Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
Part two of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's study on American religion is out now. (We talked about part one in February.) In Illinois:
- 70 percent believe in God with absolute certainty
- 3 percent don't believe in God at all
- 53 percent say religion is very important in their lives
- 39 percent attend religious services at least once a week
- 55 percent pray at least once a day, and 27 percent say their prayers are answered at least once a month.
- 72 percent say there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion
- 27 percent say their scripture is the literal word of God and is word-for-word true
- 74 percent say many religions can lead to eternal life
Read the whole fascinating report here.
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I can distinguish between about three of the colors in that map's legend.
39% go to church at least once a week. That's not even a majority, and yet this country is turning more and more into a fucking theocracy. Unbelievable.
I'd like to see graphs for other developed countries.
and yet this country is turning more and more into a fucking theocracy
An extreme over-statement, but this is the internet and that is like water in the ocean.
What I see are the last thrashes ultra-conservative/evangelical Christianity in attempts to "teach the controversy" about "intelligent design" or slamming shut the reproductive options for women. Their extremism makes for good copy (see Jesus Camp as a for instance) but that same white-hot craziness is burning them out.
Okay, Matilda the sequel. Enjoy the view from your high horse.
Al's right. The cultural pendulum has always shifted between the religious and the secular in this nation. We hit what passes for a religious extreme in America a few years back, and as always happens when culture reaches an extreme there was a backlash. Now we're going to other way, and we'll keep going for about 20 years or so until we hit what passes for a secular extreme in America. There will be a backlash, and in 40 years we'll be right back where we are now.