrow minded in matters not essential to the faith. I also think that more Christians need to try and relate to other people more and attempt to convert them less.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 21 by Azure Moon, posted 02-28-2004 10:41 AM Azure Moon has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 28 by Azure Moon, posted 02-29-2004 9:47 AM Phat has not replied

  
DC85
Member (Idle past 379 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 23 of 28 (89282)
02-28-2004 3:23 PM
Reply to: Message 21 by Azure Moon
02-28-2004 10:41 AM


Congratulations on the upcoming addition to the DC85 family
thank you
Anyway I really would like to know why this country is thew way it is... I will see if I can find any information of theories

This message is a reply to:
 Message 21 by Azure Moon, posted 02-28-2004 10:41 AM Azure Moon has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 24 by Yaro, posted 02-28-2004 3:32 PM DC85 has not replied

  
Yaro
Member (Idle past 6496 days)
Posts: 1797
Joined: 07-12-2003


Message 24 of 28 (89283)
02-28-2004 3:32 PM
Reply to: Message 23 by DC85
02-28-2004 3:23 PM


I have some theories,
Namely that we have a gigantic, vocal, evangelical minority that is either really poor and watches TBN all the time, or is filthy rich a la Pat Robertson. This gets such people, Like good ol'Bubya in office, which in turn has crap like Amendment #28, and"faith based initiative" BS.
That's were I would point my research. Heck, you live in SC, you know what it's like. Head on out to some of those Podunk towns in West Virginia and you can still see signs for the local Klan chapter.
Ignorance is power, religion is a tool to control the ignorant.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 23 by DC85, posted 02-28-2004 3:23 PM DC85 has not replied

  
compmage
Member (Idle past 5153 days)
Posts: 601
From: South Africa
Joined: 08-04-2005


Message 25 of 28 (89298)
02-28-2004 6:05 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by TechnoCore
02-26-2004 4:41 PM


South Africa 56
I had no idea we would be so high up on the list.
I do know that people can get very serious about religiom here though, I was nearly expelled from high school because I was playing a computer game called Dragon Strike. Basically a flight simulator where you were flying dragons instead of planes.
I got lectures and pamphlets about how this stuff was evil, the same as AD & D, you know, that game that brain washes you into believing you are your character, etc. Anyway, if it wasn't for the fact that I was heavily involved in my church at the time, and training to become a youth minister they would have expelled me. I wonder what they would think if they knew that this incident started a the chain of events that lead to me becoming an atheist?

Freedom, morality, and the human dignity of the individual consists precisely in
this; that he does good not because he is forced to do so, but because he freely
conceives it, wants it, and loves it.
- Mikhail Bakunin, God and the State, from The Columbian Dictionary of Quotations

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by TechnoCore, posted 02-26-2004 4:41 PM TechnoCore has not replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 26 of 28 (89299)
02-28-2004 6:09 PM
Reply to: Message 13 by mike the wiz
02-27-2004 10:29 AM


Remember, mike, Michigan is where the anti-government militia movement began in the US.
This state is no stranger to extremeism.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 13 by mike the wiz, posted 02-27-2004 10:29 AM mike the wiz has not replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 27 of 28 (89300)
02-28-2004 6:20 PM
Reply to: Message 16 by DC85
02-27-2004 4:27 PM


quote:
I mean why do people here Believe in God more then other countries?
I think that a big reason is that many of the immigrants who came/come here leave their homes because of religious prosecution. The Puritains, after all, were the first, and they were pretty morose, ultra-repressed Christian wackos. These days it's not religious wackos much.
Also, compared to many first world countries, we do a terrible job feeding, sheltering, and educating our less fortunate citizens. When one is desperately poor and have no hope of a life beyond grinding poverty, crime, violence, poor education/illiteracy, and substance abuse, belief in a wonderful heaven that you will go to when you die is extremely attractive.
[This message has been edited by schrafinator, 02-28-2004]

This message is a reply to:
 Message 16 by DC85, posted 02-27-2004 4:27 PM DC85 has not replied

  
Azure Moon
Inactive Member


Message 28 of 28 (89395)
02-29-2004 9:47 AM
Reply to: Message 22 by Phat
02-28-2004 10:52 AM


Re: The sword cuts both ways...
Phatboy wrote:
They look at me funny when I tell them that I am not a biblical literalist. They also think that I should be married. (I am 44) I sometimes see them as too narrow minded in matters not essential to the faith.
Dadgum Phatboy, that's an awkward position to be in.
I also think that more Christians need to try and relate to other people more and attempt to convert them less.
But I'm sort of glad you are. I found a lot of hope in that statement.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 22 by Phat, posted 02-28-2004 10:52 AM Phat has not replied

  
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