Stark Differences?

Sleepy Norris
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Stark Differences?

    I was wondering if there is an extremely noticable difference between "Bible Belt America" and "Urban/Suburban/NE/WC America".

Basically, i am asking is religious influence much more noticable in everyday life in the "bible belt" then it is in other parts of the nation. Honestly, i am very very passionate about religion staying out of our government and i do not accept "gods plan" "god told me" or "i prayed for it" as explainations for anything, but honestly i am quite outspoken and dont really experience any real problems from thiests. I believe i am from the same area that Sapient (NE suburbs of Philly) is from and go to college that Staks went to and it seems that in this part of the country esspecially amongst my peer group who i obviously am in most contact with religion isnt a big deal. Most people dont attend church, if they believe in god its more of a diest type belief, most are agreeable to my assults on religion. The only people who go to church in this area are about 70 years old. People in this area agree with evolution and science for the most part. I was wondering how i would be recieved in other parts of the nation. I know i read about teachers getting fired for saying "adam and eve" is not literal in Iowa and i know those "jesus camp" people actually are real. (but even in that movie the little girl mentions she gets teased in school). I am just wondering in everyday life is the assult from religion much worse in the "bible belt" or even more rural or less progressvie areas?

In the past week during my classes i have said that "most christians are cafiteria christians", and pointed out that most dont still want to "stone disobediant children", ive called religion "silly fairy tales" or "poorly written fiction where the main charactor disappears for 18 years" pointed out the books are not contemporary of Jesus and that they were written in a completely different langauge than what jesus would have spoke. 

How would stuff like that be recieved elsewhere? would professors get mad at me? the only teachers who have said something to me in my college history (i talk alot in class) was one that said "silly isnt a good word choice" and i had one ultra catholic pych teacher getting a little pissed when i pointed out that "Religion has killed way more people than pot ever did" and another one who actually started to tear up and walked out of the classroom pissed as hell when i told her i have no respect for her religion and i found it silly... (damn i am an A-hole, how i ever got a B+ in that class i'll never know) (all women)

Also what do you think the reason is that women are more religous than men? 

 


geirj
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I've lived in six states:

I've lived in six states: Connecticut (18 years), New York (4 yrs), Maine (4 yrs), Massachusetts (3 yrs), New Jersey (3 yrs) and Wyoming (1 yr). The first five states range from very Democratic/liberal (New York) to somewhat Republican/conservative (Maine, though Maine is really just a Democratic state in Republican clothing - it's two female senators are Republican but very liberal...and they keep getting re-elected). In all five of those states, you almost never notice religion in daily life.

And then there's Wyoming which is, well, Dick Cheney's home state. Very conservative, but surprisingly with a very popular Democratic governor (kind of like the opposite of Massachusetts - a liberal state that tends to elect Republican governors). But that said, aside from seeing more "Jesus Saves" bumper stickers and those fish symbols on the back of minivans than back east, I don't see a lot of religion poking into everyday life here in Wyoming either. People are very much of the "I'll mind my own business if you mind yours" kind of mindset (which is very similar to Maine, actually).

As far as why women are "More religious" than men, I think that topic has come up here before. The general consensus has been, if I remember correctly, that women are less likely to want to risk offending family and friends by shunning religion.

Nobody I know was brainwashed into being an atheist.

Why Believe?