(June 27, 2014 at 9:18 pm)blackout94 Wrote: Can I ask, as an european, why does religion have such a great impact on the american society?Something I've wondered myself. Our constitution establishes separation of Church and State and specifies "no religious test shall be required to hold office". So how did we become such an anomaly among developed nations?
One theory I have is that state churches in Europe, with government support, became fat and lazy and lacked any drive to boost their popular appeal. In America, a church must appeal to the general public or die. Thus, the boring churches died off while the ones with lots of flair and entertainment flourished. Go to a mega-church sometime and you'll hear rock music, see pageantry and witness marketing genius. This kind of popular appeal quickly translates into money and political influence.
So in Europe, you may resent having any of your tax money going to support a church that you don't believe in but just think of it as an inoculation against religious insanity. Or perhaps it's a fee to keep the beast drugged and kept in its gilded cage.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist