Phil Zuckerman Deadline

[ButterflyStorms]

Also, even here, just beyond the reaches of the USA people are being directed what to read and who to vote for by their religious leaders and, one person in particular, was tightly roped in by his faith and, in many things, not allowed to think for himself.

[ButterflyStorms]

I knew a woman at work who just hates Scandinavia because they're "not christian". Being of part Danish and part Norwegian heritage I found this rather an ugly hatred. Also, being Atheist didn't help my getting along with this inane woman. Too bad there are many like her.

[Skogen14]

John Paul Jackson - The Perfect Storm. Check it out. USA is going down, why? exactly because people fade away from god.

[finalstagemetal]

//// love how at the end he brings up democracy as a value in opposition to religion.////

That's not what he said or what he was referring to. He was referring to Muslims moving to Denmark coming from a tradition where democracy and free speech are not the norm. He also spoke of the cartoons, which was something of a crises for secular democratic values (ie. free speech) vs. theocratic bullying and religious threats of violence.

[oldman946]

I love how at the end he brings up democracy as a value in opposition to religion. Since when was religion a contradicting value to democracy? And he meantions it as if that's a fact not even worthy of discussion. I thought that was a point that he needed to defend a lot more than the topic of the debate...

[JRBendixen]

Erm, religion is mostly based on interpretations of barbaric texts by unelected morons.

In short "you cannot argue with god".

I hope you get the point. Otherwise I´m inclined to think you are to stupid to understand the simplest of arguments.

[pzuckerm]

Democracy is not a system ever articulated in the foundational holy texts of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.

Can religion exist alongside of democracy? Depends. Weak religion -- yes. Strong religion -- no, because strong, fundamentalist religion always leads to theocracies...

[tomestubbs]

@oldman946 What debate? Religion by its nature particularly organized religion is totalitarian-tyrannical in nature, run from the top down much like corporations. Leaders in a Theocracy speak on behalf of a God (sometimes plus money) and corporations speak on behalf of the bottom line (money).

[nef2442]

Zuckerman does not know what the hell he is talking about. He interviewed 150 Scandinavians. Where did he get collect his data from a pub? I could find 150 evangelical lutherans on one city block within a Scandinavian country that would beg to differ! Calling countries that are 97% evangelical Lutheran "secular states" is a complete fabrication.

[Baal1985]

Please read his book then all your more or less stupid questions be answered. If you havent read the book then stop harass it before you read it.

Stop use the word "secular states" before you define what level we are talking and what secularism is in your opinion.

[murtumaton]

If atheism alone brought prosperity, Soviet Union would have been heaven on earth. If religion would bring prosperity then Saudi Arabia would be heaven on earth.

[pzuckerm]

My characterization of what it means to be Christian in America goes too far here in this interview. Millions of American Christians fight for social justice, gay rights, women's rights, racial harmony, etc. and millions oppose bogus wars and find guns antithetical to their Christian values.There are millions of American Christians who base their faith on the ethics of Jesus -- to them, my apologies for painting with too broad of a mis-characterization.

- Phil Zuckerman

[nondescriptman]

@pzuckerm yes but those are the moderates... the ones who pick and choose which values in christianity they agree with. The ones who ignore anything in the bible that goes against their personal values. Those people fight for social justice, gay rights..etc despite being christians. Those people would do so even if they weren't christians.

So I would say; quite the contrary! Your depiction of american christians was a most acurate one!

[alejodaza]

Great video.. and so true.. here you go christians. Now defend that a nation with less religion is evil :p

[stroebubble]

my professor:) he is amazing. i have a huge passion for religion and scandanavia. so lets just say he is an amazing person.

[PrexicKehdaki]

i haven't finished the video, so i don't know, but if he doesn't mention his book..

he has an excellent book now out on this topic!

[zosky7]

let it be said very loudly and very very clearly that the country of jesus, our dear nation, where the most fervent in their religion are preaching the destruction of america by god and the punishment of the secular by this same god via events like the hurricane and 9/11, is not the most socially advantageous country. The countries that are the most secular do indeed have lower crime rates and are more compassionate to the poor among them by setting up good social infrastructure than us.

[nef2442]

Yeah the infrastructure that they set up is A Sweden for the Swedes. They are not a melting pot. We have an entirely different social experiment in America with a larger pool of different cultures.

If you walk down a street in a village of Sweden you will meet Swedes. "Like minds think alike." If you walk down a small town in U.S. you will meet Mexicans, Blacks, Puerto Ricans, White American's who themselves are mixed. Your comparing apples to oranges.

[zosky7]

What has the meting pot got to do with our high crime rates? The new immigrants and disenfranchized races and ethnic groups in the country experience low socieconomic conditions that lead to high crimes. how did Sweden solve this? Health care for all (Swedes and immigrants) ! Better social programs for all! Isn't that what jesus preached? help the poor among you, not use them as excuses for why yr country has the most religion yet higher crime, teen pregnancy and divorce rates.

[nef2442]

Jesus said, "give to Caesar what is Caesars" he did not say, "Caesar, give what is Caesars!" To compare a tiny homogeneous state with a melting pot as vast as the U.S. doesn't make sense. Remember the State of Alaska alone is bigger than all of Scandinavia put together. Sweden is mostly homogeneous, people behave with a greater sense of uniformity.

