That many countries, that close together, for that many years... That creates stereotypes, bias, prejudice, etc. I've lived there, so... yeah.
We have absolutely none of that in America. I mean, despite the fact that, in the 21st century we live in a culture that refuses to acknowledge homosexual marriage, where women still make $.77 on the $1 to men, and where half the members of a major political party refuse to accept a President's legitimacy, based on the color of his skin. Where we still have active hate groups such as the Westborough Baptist church, who protested my high school only just recently holding up their signs that say "God hates fags," etc. Yep, good ol' America.
1. "Not my ideals" =/= "Ridiculous."
2. Religion is allowed to stand in the way of scientific progress? That's not religion, ma'am, that's "ethics."
Religion does, most definitely, stand in the way of scientific progress. Christianity, for example? Your bible says that the world was created in 6th days, with humans being created in their present form on the sixth day. Any sensible person knows that the earth is at least 4 Billion years old, yet Evangelical Christians will still argue that the earth is a product of their "God," and only several thousand years old, without any factual evidence to support their claim. Personally, I see that as dangerous thinking, especially given religion's history of rejecting scientific claims that contradict their scriptures.
Do I think Religion itself is dangerous? Not necessarily. When practiced on a personal level, religion itself isn't evil. Whatever you want to believe is A-OK with me. However, when your religious beliefs, morals, or ethics begin to intrude on the beliefs of others in your society, as practicers of religion have done all throughout history, it is then that religion becomes the root of all evil.
Let's examine some of the more prosperous nations of Europe:
Liechtenstein (~80% Roman Catholic)
Finland (~98% Lutheran Church of Finland, remaining 2% mostly Orthodox)
Sweden (~95.2% Church of Sweden)
Switzerland (77% various religious (No official church, too divided among various faiths))
Denmark (92% Church of Denmark)
Norway (87% Church of Norway, ~5% other Christian denominations)
Eh?
"Eh?" is right. Would love to know where you got these statistics from. Wikipedia, perhaps? I was curious when I saw the claim that Finland is "98% Lutherian," because I always remembered Finland for having a relatively high Atheist population. So naturally, I checked up on it. Did you, perhaps, use wikipedia in constructing these numbers? Because it does say Finland was 98% Lutherian...in the year 1900. Since then, that number has dropped to about 80%, with an estimated 18% identifying themselves as "non religious."
Sweden? You stated that "95% belong to the church of Sweden." Wrong again, wouldn't you know! Since 1972, that number has dropped down to a mere 71%.
Denmark? More old statistics. The number above says 92% belonging to the church of Denmark. That percentage has dropped, quite drastically I might add, in the past 3 decades to ~80%.
And Noway? You said 87%, which was correct in the year 2001. That number now stands at 79%. Yet another drastic of decline of 8% in a span of just under 10 years.
My point is, being religious doesn't make you backwards and horrible.
My point is not that either. There are good people of every creed, color, and religion on the world, as well as bad. My point is that you should not attempt to use statistics in support of your claim until you take the time to check over your facts :B
So... You're whining that religion has too tight a grip, but you're also whining that our educational system doesn't stamp out any and all alternate beliefs?
See:
Secularism, n: The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education
Explain, please. You can't fight for equality, and then demand that religion is completely wiped out. If I have to learn the history of Islam and the Middle East for the sake of political correctness, I refuse to let anybody eliminate Christianity from European history. An no, "We'll just teach the bad parts of Christianity, like the Inquisition!" doesn't cut it. If you do that, I want the massacres of the Confucians to be known. I'm sick of this forced political correctness.
...But no one is teaching the beliefs of Islam in school, only the history. Religion has played a very big role in history; this is indisputable. You're not being taught Islamic beliefs as if they're any sort of "fact," merely the history of Islam, and how it has impacted the world, past and present. We do the same for Christianity too.
I'm not happy about having political correctness shoved down my throat, but I bear it. You can bare seeing the words "Evolution is a theory."
And I'm not happy seeing ignorance either. The word "theory" has a very different meaning when talking in terms of science.
United States National Academy of Science said:
The formal scientific definition of theory is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word. It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence. Many scientific theories are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially. For example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the Earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things are not made of cells (cell theory), that matter is not composed of atoms, or that the surface of the Earth is not divided into solid plates that have moved over geological timescales (the theory of plate tectonics). One of the most useful properties of scientific theories is that they can be used to make predictions about natural events or phenomena that have not yet been observed.
....By that same logic, the concept of gravity is only a "theory." Or should we also be taught the alternative explanation of "theological force?"
(#18. I heard the Eiffel Tower was a popular spot, 'specially around Christmas)
You are so funny.
Additionally, an American household is near the top of the charts in terms of disposable income. And, despite the whole "American employees are treated like crap!" argument, Americans still make some of the highest wages on average.
Yeah...but you failed to mention the fact that we also have among longest yearly work schedule of any other country, with the least number of vacations.
Do your research, please. I had to do a lot in order to correct you, and I'm glad I did.
Irony is a beautiful thing.
You look those young men in the face, and tell them that. You tell them that they're fighting an unjust war, for a country that you're ashamed of.
lalalalala, what the hell kind of argument is this? Is this an attempt at trying to make someone feel bad for not agreeing with your views?
Tell them that they've made the wrong choice. If they're religious, tell them that God won't save them, because there is no God.
Whether or not there is a God is irrelevant~ Soldiers have a right to believe what they want, as does any citizen. I sympathize with the military as well, but they knew what they signed up for.
Pull a Vietnam on them. Spit in their faces. After all, what more do they deserve.
More guilt, YAAAY ^___^
God bless America. Thank you for making me do my homework, Jolene. My faith is renewed.
Really? Because reading through your post here has caused my faith in the average American to drop slightly 8)