On the one hand, everything is available to americans on the internet. On the other hand, you do see differences in places with AOE and high levels of fundamentalism or other faith-based movements.

Anyone can put up a webpage, but how do you get kids to look at it?

Who knows what kind of peaceful, loving society we would have now if the hippies had been allowed to complete their social experiment?

Norway does. As does Sweden. Finland. Denmark. Iceland. Holland. Germany and France to a somewhat lesser extent. These countries are at the cutting-edge of social development.

Seriously, crippling impressionable children (as was done ruthlessly to me) is only good for making crippled adults. Where were the caring adults gently guiding me and my generation into becoming healthy, responsible sexual beings?
This “Don’t tell them and they’ll never find out” atrocity ruins generation after generation.

I’ve heard plenty from the folks who “found out” anyway and are paying child support now, but I hear nothing about the social wrecks like me who are withering away alone.
We are quiet and don’t make any trouble in our solitary little lives, but we are very, very aware of what has been taken from us by the Puritans.

Oppressive, hate-filled Christian “morality” (HAH!) continues to devestate lives long after the public witch hangings ended.

“The Centipedeon 29 Jun 2008 at 6:41 pm

“Teach the kids the facts and the responsibilities (emotional, social, ethical etc etc) involved in having adult LOVING relationships. Teach them to respect themselves and each other. Or is that too radical.”

It’s not too radical, it’s just that the “free love” generation refused to actually grow up and probably don’t know how to have an adult, loving relationship themselves.”

Nonsense! The hippies were crushed by the Puritans who couldn’t stand the idea of people exploring sexuality. The Puritans required that everybody be as repressed as they were brought up to be. The hippies were trying to recover the humanity denied them. Who knows what kind of peaceful, loving society we would have now if the hippies had been allowed to complete their social experiment?

“The reality-based states would lie along the coast, stay rich, but improve their social policies to be more in line with Europe, while the magical-thinking states would be inland, and become poor, 3rd-world theocracies, or brutal, right-libertarian dystopias.”

Could you be more insulting?

As someone living in one of those inland states I am offended by your short-sighted, flippant remarks. Religious idiocy is not a matter just for the heartland. Rural communities do have a higher level of GDS (God Delusion Syndrome), but let’s not pretend that it doesn’t exist on the coasts.

State by state GDS http://religions.pewforum.org/maps

Grouping absolute and fairly certain belief in god, even Maine comes in at 82%. On the other end of the spectrum, Arkansas comes in at 92%. A modest difference. Nothing to crow about.

The national average is 87%. So, be smug if it helps you feel better, but I prefer to deal with reality and recognize it for what it is, a national issue.

For the record, I think these numbers are inflated (as they are with most polls on this topic) by the question asked. Look into the link and check the results for “Frequency of Attendance at Religious Services” and I think you get a better idea of how deep the average US citizen’s devotion goes. Most people give lip service to their god belief, but only 39% attend church weekly. Actions speak louder than words.

Even so, 39% scares me. I won’t be comfortable until all religions are relegated to their proper place as mythology and quaint superstition.

-OEJ