Washington Times: Study: Mississippi is 'most religious' state (compares states)

[Jumbo]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...religious-nod/

The South has risen again, at least in terms of belief in God. Mississippi is the America's most religious state, according to a Pew Forum study on the levels of devotion in America, which asked respondents whether religion is important in their lives. Eighty-two percent of Mississipians said yes.

It says Alaska ranked in the lowest grouping and Ore & Wa are among the lower on the list. Living most of my live in those three states, I would never have thought there was any lack of extensive permeation of the Christian faith in those places.

Growing up in Anchorage, I even had fair exposure to Buddhism and Shintoism (solid Asian communities), lots of "Aquarius new-agey earth-stuff" , and Eskimo/Native American beliefs. Judaism and the Muslim faith seemed played the lesser part part of my personal exposures in my first 20-plus years. Most of what I was exposed to regarding those faiths (like the non-believer stuff) was from the view of Christians or history books/texts/classes.

That was the case, at least, until at about 13 yo, I "quit" the church and began studying a number of related matters with serious and life-long, interest (pre-internet I had to use these weird things called libraries).

I had very little contact with agnostics/atheists. Most conversation about such things came from believers, usually focused on the "damned sou" and often rather hostile reactions to non-belief (back then anyway). Non-believers were wrong in a seriously bad way and needed to be fought and corrected either by generally stifling/shutting down any spreading of non-belief or by converting "them."

At least that was the popular take I got growing up. I never heard much from the actual non-believers themselves, and noted they never really congregated anywhere to "spread their message."

I guess times have changed a bit.

It's always interesting to me to explore the role environment plays in development. Mine was likely influenced by growing up in a geographical region where autonomy, individuality, and independence were thematic, as well as it having been a period in time when there was a less socially rigid, more free-form and open-minded backdrop.

Obviously many factors are involved in any individual's developmental journey, but that initial (in my case, diverse) environment had a solid shaping effect on me, as such does on humans in general.

Many of us who grew up in Alaska talk about the sense of openness, autonomy, independence, freedom, and just "difference" that seemed such a part of that place.

Here's another linked article on the study with a little more statistical info.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religio...e-survey_N.htm

WASHINGTON — Want to be almost certain you'll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi. Prefer to be in the least religious state? Venture to Vermont. A new Gallup Poll, based on more than 350,000 interviews, finds that the Magnolia State is the one where the most people — 85% — say yes when asked "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"

[Prosperity]

I've grown up around different religious communities too... Muslims, Catholics, Baptists, Jews (within a larger Christian community in Richmond), then every different sort in college. I don't know how it was like before, but there seem to be three different groups of people in the religious communities. Those that take part in the rites, and identify with the group. Those that don't care too much about the ritual but use religion as a foundation for an ethical system. And, those that really do both, who I think of as True Believers. I've met very few True Believers, but usually I think they are some of the best people around. I don't know what's going on the South, but in the communities I've seen I think there's been a shift towards people of the second group away from the first group (and from the second group to some non-theism). What we see in the south may be more people using religion as an identity in an increasingly fragmenting society, than the shift I described. But who knows... religious identity in a purely numbers game doesn't tell us a whole lot, but the lack of non-theists may show the lack of the shift I was talking about, and thus more people using religion as an identity in an increasingly fragmented society.

I've been trying to reconcile my own spiritual beliefs with an organized religion so that I could be a part of that third group. I like rituals, and culture, and tradition, and most importantly the community that those things help hold together... but it has to be on top of an ethical system for them to mean anything. I've been reading up on Bahaiism a bit, and I think it's compatible, and is probably the only one that has a belief system in which it makes sense for someone to join from my sort of odd perspective.

[SoCalSkins]

Isn't Bahaism the same as Shiite Islam with the exception of the Hidden Imam having been revealed? Any other major difference?

[Prosperity]

Isn't Bahaism the same as Shiite Islam with the exception of the Hidden Imam having been revealed? Any other major difference?

well I only some very basic stuff about both religions

The "hidden imam" and the whole messianic thing is the same, and it's monotheistic... but I don't think it's the same thing as shiism, at least its much more tolerant and much less aggressive. Don't know too much about Shia Islam though, other than my family, and living in Iran. It certainly less influenced by 7th century Arabian culture.

[SoCalSkins]

well I only some very basic stuff about both religions

The "hidden imam" and the whole messianic thing is the same, and it's monotheistic... but I don't think it's the same thing as shiism, at least its much more tolerant and much less aggressive. Don't know too much about Shia Islam though, other than my family, and living in Iran. It certainly less influenced by 7th century Arabian culture.

Your post has a George Costanza Latvian Orthodox conversion ring to it.

Is there a girl involved?

[Prosperity]

Your post has a George Costanza Latvian Orthodox conversion ring to it.

Is there a girl involved?

haha no there's no girl involved. I'll probably read up more before I'll call myself one anyway, cause obviously, I don't know a whole lot about it. But it does seem good.

