So WHY is America more religious? Seriously?

[Pablo Sanchez]

Fox News.

What a shit channel.

[Stormbringer]

No, they specifically asked if people think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old. No wiggle room there, and since the number is completely consistent with the Gallup poll asking a similar question, it is a somewhat corroborated figure.

I'm not saying it's impossible. In fact I find it depressingly likely. But I distrust Time on religious issues as much as I do Newsweek.

Could you please provide a link or quote the article or at least the poll?

If you have some countervailing evidence to indicate that their figures are grossly inaccurate rather than simply pointing out that they're not GUARANTEED accurate, please provide it. So far, I'm not seeing anything.

I am. I'm pointing out the fact that we aren't living in a religious theocracy like those numbers seem to indicate we should be. I mean really, if those numbers portrayed things completely accurately the Republicans should have been swept to victory and an second Inquisition begun.

Given the feircly fought public debates over evolution vs Creationism I find it hard to swallow the notion that half of America is solidy YEC. We do have a lot of religious wackos and a wholly underecucated populace but I'm not seeing that kind of fundamentalist domination.

[russellb6666]

gets on soap box/Shit I feel like banging my head against a fuckin wall people believe in religious shite because they are ignorant right? Then FUCK we need to put intelligent scientifically accurate television on major channels alot of the figgen time this would most likely A. turn the moronic masses away from blind faith and to intelligent thought or B. they don't watch tv because it is too "advanced" for them thus they start to read again thus people become smart and turn away from bullshite ideas like religion./off soapbox

[fgalkin]

I think this might shed some light on this. When there is such an amount of ignorance of even the basic principles of science, fundamentalism is likely to flourish.

P.S. Check the tables at the site. Esp. 8-9 and 8-11

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Coyote]

But then, in truth, how often do people really need to know what a molecule is, or what DNA is? I'm not supporting ignorance, but most people learn this stuff in school only to forget it quickly in "real life" since it is irrelevent to their daily needs?

The thing about not knowing it takes a year for the Earth to go around the Sun sems odd, but I guess it really isn't the knd of thing we contemplate much. A year is a thing in the calendar, and you need to remember your dentist appointment next week, not the solar cycle...

There is a difference between simply not knowing, or disregarding/naysaying knowledge because of some belief system...

[Pu-239]

http://www.lm.liverpool.k12.ny.us/Hyper ... tonium.GIF

With this quality of education, no wonder much of america is consisted of morons.

[Wicked Pilot]

But then, in truth, how often do people really need to know what a molecule is, or what DNA is? I'm not supporting ignorance, but most people learn this stuff in school only to forget it quickly in "real life" since it is irrelevent to their daily needs?

The public must be informed of these issues, or less they risk science being subservent to the mandates of ignorant politicians. Genetic engineering, cloning, stem cell research, etc: the consequences of this research would revolutionize the world as we know it. Do we really want an uninformed and ignorant public puting uninformed and ignorant people into the position where they can blindly determine the future of modern sciences?

[Wicked Pilot]

With this quality of education, no wonder much of america is consisted of morons.

That's probably just a typo. On the whole periodic table, the symbol is correct. Have you e-mailed the school to tell them about their error?

[fgalkin]

But then, in truth, how often do people really need to know what a molecule is, or what DNA is? I'm not supporting ignorance, but most people learn this stuff in school only to forget it quickly in "real life" since it is irrelevent to their daily needs?

The thing about not knowing it takes a year for the Earth to go around the Sun sems odd, but I guess it really isn't the knd of thing we contemplate much. A year is a thing in the calendar, and you need to remember your dentist appointment next week, not the solar cycle...

There is a difference between simply not knowing, or disregarding/naysaying knowledge because of some belief system...

Only 16 percent of those surveyed could define the Internet. THAT'S stupidity if you ask me.


Btw, that's the reason why AOL is successfull.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[neoolong]

Only 16 percent of those surveyed could define the Internet. THAT'S stupidity if you ask me.


Btw, that's the reason why AOL is successfull.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

It would be really ironic if that was an Internet survey.

[Darth Wong]

Poor knowledge of facts indicates ignorance, not stupidity. The problem is a lack of critical thinking skills, not knowledge of factoids. In fact, I think schools spend far too much time getting students to memorize factoids and far too little time teaching them to think.

[Coyote]

Only 16 percent of those surveyed could define the Internet. THAT'S stupidity if you ask me.

Stuff like that is stupid... the molecules and DNA stuff I can understand slipping through the cracks. And there's a lot of basic knowledge that I should know, realistically, but don't. Like changing the oil in my car. But then if I ever decided I wanted to do it myself instead of going to a minute-lube, I'd be smart enough to get the manual and follow instructions.

But yeah, if people are going to vote on things they should know what they're voting for. A bit of researchis a god thing, but most folk think that they can get the relevant information from the news...

