why are Americans so religous?
472556
I have heard that one of the reasons that Britain got away from being religious was because of the troubles between Catholics, Anglicans, and Puritans early on.  The Government in Britain went back and forth between loyalties and persecution would be against the Anglicans for a time, and then against the Catholics for a time, and back and forth.  People basically got fed up and stayed home.\n\nIn America, a lot of people supposedly came here for the main purpose of religious freedom.  You would have to be a pretty devoted person to pack up and leave everything you knew to come to a newly discovered frontier land.  So maybe historically, that is the reason.
105860
Yep, I agree with everybody else here...a lot of Americans seem to have this crazy idea that Christianity is the official religion of American and we ought to design our lives and laws around it, and anything that the Bible says isn't allowed is just sick and wrong.  Funny, 'cause I seem to remember something way back in history class about this country being founded on the idea of religious freedom.
1022258
Interesting that most people have said Nationalism, thats probably true if you're an American since we think we are so great. However in a global scale I think religion is more dividing than nationalism.
1019083
America is made of many stripes and many stars.\nAmerican citizens are very different: their backround, their race, and their religion.\nThat's what makes America so special.\nTibet and India are spiritual, maybe china too.\nThe west, also known as south+north America, didn't lost their spirituality ! They are still faithful, and I'm sure much more faithful than those in their country, trust me on this one.\n:)
846003
Hi, Arianne. Your question has been on my mind for years because l also notice that a lot of Americans are hooked on drugs (be of any kind). l am not racist, just stating a fact based on the numerous readings l've done. l also watch mostly US tv shows and movies and i cant help but notice that substance abuse "look normal" and something each and everyone has to go through. lt's a major problem that has been there for a long time and is still there....for how long? \nl dont want to go on blaming people. ln my opinion, they have to be more spiritual. Too many think they dont need God since they can go on with their life doing what they want to do. Too much freedom is not good.
107498
Yes, as an american, I firmly believe that most americans are idiots. They pick a president based on things like the bible and gay marriage. First off, how many people have ever been to a gay wedding? (not many) Secondly, there's a separation of church and state in the constitution.....so why does the bible matter in government? They should be considering things like, who can "balance a budget", can reform education, positively influence the economy, etc. But hey.....most just care who does what with who in the dark. I think that's pretty stupid.
580701
I don't think you're missing anything at all.  I'm a Christian and I think the mixture of religions is what makes America, America!  I don't know what you were watching on TV, but I agree that they are hypocrites.
249128
The US is not a Christian country. George Washington & John Adams (remember them?), in a diplomatic message to Malta, said "The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion." \n\nThat being said, the majority of the US government is Christian, as well as the majority of the US populus. Laws that are written based on their religious convictions blur the line between Church and State, and many time, cross it.\n\nMy ancestors (I am a Mayflower descendant) came to this country in 1620 to escape state-imposed religion. The fundi-Christians are trying hard to impose one on us now. This is being allowed to happen because the Congress, Senate, and Executive Branch are controlled by psuedo-Christians, and most of the people who put them there are psuedo-Christians.
34869
The country does not deny the concept of God or gods, however the US Government is in an interesting position on this.  They have the first ammendment, which forbids congress from making regulations that favor any particular religion.  What this means in the real world is that state- an federel- provided education MAY NOT impose any particular religous favor, such as reuiring prayer in school assemblies, or teaching any specific relious doctrines.\n\nIn a sense this is odd because the country was founded by people who were, along with other respectable traits, very religious men indeed.\n\nHowever, these people came to America in search of freedom to practice their relious followings.  If the governemt were to pass laws in respect of religious beliefs, all of what America stands for would be gone.  People would begin to flee the country in search of freedom, and America would collapse.\n\nRegardless of whether you personnally support the religious climate of this country, it would do you good to remember that the US still supports a great deal of liberty that other nations, gradually, are begining once again to steal from their people.
23587
"Happy Holidays" is definitely more American.  More than twenty percent of Americans are not Christian.  They follow religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, and other various faiths.
732583
This is a complex question but in short I think that most people still cling to the idea of us being a christian country because to say otherwise would indicate that we are a faithless nation. I think that the majority of people in the country still believe in God even though the traditional ways of worship have declined drastically.
861513
This question clearly illustrates the reason why we Europeans find America such a primitive community. To us the idea that religionists, whether Jews, Christians or Muslims,  should influence the way in which the courts operate is a denial of the Democratic principal. Save us from archaic Christian extremists and from a Jewish mafia or the dangerously mad Sharia law guys. This is the age of reason - not the 14 century.
1172625
Because we live in America.
1014365
Simple.  Whether I like it or not, I recognize that currently, the majority of U.S. citizens are "believers".  In my daily life it is necessary to deal with them.  To do so successfully, it helps to understand them.  A part (but certainly not all) of this understanding comes from going to the religion section and reading the opinions of others. \n\nIf at some time during my lifetime, "believers" cease attempting to use governmental institutions to impose their beliefs, than I would probably no longer spend time in this section.  I could get my humor and horror from other sections.  Hopefully my answer is of the type that you were looking for.
1003634
Because America is screwed and it was screwed from the beginning. We always have biased oppinions and the media uses that to it's advantage. Since there are more Christians in America then any other religion, they impinge that into our values. Not to mention America was orignally formed from people who came here to practice their religion freely.
1052679
God is the God of all people.  I think Americans can be grateful that they have the abundance that they enjoy.\n\nPride is another matter and it depends on how you mean it.  It is good to be a great nation, but it is also important to be a nation that seeks peace, looks after the less fortunate, and maintains ethical standards of resource sharing, justice, and care for the planet.
513198
Many of the people who came to America from Europe in the 1700-1800's were people seeking religios freedom that they didn't have in Europe at that time. Much of that religios ferver has been passes through the years to the current Americans.