lexico
Chukchi Salmon
Tolerance towards religion in the US
I must say that a sweeping description of "Americans" as fundamentalists or gay bashers or saying they are skewed towards OT values or Judaism is a bit unbalanced, although you may have a point when comparing Europeans and Americans on statistics. What I have witnessed is quite varied. There are fundamentalists, gay-rights activists, JW's, Moonies, the Mormons, and many, many more. But the general atmosphere was tolerance for other beliefs and values.
Not once did I feel threatened or called down for having different views. But if any particular individual even tried to do something similar, I always knew how to keep the friendly distance without a major conflict or unpleasant feelings. It's very much like leaving an uncomfortable conversation with, "Nice talking to ya, have a nice day!"
This was very stange to me, and it almost looked as if American Chritianity had lapsed into the dark ages. I would say the unforced (non-fundamental) kind of Christianity had turned into almost a folk religion, with values stemming from Chritian beliefs and the bible, but somehow lost contact with the source of spirituality. Their beliefs are simple and primitive.
I would say those qualities are shared by most non-Christian European cousins. For example, as noted in another post, where does the European tendency to be idealistic and moralistic come from ? Nearly 2,000 yrs of influence and education that started in Rome and other parts of Europe noted in the Romans; Spain, Galia, and Germania.
Of what little I have seen of the US, what you say holds true for many young city dwellers from small towns. If a high school graduate from a religious family/community leaves home for school or work and lives somewhere else, some would find a church and attend the services regularly, but the majority would go hibernating. When asked if they were religious, they would often say, "I'm Christian, but a non-practicing Christian." This was the general pattern in the late 1980's.Sensuikan San said:I doubt very strongly that you would find New York, Toronto, L.A. , Chicago or Vancouver much different from Europe in their attitude. On the other hand ... in smaller or tighter communities like Red Deer, Saskatooon, Des Moines, Little Rock .... or anywhere in the "Deep South" - the argument may well hold sway !
I must say that a sweeping description of "Americans" as fundamentalists or gay bashers or saying they are skewed towards OT values or Judaism is a bit unbalanced, although you may have a point when comparing Europeans and Americans on statistics. What I have witnessed is quite varied. There are fundamentalists, gay-rights activists, JW's, Moonies, the Mormons, and many, many more. But the general atmosphere was tolerance for other beliefs and values.
Not once did I feel threatened or called down for having different views. But if any particular individual even tried to do something similar, I always knew how to keep the friendly distance without a major conflict or unpleasant feelings. It's very much like leaving an uncomfortable conversation with, "Nice talking to ya, have a nice day!"
One thing that I noticed about Americans in general was how Christianity had gone back to pre-Lutheran illiteracy. Except those few who actually read the bible and studied the meanings, quite a few fundamentalists seemed not to read the bible, but only eager to be spoon fed by the holy men.Sensuikan San said:"Never discuss politics or religion in a taxi..."!
This was very stange to me, and it almost looked as if American Chritianity had lapsed into the dark ages. I would say the unforced (non-fundamental) kind of Christianity had turned into almost a folk religion, with values stemming from Chritian beliefs and the bible, but somehow lost contact with the source of spirituality. Their beliefs are simple and primitive.
I would say those qualities are shared by most non-Christian European cousins. For example, as noted in another post, where does the European tendency to be idealistic and moralistic come from ? Nearly 2,000 yrs of influence and education that started in Rome and other parts of Europe noted in the Romans; Spain, Galia, and Germania.