Bible Belt? More like Bible Suspenders...
I found this picture of the distribution of religion across the US with the darker shades representing higher concentration of religious people. Does anyone else find it interesting that the higher concentration of religious people is found in the middle of the country instead of in the South? The 'Bible Belt' border seems to be incorrect according to this data. Look at Georgia compared to Minnesota.
posted by Kyle Potter at
1:56 PM
7 Comments:
Maybe Bible Tie is more appropriate...
By
Kyle Potter, at 2:33 PM
It would appear that religion is significantly repelled by salt water.
By
Anonymous, at 4:13 PM
I'm surprised, and a little confused, by this map. I wonder how much it really tells us about the role of religion in states and regions....
Yesterday the governor of Georgia signed a bill permitting the display of the Ten Commandments at courthouses. He signed another law which allows classes on the Bible to be taught in high schools. I don't think such laws would pass in Minnesota, yet judging from the map Minnesota is much more religious than Georgia.
I suppose one would need to define "religious." It's not necessarily synonymous with conservative or fundamentalist.
(Might the map also suggest that in states like Georgia conservatives and fundamentalists have undemocratic power, that is, influence beyond their numbers?)
By
Capper, at 12:16 PM
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By
D-Man, at 5:06 PM
Indeed, I get the impression that while religious fundamentalism may not reign in more northern/liberal states like Minnesota, the broad majority of Americans are theists in one form or another. I have shared my atheist views with all sorts of people: highly educated, uneducated, rich, poor, Democrats, Republicans...and nearly all of them seem shocked and/or offended that I do not believe in God, souls, or an afterlife. I strongly believe that spirituality (and perhaps even religious tendencies) is due in part to the genetic makeup of the human brain. One may not be deeply religious, but the feeling of personal/spiritual transcendence (i.e. the self, the "I," the "ghost in the machine") appears to be nearly universal. Apparently, the belief that we are biological machines molded by our genetic past, without souls, without a definite and cohesive executor, and with inevitable expiration dates, is a very frightening idea for most to grasp. The failure of nearly everyone to put all the evidence together to arrive at this logical conclusion, however, frightens me.
By
D-Man, at 7:07 PM
I think that this refers to people that go to church. The title of 'religious adherents' is what makes me think this. And if its church-going people, then I can understand this. There has to be some truth to the Luthern Minnesotan stereotype. While we all may not be from Lake Wobagon, I can believe that there is a stronger group of church-goers here than other states.
By
Kyle Potter, at 11:06 AM
Also - to further prove my case, the dark shade of maroon represents over 75% of the county's population considering themself a 'religious adherent,' but we know that well over 95% of the country considers themselves religious. So, taht would mean nearly every single county would have to be maroon for this to match.
By
Kyle Potter, at 11:10 AM
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