Taliban Sounds Like Alabam[a]. Now We Know Why

Interesting article at Gallup on the religiosity of the world. Like the rest of the world, America has its fundamental States and its secular States. Here is the percentages.



What's interesting is when you compare the most religious US States to the global populations with which they are similar in terms of religiosity.

Alabama and Tennessee are like Iran and Iraq in terms of how important religion is. Similarly, the more secular US states are like European and Asian countries.

The poll indicates that 8 of the 11 countries in which almost all residents (at least 98%) say religion is important in their daily lives are poorer nations in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the 10 least religious countries studied include several with the world's highest living standards, including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hong Kong, and Japan. (Several other countries on this list are former Soviet republics, places where the state suppressed religious expression for decades.)

Funny how Republicans, who tend to flaunt their Bibles, do so well in our poor States and how they love to attack poor countries in other regions. I guess theocracies fighting theocracies is great recruiting material for them. My god vs. your god rhetoric. Once you add "uneducated" to the "poor", you have a great base to stir up.

What this fundamentalism has to do with good governing only the GOP could explain. And only if you were pre-screened and signed an oath beforehand.

Being religious and Republican is not so bad in and of itself. It's the political platform built on taking care of the elite rich ruling class while subjugating the poor, free markets that exploit cheap labor, and so on, all while holding a holy book, that it gets scary.

Keeping the unenlightened masses obsessed with Bronze Age myths and modern fabricated fears so governments can rule over them is nothing new we know.

I wonder if the extremes realize how much they have in common?

Source: Gallup