There are a lot of topics on this forum about US politics. I've also seen lots of news stories about this or that candidate's position on religion. Even for atheists, religion and politics seem to form part of the same thought spectrum in the US. As an outsider I find this extremely puzzling. Politics should be about issues that affect everybody: the economy, law and order, defense. Religion should be an intensely personal activity pursued only among consensting adults.
Growing up in the UK and New Zealand, I always saw America as a beacon of science and reason. America put a flag on the Moon. America had the fastest planes and the tallest skyscrapers. Now I learn that four out of ten Americans believe that god created the world a few thousand years ago, and that we are all descended from Adam and Eve. How can people who burn gasoline in their cars believe in young earth creationism? I've also read that an openly atheist candidate would be unelectable in the US. Why would Americans not trust someone intelligent and honest enough to see through fairy tales?
Is there a cure for America's god-fever, or has there already been permanent brain damage?
Subscription Note:
Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.
Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.
People just need to wake up and realize that relgion and politics don't mix....for example,look at a Country like Saudi Arabia. They behead people publicly for things like sorcery and drug smuggling. You shouldn't use your political position to force your fairy-tale beliefs on the rest of us.
for sure:
"When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows" - Frank Herbert
There is formal and constitutional separation of Church and State in the USA. Not so in the UK, but an atheist would be perfectly acceptable in Britain, in practice. Electors in the UK vote for a party, not a person.
But can religion be "cured"? I think that religion is mostly parent-given and education will eventually prove to be the cure. It will take a generation or two yet though.
I know it seems odd to you, but religion has always been a part of USA politics. Even though the US has led the way in establishing education for everyone, ignorance still prevails throughout the land. Yes, separation of church and state is the intent of the US Constitution, it isn't, and has never been the reality. The masses are generally ignorant and uneducated. This leads to people who take advantage of that situation. Education, intelligence, is hard work. Humans are basically lazy. Therefore they remain uninformed and stupid. This human factor was foreseen by the founders in this country. They decided to safeguard basic human rights from the whims of the majority. All rights are individual. And even though, one's religious rights are individual, most Americans regard them as communal. So it is a constant battle to maintain the sanctity of the US Constitution.