Which, if true, is on both counts rather sad in the country which prides itself with considerable justice on its technological and scientific (if not sustainable) achievements.

As to why this Brit is concerned about what’s going on in the U.S. right now, well, as Horace said: Nam tua res agitur, paries cum proximus. [No, it isn't rude.]

Re: gays being an abomination because ‘The Good Book’ says so.
Well, I can cherry-pick too! The Bible *supports* gay relationships.

Try I Samuel Ch 18 – “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David [...] Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.”

Then try II Samuel Ch 1 – “Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love was wonderful, passing the love of women.”

Now I could be wrong here, but isn’t marriage a covenant?

And the second one doesn’t sound strictly heterosexual to me…
–

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/07/palin-bridge-fact-check/

The problem with the GOP is that they need votes from stupid rednecks, racists, and chrsitian fundamentalists to stay in power. It’s not that they lack smart leaders or good ideas…it’s the whole democracy thing that gets in their way. So beyond the real GOP’ers, they have to lie and cheat to get votes from the masses. Good thing that most of the “masses” are too stupid to think on their own.

It’s not that different from now the Democrats work. They have their elites but also need votes too…they tend to go after the pseudointellectuals and stupid liberals.

In her latest column, Ann Coulter — in another country and at another time, she would have ended up on the gallows at Nuremberg jail — writes that the appointment of Palin gave Republicans a reason to vote for McCain, a reason other than Barack Obama.

My take on McCain’s choice of Palin can be found at http://calvininjax.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/mccain-concedes-defeat/

As an example of day-to-day Republican intolerance, check out http://calvininjax.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/hair-hitler/

I guess I can see your argument that I am writing as a Briton whilst you are writing as an American. My exposure to religious individuals has been entirely positive, particularly with regard to my girlfriend’s Jehovah’s witness family (an ‘American’ religion?). Every religious individual I have ever known has been well reasoned, friendly and ultimately approachable.

I’m not so sure however that the UK is heading towards the same type of issues the US is currently facing. The history of the UK and its resultant culture is just too different. No, I think the reverse is going to happen; the US is heading for a modern day reformation. Maybe this change will start with Obama and his opposition to the Iraq war as well as his more open (and reasonable) views on religion. He may even undo most of Bush’s ‘work’ (hopefully). Then again, maybe not. Either way, I’ve got £20 riding on him at 4:1, so I’m a big supporter.

http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2005/12/what_the_left_b.html

Geoff, I am not denying that as belief systems, religions can be dangerous. Clearly, certain religious *practices* will be either to the benefit or detriment of society (from your perspective anyway). Also of course, many religious practices have no impact on society whatsoever. Your attitude towards religion is one I entirely support. I might add however, that rather than having no concern for beneficial religions, we should in fact encourage them to grow. Maybe the way to erode negative religious beliefs is to simply starve them of “Petri dish” by boosting the growth of positive beliefs?

Anyway, the argument I have been putting forward to Gia was a different one. Why do some hold a special reserve of disdain for those who believe in God? If it is not hatred, then it is certainly bias. Gia has said herself, for example, that she pities ALL people who have found God because they are deluding themselves. She has said that the only way she could conceive of her husband or son finding God is if they became brain damaged. There is just a detectable air amongst some atheists that religious individuals, regardless of their particular beliefs or attitudes, are not to be trusted with anything. That they *will* try and force their unreasonable and deluded beliefs on society. It’s almost as if theists are sub-human in the eyes of some atheists. It all sounds rather ugly anyway.

Gia, how you can say that UK is unaware of the various dangerous branches of religion with the troubles that happened in Northern Ireland and which spread into mainland Britain is beyond me. You might even say that the UK is uniquely experienced with regard to religious conflicts in that it has actually managed to resolve one.

America is ran by a religious establishment, whoop de fucking do. Britain has been been run by establishments of various sorts for years. The religious right in America is rich, rich establishments pull strings, it’s hardly the find of the century is it? Oh and I also, “*DO* care when people try and take away other people’s choices.” It’s not exactly hard is it, even if you have a thick skull like mine.

And I really like your bacteria analogy. :)

See, a LOT of British people don’t get the extremely serious dangers of creeping religiosity. Judging by the personal beliefs of the people ‘at the top’, the Church of England is more or less just a place to get dressed up in silly clothes, talk a bit, then have some tea and cake. It’s EASY to, like your harmless bacteria, have no concerns about that.

The problem is, of course, that because the C of E in the country has been like that for so long, the far more dangerous branches of religion have been allowed to thrive. Yet still way too many people have the exact same lack of concern about the massive fundamentalist churches and the lean towards extremism in Islam that have popped up here…

If this attitude continues here then the UK will definitely be facing the same kinds of issues plaguing the States in 10-15 years time.