Christian propaganda - it's everywhere.

I don't remember an atheist in Forrest Gump.

The amputee.

Yeah, but his atheism isn't the driving force of his personality. It's just part and parcel of his entire psychosis. I don't recall that any big deal is made of the fact that the former company commander considers himself an atheist. That fact is so insignificant that Chai didn't even remember there was any such character in the film. I had to think for a moment myself before I recalled that, yes, the crippled dude, among other things, claims to be godless. It was your mention of the drunkenness and self-destructiveness that brought sudden recognition. He isn't portrayed as a drunk because he is an atheist. He is portrayed as a bitter person (understadably so, given his disabilities) with a vicious self-destructive streak.

And I disagree with your claim that the media is somehow "pouring petrol on the flames." The media simply reports what the public wants to know. You're right, of course, about the religiosity of the general run of Americans. They want to know about a presidential candidate's personal religious values; that's why the media reports on it. And that's why any candidate makes a big show of being a church-goer. It's what the people want to hear. There are probably more atheists in America than any random poll would indicate. But if they're running for office they're not about to admit it. It would cost them millions of votes.

Could an avowed atheist be elected to the Presidency here? Not in the forseeable future, anyhow.

The country in the world where you find the most religious fanaticism is Turkey.

On second place is USA.

In these countries god and religion is used to gather votes and to affect people's opinions.

Any politician who would try that where I live, (in Norway) would be committing career suicide.

ohhhh....I didn't even notice he was an atheist.

He was just pissed off in general because his legs were blown off.


I don't see the americans I know as assuming atheists are bitter.

I don't even know if any of my neighbors are atheists, or believe in God or not.

I did think about it once while I was out gardening all Sunday morning that nobody came out and got in the car to go to church. Unless they were going to shirts in their shorts and flip flops.

I thought "heh, I guess none of us on the block are church goers, and promptly forgot about it. I'm friendly with the people who live in....oh, I'd say 6 or 7 of the houses immediately around me, have been for years, and I know I've never discussed God with any of them, and they've never brought the subject up either.

I don't know if, as in the case of a presidental candidate believing in God is what the people want to hear, I think it's what some of the people want to hear. They are a small, however vocal group. I think most people who have a belief in God don't care about the candidates beliefs as far as religion. I always figure those candidates go to church because it would get them ahead politically with the small, but powerful religious segment of the population.

They're just really annoying and make so much noise they get their way.

I honestly wouldn't be at all surprised if either Obama or Clinton really didn't care that much about religion personally, they're just not dumb enough to show it.

So, they go through the motions of going to church, having a minister, whatever.

There's a lot of issues with this post.

Firstly, from the examples you give (limited), you base your assumption around a movie, and hearsay? Perhaps you have a few further examples?


Secondly, you list as negatives, things that may not be negatives - what's the matter with being immoral? Or a cynic (which would include most Australians)? And of course, there are the other problems raised by other posters with your given example of an atheist.

Third - what on earth are you talking about, NZ doesn't discriminate? Every country and every people on earth discriminate. If it's not against one religion, it's against something else - it's human nature.

Fourth - saying you don't even know the religion of your PM doesn't mean anything - there are people who no doubt pay attention to it.

Lastly, Christianity, like any other large organisation, engages in propaganda - that just makes it the norm, not the exception.

Good observations, vikorr. Particularly the last one.

Are there not instances in the film where LT. Taylor is actually talking to God?

Re: Christian propaganda - it's everywhere.


People from any group tend to get stereotyped by the loudest members of the group. If athiests get portrayed as you claim then maybe it's because those that people see as athiests tend to act that way. Take yourself for example...

In the gerund sense, yeah.
But in the gerundive sense, I'd have to disagree.












Just a little Latin humor.
Very little.

<smallsnort>

If your post is true in it's entirelty (and I would say that it isn't anywhere close) then you've shot yourself in the foot.

If someone mentioning their religious preference is enough to be career sucide then you have more than enough fanatcism going on.

You might also want to slip your home country of Norway in between Turkey and the U.S. there. We don't have an "official state religion" enshrined in our Constitution. Can you say the same?

A 2005 survey published in Encyclopædia Britannica finds that the non-religious make up about 11.9% of the world's population, and atheists about 2.3%.
If this also is true in USA you would not meet that many atheists you can descriminate against, espeicially as you cannot tell who is one and who is not.

About 50% of the Americans are members of a church, which is not that high that you can say that Americans are very religious.
According to recent article 71% of the Russians are now members of the Russian Orthodox Church. On the other hand Putin is starting to show that he is against "sects" which includes Baptists, Methodists and other Christian denominations.

That Norway as other countries have a State/Church connection has nothing to do with the religious feelings of people. They all have freedom of religion and can choose to be church members or not and also chose whatever denomination they want to belong to.

Re: Christian propaganda - it's everywhere.


Take my wife . . . please ! ! !

good point saab

someone saying they aren't religious is not saying they are atheists.

Personally, i was completely mystified by that bullshit remark about Turkey. Attaturk was obsessive about making Turkey a secular state, and the army will come down like a ton of bricks on any attempt to make a religious state of Turkey. Undeniably the Turks are muslims, and Islam is a serious factor in the private lives of most of them. But the notion that Turkey is one of the world's most religious countries suggests to me that Cyracuz has been smoking some fine herb . . .

Iran is very much a religious country - I don´t know about the individual person.

It is forbidden for any Embassy representing a Christian country to held any form of church service/devotion/ mass/ singing hymns/ etc etc

Ouch. Sorry I ever posted

Okay, I'm not going to take any "I didn't even notice that guy was an atheist!" stuff. The fact is that the two characteristics are paired together. Atheism added to the mix. Atheism fitted in. This is my point.

Chai,
Despite your personal experiences, America as a whole cares about religion. Personal experience is a miniscule sample of the whole in this case. And the mere fact that no atheist will ever be elected any time soon demonstrates that the people who care are not a small group. If people generally didn't care then atheists could be elected. Simple as that.