When it comes to European presidential elections a candidates' faith will never take center stage, I have never ever heard a European president or prospective president say for example "God bless France" or "God bless Italy" or "God bless Germany" whereas every American president or presidential hopeful even though they might be atheists behind the scenes will ALWAYS say "God Bless America". Would you have a problem with an Atheist US president? And do you think faith takes too much center stage in American politics and why? If we are to believe that there should be separation between church and state than why is it that every presidential hopeful needs to proclaim their devotion to God and why do they allow their faith to dictate their policies when in office? Americans are three times as likely to believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus (83 percent) as in evolution (28 percent). Are we all that afraid of the invisible the unknown and the abyss?
I think that the "God bless America" saying is purely rhetoric mate. Nothing to do with faith. Our Queen always say "God bless all that sail in her" when launching a new ship. After she is done she really doesn't care if the fooker does a Titanic mate lol.
It's a fact that the christians fanatism is almost everywhere in the US. There are more churches in the South than gas stations, and if people learn that you are an atheist for example, there is no job for you (almost - because there are other people that do not care). The Christians fanatism in the US is running right behind the muslim fanatism. It is as dangerous unfortuntely. It is a shame that a presidential candidate may fall just for that reason (Romney in this case) A president should dirige with his consciousness and not with his faith... ANd that happens in Europe, that's why faith has a minimum importance for them..
well, here in Romania people are stil very religious but politicians rarely talk about religion. The problem is that religion and the state are not fully separated. Religion is taught in school as a mandatory class, the romanian coat of arms has a christian symbol in it, churches don't pay any taxes and the crappiest thing is that religion is practicly subsidized by the state... each year the state spends around 70-80 million euros paying salaries to priests, rabbis, etc. . Add to that the salaries of school religion teachers and the taxes churches don't have to pay and you can see religion costs us a crapload of money
lol..... I lived in the UK for a while and I think england should scrap the queen! She does nothing of any significance.
Religion is just something the mighty people in the word want you guys and other people to believe, so they dont create panic. People who believe in religion are often weak minded people that needs something to believe in because they are scared so face the truth. The world getting smarter and with each generation less and less people believe is this so called cover-up that we call religion. I also believe that the US government are hiding big parts of the word from us to protect us from ourself. Something i fully understand if i look at the average person today. The human race are not ready to face the truth if this world About the god bless USA quote, thats just became a tradition and something each president must say even he want too or not. The US president are powerful but i do not believe he is the most powerful man on earth
I think "In God We Trust" and the like is important to the type of civilization we strive for in the US. I say strive for because we obviously have not gotten it right yet. It is not so important which Gaud you believe in here, as it is the idea that we recognize some higher power than ourselves. You don't have to believe in the Xstian Gad to see how important the idea of a guiding force to the universe could be when keeping the greedy egos and ids of the ruling elite in check. For X sakes if you are an atheist think of G-D as science, logic, universe, love or whatever higher ideal you ascribe to and I think you too would agree its an important concept in civilized society. For me personally I fear the day when the Flying Spaghetti Monster of Doom washes away our inequity with the Cleansing Sauce...
Except that Christian fanaticism in the US never hijacked 4 planes and flew them into buildings full of innocent people or are trying to get their hands on a nuclear bomb and to compare Christian fanaticism to Islamic fanaticism is just ludicrous.
Yeah instead of flying planes christian fanaticism burned 6 million jews. Also, where is your proof Iran is trying to get a nuclear bomb?
The influence of religion in the US seems is really odd to me. I'm sure there must be some sort of historical theory behind it all. As the US was the worlds first liberal democracy, the separation of church and state was a fundamental plank in its creation. I think I'm right in saying all this 'In God We Trust' wording was added to the banknotes after WWII? Religion in Europe has little influence now. It's been in long-term decline for centuries.
Maybe the fact that Europeans don't let religion dictate policy has to do with the fact that Europe is excelling in various fields and leaving the US in the dust. Here we are fighting wars against other religions and in the meantime we have religion high jacking our own country.
You are talking out of one side of your mouth, Grab. You cannot on the one hand decry people using someone like Bin Laden to malign your faith, and then use Hitler, as an example of "Christian fanaticism." The Christian clergy in Poland slaughtered under Hitler's regime - was this some of Hitler's "Christian fanaticism?" Christians who, believing Nazi policies were counter to their faith, sheltered Jews in nations under Nazi occupation - you know, the Christians prosecuted and executed for such "race crime" - was this Hitler's "Christian fanaticism?" Muslims who clearly and unequivocally denounce Bin Laden and the views of Sayyid Qutb, and others like them both, as patently non-Islamic; and Christians who clearly and unequivocally denounce Hitler and those of like mind as patently non-Christian, -can enter a worthy dialogue with one another.
I agree. It's a question of time though. When I go to work in TN, you have no friend if you are an atheist. All needed is time to make these atheists infidels...See where I go... Bottom line, if you eat a cause, breath that cause, smell that cause, sleep that cause, you entering in a fanaticism for that cause: Islam, Christianism, Liverpool FC, John Lennon, etc... When you begin to kill for that cause, it's called extrem fanaticism...Like stabbing the AC Milan fan because he's not a Real Madrid fan for instance... If you are christian and "thy neighbor" is an atheist, and it's not right for you: you are a fanatic...