Slog - Comments on Who Do We Have to Thank for a More Secular America? http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul While America is famous for its packed churches and public religiosity and Europe is famous for its empty churches and public secularism, Ross Douthat argues in the new issue of The Atlantic Monthly that Europe is becoming more religious while America is becoming less religious. America's secular turn actually began in the 1990s, though it wasn't until 2002 that two Berkeley sociologists first noticed it. In a paper in the American Sociological Review, Michael Hout and Claude S. Fischer announced the startling fact that the percentage of Americans who said they had "no religious preference" had doubled in less than... Copyright 2008 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:01:48 -0800 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:27:17 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by SeMe "Europe is famous for its empty churches"

Clearly you have never been to Northern Ireland, Italy-specially southern Italy and eastern Europe.

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750350 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750350 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:16:46 -0800 Comment by Original Andrew On the one hand, I'd say file this under "Thinking, Wishful."

On the other, it's pretty easy to accept that the Cathaholic, Southern Baptist and Talibangelical churches are churning out atheists by the truckload. Isn't their existence proof that no rational, sane god could exist?

]]> Original Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750360 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750360 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:39:44 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo If the moral of this story is that being an asshole will tend to drive people away from your movement then the Dawkinses and Hitchenses might want to re-examine their tactics.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750381 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750381 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:13:42 -0800 Comment by Acolyte you mean James Dobson (and maybe Lou Sheldon)?

]]> Acolyte http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750390 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750390 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:26:46 -0800 Comment by maxsolomon europe is becoming more religious because its muslim population can't keep it in their pants.

it ain't christianity that enjoying a resurgence.

]]> maxsolomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750406 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750406 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:47:16 -0800 Comment by SeMe christianity has never been down in some european countries. in southern italy the catholic churches are packed on sunday and dont get me started on eastern europe and its evangelicals and catholic orthodox. and like i said earlier, northern ireland churches are Standing room only, specially the protestant ones, and the catholic ones in county derry. people always wanna portray ALL of Europe as a bastion of secular reasoning. Bull shit. Maybe some of Europe but not all of it. And of course white folks have to start blaming the muslims for resurgence,its always the foreigners. well not very many mosques in Italy to speak of.

now, clearly some european countries are cool about banning religous nonsense. like france and germany who just banned Tom Cruise, but some european countries are just as silly as here, and whats sillier than vatican city?

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3313575&page=1

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750420 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750420 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:01:58 -0800 Comment by Dan Sewage More than 800 of them have lost an arm, a leg, fingers or toes. More than 100 are blind. Dozens need tubes and machines to keep them alive. Hundreds are disfigured by burns, and thousands have brain injuries and mangled minds.

These are America's war wounded, a toll that has received less attention than the 3,500 troops killed in Iraq. Depending on how you count them, they number between 35,000 and 53,000.

]]> Dan Sewage http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750430 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750430 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:09:34 -0800 Comment by Ayden I'm a 'Course In Miracles' Christian. Therefore, to most 'real' Christians, I'm a pagan destined for hell. But the God I believe in loves everybody. He doesn't advocate war or torture.

I'd be delighted if Americans would wake up and support the constitution on the religious issue - as in, it has NO part in government.

"Render unto God what is God's, and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."

]]> Ayden http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750607 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/who_do_we_have_to_thank_for_a_more_secul#c750607 Religion Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:27:17 -0800