tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post8230429667186647499..comments2024-03-07T02:36:52.536-08:00Comments on Can you believe?: William Barr, Max Boot, and "the vapor trails of Christianity"Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-31138416670904258972020-02-21T12:35:42.264-08:002020-02-21T12:35:42.264-08:00When figuring up how religious a country may be, I...When figuring up how religious a country may be, I wonder if we are talking about fundamentalist religion -- of any variety, not just Christian. Fundamentalism distorts the expression of any religion in predictable ways, which tend to be rigid and coercive. This is demonstrably the case in Iran, and among those Americans who want to insist that the US is a "Christian country."<br /><br />And on another subject: I've been fond of Brownie and Sonny since high school, and got to see them up close and personal in a small venue in Cleveland Ohio in -- IIRC -- 1973. They were no more than ten feet away from the table where my friends and I were sitting. The opening act was a then-unknown Martin Mull. Interesting combination. Wonderful night of music and, in Mull's case, comedy. He is a fine musician as well as a funny guy. Brownie and Sonny were fantastic. We had a wonderful time.Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16628371309663728125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7217199.post-87690433112033008622020-02-21T05:48:00.240-08:002020-02-21T05:48:00.240-08:00There is undoubtedly a complex of factors playing ...There is undoubtedly a complex of factors playing into the how religious question and its relation to other factors. That things are much better off in less religious countries could be in large part because when people become comfortable and secure, many of them react by thinking we don't need religion because we're all right by ourselves without any reference to the divine. <br /><br />This would also explain why the USA is more religious than other affluent countries. While on the whole we are a rich country, economic security is much lower in the USA than in our affluent counterparts. Because we lack a robust system of social supports, a large proportion of people are just one medical or other crisis away from abject poverty. This is not true in most other rich countries.Bill Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752443575410023776noreply@blogger.com