That is laziness and piss-poor judgement... which results in ignorance rather than stupidity per se, but the aggregate effect ends up being a stupid society...

[Pu-239]

With this quality of education, no wonder much of america is consisted of morons.

That's probably just a typo. On the whole periodic table, the symbol is correct. Have you e-mailed the school to tell them about their error?

Oops, forgot, just bitched about it without doing anything about it. Going to do so tommorow.

[Tom_Aurum]

Just a short clarification here.... Hitler was NOT a christian. As far as most can tell, he practiced a really fucked up version of Asatru, meshed in with a lot of other occult beleifs. Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol. Hitler had a beleif that his troops in russia would be protected from the cold by a magical fire even.

There is a well documented ritual in england during WWII where Mad Aleister Crowley, Gardner, and other major occult figures of the time chose to cast a spell against Hitler, on the other side of the coin, but that's beside the point.

[Darth Wong]

Just a short clarification here.... Hitler was NOT a christian. As far as most can tell, he practiced a really fucked up version of Asatru, meshed in with a lot of other occult beleifs. Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol. Hitler had a beleif that his troops in russia would be protected from the cold by a magical fire even.

There is a well documented ritual in england during WWII where Mad Aleister Crowley, Gardner, and other major occult figures of the time chose to cast a spell against Hitler, on the other side of the coin, but that's beside the point.

Do not subscribe to bullshit revisionism based on the two widely discredited sources of Rauschning and Bormann. None of their quotes have ever been corroborated, and in Rauschning's case, Hitler was not even physically present at some of the times and places indicated. Read Mein Kampf; Hitler was a Christian. The fact that one of his first acts was to restore Christian school prayer should be a slight hint ...

[Cap'n Hector]

Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol.

The swaztika, with the arms going the other way, was the symbol of a goddess religion...

There is a well documented ritual in england during WWII where Mad Aleister Crowley, Gardner, and other major occult figures of the time chose to cast a spell against Hitler, on the other side of the coin, but that's beside the point.

I've heard about similar stuff. Wish I could find some sources about it...

[Spoonist]

Q: Why does america have more fundies?

A: Education.
It seems to be true in all statistics that atheists and agnostics are more likely to be found in countries with a better education system.
As it is now the US has some of the best schools in the world for the priviliged few, but the bulk of americas youths are tought in downsized and pricecut schools.
Also there is the cultural problem of a lot of the US youths being anti-education (bully the intelligent, you can't be cool if you ace a test, if you are nice looking everyone expects you to be stupid, etc).

[Zoink]

you can probably the poll and others gallup polls at www.gallup.com

[edit] damn, I tried and you need "premium" service to get at the religious polls [/edit]

[His Divine Shadow]

Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol.

The Swastika was stolen, the finnish airforce had it before Hitler did.

[Frank Hipper]

Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol.

The Swastika was stolen, the finnish airforce had it before Hitler did.

The swastika has existed in almost EVERY culture on the face of the planet, in multiple permutations, from the dawn of time.

[His Divine Shadow]

The swastika has existed in almost EVERY culture on the face of the planet, in multiple permutations, from the dawn of time.

I know, that was why I said it was stolen.

I didn't mean to imply only the finns have had it, but as a millitary symbol on planes and such, the finns where first to my knowledge.

[Frank Hipper]

The swastika has existed in almost EVERY culture on the face of the planet, in multiple permutations, from the dawn of time.

I know, that was why I said it was stolen.

I didn't mean to imply only the finns have had it, but as a millitary symbol on planes and such, the finns where first to my knowledge.

Didn't mean to bite your head off there, it's just that this comes up so often, and then people start in with the "but the nazi's turned it so it faced the other way" bullshit, I get a little testy. To those reading this who believe that Hitler turned the swastika around, check this out:

Coca-Cola refuses to admit they ever produced this.

[Peregrin Toker]

Coca-Cola refuses to admit they ever produced this.

(The Imperial March plays ominously in the background)

[ClaysGhost]

Just a short clarification here.... Hitler was NOT a christian. As far as most can tell, he practiced a really fucked up version of Asatru, meshed in with a lot of other occult beleifs. Even the swaztika is an acknowledged occult symbol. Hitler had a beleif that his troops in russia would be protected from the cold by a magical fire even.

According to Speer, Hitler regarded the sort of occult obsessionism that Himmler practiced as daft and pointless. If I remember correctly, Speer claimed that Hitler made comments to the effect that if the old Gods had been any good, they wouldn't have been overtaken in the worship stakes by Christianity. Towards the end he mainly seems to have put his faith in obscure superweapons rather than occult mysticism.

[Coyote]

Hitler also very pointedly was baptaized Catholic, the dominant social structure in his Bavarian-Austrian home region. He wasn't excommunicated until 1947 or '48, postumously. He looked to the churches to assist in the implementation of his social policies... and nearly all of them complied...