Here are good things about it,

as the global economy evolves, nation-states and boundaries will start to fade and religions and ethnicities will mix at an even faster rate. Bahaii is a religion that can fulfill the role of a unifying religions between different peoples. Our future world may in actually need it.


after the Islamic Republic falls, Iran will be ripe for social change. Millions of people will turn away from Shia Islam. The Bahaii faith will be a good option for these people, and for Iran in general.

It's also pretty socially progressive compared to other religions, except the prohibition of alcohol, which is lame.

[SoCalSkins]

haha no there's no girl involved. I'll probably read up more before I'll call myself one anyway, cause obviously, I don't know a whole lot about it. But it does seem good.

Here are good things about it,

as the global economy evolves, nation-states and boundaries will start to fade and religions and ethnicities will mix at an even faster rate. Bahaii is a religion that can fulfill the role of a unifying religions between different peoples. Our future world may in actually need it.


after the Islamic Republic falls, Iran will be ripe for social change. Millions of people will turn away from Shia Islam. The Bahaii faith will be a good option for these people, and for Iran in general.

It's also pretty socially progressive compared to other religions, except the prohibition of alcohol, which is lame.

The alcohol prohibition is a deal breaker.

I am pretty sure Bahaism is shia islam with the hidden imam being a merchant from Shiraz who claimed himself as the twelfth imam. The religion basically allows interest to be charged which is not allowed in Islam. It is basically what Mormonism is to Christianity.

I don't see it taking hold in Iran with those turning away from Islam. There might a movement toward Zoroastrianism.

[Prosperity]

The alcohol prohibition is a deal breaker.

I am pretty sure Bahaism is shia islam with the hidden imam being a merchant from Shiraz who claimed himself as the twelfth imam. The religion basically allows interest to be charged which is not allowed in Islam. It is basically what Mormonism is to Christianity.

I don't see it taking hold in Iran with those turning away from Islam. There might a movement toward Zoroastrianism.

well the difference is that the twelth imam is supposed to bring about the end of the world. The chosen one in Bahai faith doesn't end the world, he just brought some new instructions from god, which happened to be much more forward thinking than other religions in the world, and definitely more than Islam. Equality among the sexes doesn't exist in Islam, but it does in Bahai. That's where the mormon analogy breaks apart, because mormonism is just so much more conservative than the rest of Christianity.

as for alcohol prohibition, it's not bad to drink alcohol, until you drink too much alcohol. That's a capital "T" Truth.

[GibbsFactor]

Hate to bring this topic into such an intelligent conversation about theism but I can't help but see certain signs that speak to a change in human religion. It appears to me that so many are becoming more and more apathetic towards their family taught religion.

It often reminds me of the 2012 speculation of the changing of ages from Pisces to Aquarius. During the age of Pisces was a time of the Abrahamic religions with their seers, profits and traditions. The age of Aquarius being more liquid, focusing on the belief of oneself and the power of mankind.

Is it just coincidental or do others see more truth in this and feel it really could be possible, the ending of the monotheism as the dominant form of human religion and an increased emphasis on the potential of mankind?

[Hubbs]

Hate to bring this topic into such an intelligent conversation about theism but I can't help but see certain signs that speak to a change in human religion. It appears to me that so many are becoming more and more apathetic towards their family taught religion.

It often reminds me of the 2012 speculation of the changing of ages from Pisces to Aquarius. During the age of Pisces was a time of the Abrahamic religions with their seers, profits and traditions. The age of Aquarius being more liquid, focusing on the belief of oneself and the power of mankind.

Is it just coincidental or do others see more truth in this and feel it really could be possible, the ending of the monotheism as the dominant form of human religion and an increased emphasis on the potential of mankind?

Coincidental. There's a trend away from religious orthodoxy in the Western world (yes, even with the religious right's influence included, at least according to the polls I've seen), but many forms of it are still spreading in the underdeveloped world. Plus, I doubt you'll see a huge sea change happen in 2012 - the long, slow trend with simply continue, with Nic Cage wondering what all the fuss was about.

[Prosperity]

but many forms of it are still spreading in the underdeveloped world.

you are talking about Mississippi right?

[Metskins]

Isn't Mississippi the least educated state too? Just saying.

Oops, second from the bottom. My bad.

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/edu...educated-index

[Vicious]

I was exposed to Mormonism at a young age and knew even then that it was complete hogwash. Since then I have discovered I was correct. Religion is all hogwash, but has been very important culturally in the past. Now with the enormous influx of non-religious attitudes in Europe, It's only a matter of time that the real tide of non-belief starts to rise in America. Our society is very complex, we don't need Religion for the answers or as a teaching tool anymore.

Education and economics has a lot to do with it as well. Hence why the great state of Mississippi still thinks Jesus has blonde hair and blue eyes.

[Vicious]

Is it just coincidental or do others see more truth in this and feel it really could be possible, the ending of the monotheism as the dominant form of human religion and an increased emphasis on the potential of mankind?

If we can actively work at it, I think so. And by that I mean we need to bring people out of poverty.

[twa]

Education and economics has a lot to do with it as well. Hence why the great state of Mississippi still thinks Jesus has blonde hair and blue eyes.

You pick up that gem from your college professor?

It might come as a shock to the sizable religious population of color there

But what would those ignorant hicks know anyway.