South Carolina Ping
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Posted on 02/16/2009 6:05:01 PM PST by blueyon
A recent poll of more than 350,000 Americans on the importance of religion revealed that the nation is separated into enclaves of widely divergent viewpoints on faith, with some states and regions clearly religious and others significantly secular.
Gallup conducted a telephone poll of 355,334 U.S. adults, asking the question, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"
As one might suspect, states from the "Bible Belt" scored the highest, with 85 percent of Mississippians and 79 percent of Tennesseeans, for example, answering yes.
The poll also revealed, however, that in addition to the Bible Belt, the U.S. also has a pair of "secular strips."
The New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine scored the lowest in the nation, with only 42 percent of Vermont residents – or less than half the percentage of those in Mississippi – answering yes.
The other "secular strip" can be found in the West, where Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Nevada all scored in the bottom 10 states for affirming religion's importance in daily life.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
The numbers are that high?
Then again I live in the bluest region of the state. It's a real struggle for our church when so many other organizations (soccer, baseball, youth orchestra, etc) treat Sunday as just another day in which they can schedule attend-it-or-forget-it morning events for the kids. At least we get to see the parents' commitment.
Ping!
OK, you’re holier over there in the G.S., but not by much.
60% here in NJ pretty much jibes with my observations. Lots of active Baptists in the black community, Pentecostals in the hispanic community, Hindus in the Indian Community, etc. You still have lots of white Catholics who attend church at least once a month, but they trend older. The 40% secular would be growing faster were it not for immigration. There is also no telling what will happen with the children of immigrants religion-wise as well.
For all the talk of "thriving" RCC churches in the exurbs (Orange and Putnam counties), these are counterbalanced by the exodus of Catholics from upstate, and the secularization of downstate (something I have personally observed my entire life). You also have the issue of "redundent" churches left over from the great waves of European immigration (ie places in Buffalo/Syracuse/Troy/NYC where you have an Italian church a block away from an Irish church a block away from a Polish church) that could not survive changing demographics.
After spending two years in Seattle, and visiting my sister several times in South Carolina and now Tennessee, I can honestly say that my homestate of New York and my current state of residence, New Jersey, are somewhere in between, although aggressive proselytization has always been “frowned” on, with religion considered a private matter outside of Christmas displays. Nevertheless, the secularization trend is evident by several indicators.
Colorado comes up relatively secular, which certainly jibes with my experience. While I know a few people at work who attend church, neither I nor any of my friends do so.
South Carolina Ping
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So, is your home state of Mississippi a very moral place? Figure I would ask you because you are honest...
Keep in mind there is religion and then there is religion.
If you asked Nancy Pelosi this question, I’m sure she’d answer yes.
But, then, so would Billy Graham.
World of difference.
I live in the heart of Paganville (the Seattle area ) where, judging by church attendance, most people avoid church all to gether.
Like WA State (and most of the west coast), born-again believers must be very strong in their faith....because we’re challenged and swim in a pagan soup all the time. It’s not like living in the south, where there are more people “playing church” because everyone there goes to church out of tradition or societal pressure.
Tthanks for the ping. It seems to me that this is an opportunity for a political party that can tap into this religiousity. Compared to Europe, the US is filled with religious zealots.
Believe it or not, it was true in the northeast up through the GI generation as well. Once they all but died completely off, many folks stopped playing church and simply stopped going.
Many evangelical “megachurches” in Blue States act like McCain. They diss James Dobson as being polarizing and talk of reaching across the aisle with seculars to help the poor and combat global warming.
I don’t buy that Importance of Religion chart, it ranks New Jersey as 60 and Florida as 65. Well, Florida is much further down the religious rabbit’s hole than New Jersey ever was. Between the holy-rollers and the Scientologists who make their home here in Florida you can’t spit without hitting someone who is convinced they know better than you how you should live your life. I rank Florida a cool 75 on the religious Richter-scale.
Most of the white population are somewhat religious right for what that is worth.
and they vote R at around 88%
they are very pro-gun and quite anti-abortion
i don’t think the state even has an abortion mill anymore
but they are not perfect....many trangress but they do believe
the black population has been decimated by freedom and the Great Society, they have the local power now but not statewide and the leaders they elect locally are destroying what once functioned decently even if it was segregated
there are some rural serious believing blacks too but not like it used to be
religious belief is not always moral by default but it is more often than not
we do have a lot of very immoral lawyers though and willing jury pools in some counties
I’ll ask some fellow cotton staters: Are Mississippians more moral?
Which, as a native of New York and current resident of New Jersey I find astounding.
I could write a book at the plusses and minuses of the residents of NY and NJ, but I am very tired after a long weekend with the one I love.
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