The Last Christian Nation

NRO ^ | Nov 17, 2003 | John Derbyshire

[jjm2111]

Excellent article. Derb is one of my favorite NR writers.

[azhenfud]

I often wonder, is it more important to be a Christian nation or to be a nation of Christians....

[swilhelm73]

ummmm What about all the countries in Central and South America?

He did say post-industrial. None of Latin America would qualify on that note.

I think overall the fact that our large immigrant population is mostly coming from Latin America is an advantage for us over Europe with their Muslim immigrant population.

Yes, yes, Latin American culture is all too accepting of corruption and doesn't have much of a tradition of political liberty, but your average Mexican immigrant fits better into American culture and can be assimilated over time.

OTOH, your average Algerian in France, for example, brings the anti-thesis of French culture and has no interest whatsoever in becoming French.

[azhenfud]

"What about all the countries in Central and South America?"

Don't overlook the fact that a quarter of the Earth's population may be reached from China. And if India follows suit (they rival one another to be the most "progressive"), half of the world's population may easily be exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Exciting, isn't it?

[qam1]

author was really discounting all but the G-8.

Though isn't Brazil part of the g-8?

Though the ultimate Christian Country is actually the Vatican.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Hush - you're spoiling a perfectly good nativist rant, LOL.

[presidio9]

Though isn't Brazil part of the g-8?

USA
UK
Italy
Japan
Russia
Germany
Canada
France

[Wallace T.]

Two areas have slowed down the long march of secularism in America. First, the size of the United States makes consolidating power more daunting than in any other European and European-descended nation. Canada is slightly larger than the U.S., and Australia is slightly smaller, but in both nations, the populations are concentrated in a relatively small area, adjacent to either the U.S. border or the ocean, respectively. America's population is better dispersed, and has become more so since World War II. Second, the diversity of denominations impedes the aggregation of ecclesiastic power, which in turn makes it more difficult for humanist wolves in the "sheeps' clothing" of backward collars and Murphy robes to turn the church toward submission to the almighty state.

How long America's good fortune will hold out is difficult to say. Conservative evangelical Christians are the most likely target for persecution, followed by Catholics who hold to the pre-Vatican II positions of their church, observant Orthodox Jews, and the conservative elements in Mormonism. There are two regions that are major problems for the secularists: (1) the greater South (including Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia) and adjacent areas to the north (Pennsylvania to Colorado) and (2) greater Utah (inclusive of Mormon dominated areas of Nevada and Idaho). When evangelicals in area (1) and Mormons in area (2) are relegated to minority status, America will move leftward at a rapid pace. Traditional Catholics lack a large geographic stonghold. Orthodox Jews have one, but it is 6,000 miles to the east of New York.

Even a Reaganesque rout of someone like Howard Dean by President Bush next year will only buy a little time in delaying the long march by secularists through American institutions.

[LadyDoc]

he forgot that the Philippines is a Christian nation...

[neverdem]

He tried to limit himself to the "post-industrial non-muslim world".

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link. I already pinged quidnunc because he posted it, which I remembered because I critized him for writing WE'RE# 1, WE'RE# 1 and not giving a caution that it was a very long read. What can I say, offense was taken.

[Michael81Dus]

Only 19% of Germans proud to be German? And even more striking considering their snootiness: only 35% of French proud to be French? Really amazing and unexpected (at least to me).

The figures for Germany aren´t surprising. Due to its history, nearly all Germans have mixed feelings towards their country. They cannont be "proud" because this pride would also include their shameful history.

They don´t see that this pride would include the great shift to democracy and freedom, which last for more than 5 decades and counting.

As for the French: I also thought that more would be proud of their country.

[Theodore R.]

I seem to recall that Ireland legalized divorce in a plebiscite a couple of years ago.

[Sergio]

Save for reference.

neverdem - thanks for the post.

Best Regards

Sergio

[qam1]

From http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/Releases/1997/Dec97/r121097a.html

I blew Brazil but Italy is more Christian than us

World Church Weekly Attendence

Nigeria 89 Ireland 84* Philippines 68 N. Ireland 58* Puerto Rico 52 South Africa 56 Poland 55 Portugal 47 Slovakia 47 Mexico 46 Italy 45 Dominican Republic 44 Belgium 44 U.S.A. 44 Turkey 43 Peru 43 India 42 Canada 38 Brazil 36 Netherlands 35*	Venezuela 31 Uruguay 31 Austria 30* Chile 25 Argentina 25 Britain 27* Spain 25 Solvenia 22 Croatia 22 Hungary 21* France 21* Romania 20* South Korea 14 Switzerland 16 Australia 16 Lithuania 16 W. Germany 14 Czech Republic 14* Bulgaria 10* Ukraine 10	Taiwan 11 Moldova 10 Georgia 10 China 9 Armenia 8 Azerbaijan 6 Serbia 7 Montenegro 7 Belarus 6 Latvia 5 Denmark 5* Norway 5 East Germany 5 Sweden 4 Iceland 4* Finland 4 Estonia 4 Japan 3 Russia 2
Source: Based on latest available data from the 1990-1991 or the 1995-1997 World Values surveys. Results with an asterisk are from the 1990-1991 survey; all others are from the 1995-1997 survey.

Though I find that USA number to be way to high, I think people are lying on the phone or the numbers have collasped since 1995 because from the current US survey at

http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=149&Reference=B

Only 3 out of 10 twentysomethings (31%) attend church in a typical week, compared to 4 out of 10 of those in their 30s (42%) and nearly half of all adults age 40 and older (49%).

[perfect stranger]

bump

[happygrl]

FWIW

It's worth reiterating that our American values and perspectives and choices increasingly diverge from those of Europe.

We no longer have a shared worldview with Eurabia.

[happygrl]

Thanks for the book reference.

I agree with your premise.

Not widely known is that the majority of Christians in Indonesia are of Chinese ancestry, and they (along with the Timorese) suffered the the wrath of the Islamics there during the civil unrest recently.

[happygrl]

Good points about Mexicans and their culture.

The problem in France is not only the Muslims.

It is the French. I am not of the opinion that immigration from Liberal/Leftist Europe would be desirable.

Give me your Christian refugees from the Third World any day over most Europeans.

[happygrl]

Exciting, isn't it?

Yes it is !!!!