Reply #4: It's the right wing TV preachers that are the real difference

[muriel_volestrangler]

The Catholic church is in much the same position in both countries, and while the Church of England is 'established' (ie official), 'moderate' is practically in its name - it does not think that it should be interfering in science (Darwin is buried in Westminster Abbey, for instance, along with a few other great scientists. After a few arguments, I think they realised the science was correct, and thought it was better to celebrate the fact that the discover was English).

There's no equivalent of Pat Robertson, really. While there are some small extremist sects (the one that Iain Paisley runs in Northern Ireland, or the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, their influence is very limited in the coutnry as a whole. Having whole TV channels devoted to a commercial church operation seems unthinkable (though I do sometimes wonder if digital TV will change that). I don't think Britain has got as excited about religion as the US is now since the 19th century - and the media were completely different then.

Good luck with the atheism - it's completely unremarkable here in Europe, and I think will eventually be the same in the USA (while I lived there for a couple of years, I never found it a problem, but then I was always a 'visitor', and not someone who'd expect to be a permanent part of the community - and I was also in the north-east). At the same time, the stereotype of "Christian" here is someone anti-war, concerned about the environment, and so on - ie a nice person. It makes it a lot easier for everyone to get on.