[zosky7]

Again not true. read about the rate of immigration into europe from the middle east and africa. Homogeneity does not mean that some of the population gets ignored. Your arguement is similar to the aryan arguement in post world war 2 germany. It is not the immigrants that make this country a country that cares less about it's poor, it is the country itself. And we may be diverse but we are not alone in our diversity.

[nef2442]

I have, together with the already existing Muslim population you have 2% 98% Swedes and 2% immigrant minorities, It really sounds like you have a diverse culture over there. I'm not knocking it by the way I truly believe that is the reason why your crime rate is so low. Keep letting immigrants in and you will see in Sweden what is happening in France, and England. Its not secularism that is keeping your crime rates low, its homogeneity coupled with a Christian theist paradigm.

[zosky7]

i do live in the united states. How can anyone in this day and age, proclaim in so few words such a naked blatant prejudice against immigrants? Unless you are a native american, your ancestors were immigrants. Do you suppose you need to return to your ancestors native land? How about ALL the crimes committed by caucasians in this country? Simply turn on your TV. The biggest factor affecting this country and most of the world's economy at this time is caused largely by caucasians! the recession

[nef2442]

Help the poor among you means... (YOU) help the poor the poor among you. It does (NOT) mean Caesar (bureaucracies) takes care of the poor for us. It does not mean give all your money to the government because the government can spend your money better than you can. Read your own history the churches along with the community have always taken care of the alms houses (homeless) and the orphans. The offering plates historically almost always went to the poor.

[nef2442]

Immigration from Africa is a new phenomenon in Scandinavia. America saught unity in diversity from inception. America was built by British, Irish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish, Italian, African, Spanish, & Indian etc. It was not built by a particular race. And then suddenly in recent years open the flood gates to the downtrodden around the world. I'm an immigrant of color with a Hebrew name myself so please don't compare my thinking with nazi's or other liberal epithets of choice!

[Baal1985]

"America saught unity in diversity from inception"

Laughable. The US got united through the media (nothing wrong with that fact the media is a powerful tool used in most if not all countries) that used films promoting a feature of Americans closely linked to KKK. That USA as a melting pot? That idea was dismissed more than 10 years ago, USA is not a melting pot. People who immigrated to USA 100 years ago do still associate themselves with there great-grandparents nationality and not as American

[nef2442]

Oh because there is a KKK in America doesn't mean their were abolitionists? Just because their were racists preaching segregation from blacks means their weren't whites trying to close this treacherous divide? To quote a founding father, "We have seen the mere distinction of color made in the most enlightened period of time, a ground of the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man." -James Madison Because their are a few racists in America doesn't mean their are no non-racists

[Baal1985]

What authoriry does a founding father has? He is a man like you and I and likewise flawed.

My point was that the movies that united USA was strongly influenced by KKK back then they were not "few" and they had a large base of supports and sympathizers which could be seen even during WW2.

All this is done to dismantle

"America saught unity in diversity from inception"

as an idealist, ahistoric contruction.

To say this again I am talking 'bout the past not the current USA.

[nef2442]

Early Americans, were made up of Dutch, Brits, Germans, Franks, Italians, Jews, etc. (not to mention every Christian denomination and sect). If this is not "unity in diversity" then I don't know what is? Even if all of these white cultural groups were all members of the KKK they would still be culturally diverse. Your idea that because the KKK existed there was no cultural diversity is absurd. It is you who suffers from liberal ahistoric constructionism.

[Baal1985]

It wasnt bc of KKK;) It was bc of the films that formed te Amercan "unity".

When all those ppl came there was no unity it took a long time n it was KKK-sympathizing films that founded tht unity 2 repeat myself. C the movies urself.

"Dutch, Brits, Germans, Franks, Italians, Jews" Mixing nationalites with religious one that's simply unprofessional. I dont know any country that's entirely made out of 1 homogeous group every country has had immigration so every country is somehow diverse

[nef2442]

Two French Brothers from Lyon invented the motion picture in 1895, (The Lumieres). How did movies shape American diversity, if it began as a cultural collage?There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. They were of different cultural backgrounds and religious backgrounds. Some were of Irish, British, German, Dutch inheritance etc... No country in Europe had a government this diversified. For crying out loud Calvin was never truly accepted in Geneva because he was French.

[Baal1985]

U can cry out loud as much as you want;) I dont know where to start. "Calvin was never truly accepted in Geneva because he was French"

Anachronic claim, saying one was France before Nationalism occur is reckless. Calvin fleed dued to his religious views. "Irish, British, German, Dutch..." Well those nationalities came after rose of nationalism. When nationalism rose ppl saw themselves as British, German etc. and not as Americans. It was KKK-influenced movies that created an American identity

[nef2442]

the motion picture was not invented until the 19th century. So for 2 centuries American's did not have an identity? Talk about rewriting history.

The first Klan was assembled by Confederate veterans in 1865, and the US Goverment immediately enacted laws against this hate group. In 1870 and 1871 the federal government passed the Force Acts, which were used to prosecute Klan crimes. Prosecution and enforcement suppressed Klan activity.