It's a crying shame that in modern day society someone not only has to prove how religious they are

[mtnsnake]

to be President, but they also have to be practitioners of an approved religion.

Seriously, having faith is a wonderful thing if kept private, but WTF does being religious have to do with one's ability to lead a country?

I couldn't give a rats ass about watching each and every candidate have to pass the religion test, but I guess it's a fact of life in this country that you can't get elected to high office unless you make believe how religious you are. I swear they all must stand in frong of a mirror practicing their religious gamefaces with necks bent appropriately and eyes shut in earnest, so they can be ready whenever the time is approprate to put on their best religious faces. What a farce.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Fortunately the dark ages lead to a renaissance

it just sucks being in the death throes of this conservo-christian theocracy.

We will get through it...

[RC]

4. Yeah but it took something like 1500 years to do so.

[C_U_L8R]

11. party pooper :-))))

[mwb970]

2. Is there a European country that acts this way?

I feel as though America is "dead in the water" because we are overloaded with religious wackos with strange beliefs that they try to force on everyone else after infiltrating our government. My impression is that Europe is much more "enlightened" in this regard.

Or am I wrong? What European country has the highest percentage of religious nuts, and has it affected that country?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[SteelPenguin]

3. America Stands Apart

The most religious country in Europe is Italy which still falls 18% shy of the U.S. in people considering themselves religious, but even there 70% think religion and politics shouldn't mix at all. Europeans have more of a connection to their actual histories where too often religion and politics were intertwined for bad things, so they tend to keep their religion a private matter, and their politics a separate public one.

The U.S. on the other hand still follows it's roots which started in many instances with highly religious protestants coming to practice their religion freely, openly, after having to keep them hidden all to often in Europe. From the get go religion and politics intertwined here, and it will take something major for that to change, I believe.

It's unfortunate.

[mtnsnake]

7. Nice, informative post

Thank you

[Iris]

8. and I guess burning women as witches isn't enough of a dark history to sway us from

mixing gov't. and religion.

[Arugula Latte]

5. Americans hate intellectuals and just love Irrational and magical thinking.

It's so much easier to just explain everything away as the workings of some all-powerful hovering invisible man-like deity in the sky.

[Iris]

9. yes, and a great way to avoid taking responsibility for your own miserable life.

[hulklogan]

6. The USA has always had elements of religio-fascism

I mean, we revere the Puritans! It is ingrained into our culture, as disgusting as it is.

[kestrel91316]

10. Whatever happened to "There shall be no religious test"?