Could an atheist who called Jesus a "drunkard" be elected in your country?

[Kuciwalker]

Universality is irrelevant to security, if the alternatives aren't threats. In a pluralistic US, Christianity is actually less threatened, because the the things that protect Christianity (like the 1st Amendment) protect other religions as well.

But the biggest protection - you completely dominate society - is gone.

[Kuciwalker]

By contrast, at least two earlier periods saw powerful anti-Christian ideologies with some popularity in the US, including popularity among leading social figures. In the early Republic, there was a good degree of sympathy in some quarters for the goals and tenets of the French revolution, including its aggressive secularism. In the frist half of the 20th century, Communism (including American Communism). What quarter of society, or what influential group of elites in US society, is anti-religion today?

I can't speak for the first example, but you do recall what we did to the second, no? And the reaction the Christians had to those godless commies?

[Robert]

I live in holland.
yes, yes, yes.

kuciwalker:

Are you kidding? Christianity is far less universal now than it was then.

Christianity is (still) the fastest growing religion worldwide. More then 2 billion people are christian. More then ever, more widespread then ever.

[Jon Miller]

Christianity is a very competitive religion on the religion market. It is a reason why religious freedom (true freedom, not what a lot of the religious right want) is one of the best things for Christianity).

JM

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by CyberShy
Christianity is (still) the fastest growing religion worldwide. More then 2 billion people are christian. More then ever, more widespread then ever.

You get an F for misuse of statistics. The logical error in CyberShy's post is left as an exercise to the reader.

[Robert]

per day there are more new christians then new muslims.
The problem is that most people talk about relative numbers and not about absolute numbers.

But in absolute numbers chrisitanity grows faster. And that's what counts in the end, imho.

[Kuciwalker]

You still don't understand what you're talking about, sadly.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Universality is irrelevant to security, if the alternatives aren't threats. In a pluralistic US, Christianity is actually less threatened, because the the things that protect Christianity (like the 1st Amendment) protect other religions as well.

But the biggest protection - you completely dominate society - is gone.

Best estimates are that 75-80% of Americans identify themselves as Christian (and more than half of those identify themselves as born-again or evangelical). That's makes America even more Christian than it is white. Exactly how much do they have to dominate society before they stop whining?

[Jon Miller]

About 10% of born again Christians beleive in reincarnation, though. A much higher percentage of Christians as a whole..

Religion isn't as clear now as many imagine it was 200 years ago (of course, it wasn't clear then either.. but there is the whole idea of a perfect past that many adhere to.

JM

JM

[onodera]

80% of Russians say they're Christian, but most of them have had their communion a looong time ago.
This kind of politician could be elected here if
a) anti-religion was not the sole basis of his platform
b) our elections weren't terribly rigged
c) his attacks on religion were solidly backed with facts

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


But the biggest protection - you completely dominate society - is gone.

Christianity is incredibly secure in the modern day United States- syndicated propagandizing television and radio shows, Christian missionaries on your doorstep, Christian campuses and universities, a head of state who openly professes their particular brand of Christianity, a government which co-opts explicitly Christian groups into the business of government, tax breaks for churches, Christian churches which act en bloc to vote for particular political candidates...

...who exactly is meant to be threatening 'the Christians' in the United States ?

Not the Catholic French or Spanish, or the Mohawks or Iroquois or Pontiac's forces.


Good old millenarian paranoia- it never goes away, just mutates.

[Robert]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
You still don't understand what you're talking about, sadly.

I'm just responding to your ignorant quote:

Are you kidding? Christianity is far less universal now than it was then.

Claiming that christianity is far less universal now then ever is plainly ignorant.
Unless of course you think that 'universal' means 'european'. But even in the middle ages people weren't as christian as people think they were.

Most of them were just christian because everybody was a christian. I doubt that the 'real' number of christians, who were it with full knowledge, was higher in those days then it is right now.

[Shrapnel12]

So Christians are just punishing themselves with all these stupid decisions like punishing a child for praying in school or firing a teacher for wearing a cross? Not the kind of discrimination you'd expect a majority group to suffer.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Elok
Hahahahano. No freaking way. Surveys show that we in the USA would elect a gay man president before an atheist, and we're not even talking an outspoken atheist running on an "anti-religion platform," whatever that is.

Someone actually conducted such a poll? ...........and lived?

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by onodera
80% of Russians say they're Christian, but most of them have had their communion a looong time ago.
This kind of politician could be elected here if
a) anti-religion was not the sole basis of his platform
b) our elections weren't terribly rigged
c) his attacks on religion were solidly backed with facts

The CIA fact book states that only 20% of Russians are Christian. Muslims make up 15% of the Russian population, so Russia is almost as much Muslim ad Christian ( according to the CIA factbook ).