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 Off-Topic / Debate / 20175
20174  |  20176
Subject: 
Re: It's scarier if he actually believes his own nonsense.
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Mon, 7 Apr 2003 21:44:07 GMT
Viewed: 
215 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd writes:
Idunno, is Britain a more secular society?  Not officially of course, the
state and the church are the same vs. separation of church and state, but in
practice?  Many do want that "God Bless America", but in Britain some like
to think that God didn't just bless the place, he walked upon their very
shores (see Piltdown Man for my opinion on British ethnocentricism <g>).

The examples you give there come from quite a long time ago, I think things
have changed.  Having lived in both countries I would say that Britain (at
least the part I live in, the South East) is hugely more secular than most
of the US.

Having said that there is a tendency for large centres of population to be
more secular since immigrants with different religions gravitate there, make
the areas more diverse and expose people to other views and make them
examine whether their religion is the right one, or even if any is.  LA and
New York are more secular than rural parts of the US, London is more secular
than Herefordshire.

However, an example - from Douglas Adams' 'Salmon of Doubt', the miscellany
of articles, interviews and unfinished work collected after his death - In
an interview with the US magazine 'The American Atheist' he is asked the
following question:

David Silverman: Have you faced any obstacles in your professional iife
because of your atheism (bigotry against atheists), and how did you handle
it? How often does this happen?

Adams: Not even remotely.  It's an inconceivable idea.

I think the fact that this question was even asked demonstrates the difference.

Si



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: It's scarier if he actually believes his own nonsense.
 
(...) Idunno, is Britain a more secular society? Not officially of course, the state and the church are the same vs. separation of church and state, but in practice? Many do want that "God Bless America", but in Britain some like to think that God (...) (22 years ago, 7-Apr-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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