Why is America so Religious?

This question was put to Dr. Peikoff, and he was unable to answer even several weeks later, when he asked the audience to send him any clues. Well, here is the answer. I have not yet forwarded it to Dr. Peikoff.

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• mrcropper
• objectivism
• peikoff
• religion
• america
• europe
• atheism

[mindhasyou]

Mr. Cropper, do you believe in Platonism or Atheism?

[MrCropper]

@mindhasyou "Mr. Cropper, do you believe in Platonism or Atheism?"

I am not a Platonist. As for atheism, it isn't something you believe in: atheism is a position on the belief in a deity. I am an atheist. There is no god; the sky is empty.

[Beethovens7th]

This is an interesting answer, but I don't think it's the fundamental reason for this phenomena. I agree with the answer that Dr. Peikoff finally gave a few weeks back. Americans are more religious simply because they are more moralistic (Peikoff explains some reasons for this) and modern secular philosophy provides no good moral guidance. Europeans are more comfortable with hedonism and nihilism than are Americans.

[MrCropper]

"Americans are more religious simply because they are more moralistic "

I am absolutely positive that my explanation is more fundamental than Peikoff's. Maybe this topic needs a 45 minute treatment...

[MrCropper]

"Americans are more religious simply because they are more moralistic "

People who are more concerned with morality should REJECT religion, not flock to it. Peikoff is flattering America here, and I think he's being rationalistic. I stand, again, by my view. I can see it needs to be explained more thoroughly, though...

[Drzata]

Why do you concider America free when it's really a police state?

[MrCropper]

"Why do you concider America free when it's really a police state?"

Police state? You mean the war on drugs? Or the Illumnati? Or the NWO? Or some other nonsense? If you mean the war on drugs, I'll agree - we're in a virtual police state, but a fairly weak one at that with lots of loopholes for people to have the good life if they stay out of trouble.

[Thill029]

However in the US, schools are completely socialized, and that leads to less kids knowing how to think rationally, increasing the chance of them turning to religion.

So while it might seem strange than a more free country such as the US has more religion, it's not so strange when you consider that the education industry is much LESS free than in Europe

[Beethovens7th]

"there's a reason (a good one) why Americans have a reputation for being stupid -- it's because of rampant ignorance of the most basic facts. Europeans (not the British) put us to shame. "

This is true. But the reason for it is simply the crappy American public schools.

[Teranex]

Interesting opinion yet it is in contradiction with the following:

-Italy and Poland for example have a very religious population, even trough there is "state control".

-In Islam where people are even more religious then in the USA, state and religion are not even separated.

Thus i conclude that who controls a religion in a state has no corelevance with the amount of theists in that state.

[Danpeini]

Dude, in Europe people choose if they finance churches or not with their taxes and people have a more materialistic (they believe more in what can be objectevely measured) and rational view of the world.

No European contry is "One Nation under God", for example (except the Vatican, but 1000 motherfuckers don't count).

General universal science training in Europe is broather tan in the U.S. and there are no important pressure groups to ban important scientific theories such as evolution.

[MiloDaemon]

Ahhh, ignorant American anti-government propaganda fed fools, ahhh- getting annoyed- guy doesn't realise that he just gave the explanation of religious corruption in America- must, click, away. 

[MySocksSmell2]

Europe gagged & retched until vomiting up most of its Puritans onto American shores. Perhaps the question is not why America seems to be quantitatively more religious than Europe, but why American religion seems "qualitatively" more aggressive and puritanical. Bible-thumpers, Pentecostals & Traditionalists have been heavily evangelizing for 50 years in the Global South which will become the new center of Christianity as it fades in Europe and North America. See Philip Jenkins, The Atlantic 2002

[SBRslacker00]

@MrCropper

Great video and I totally agree with Hitchens' argument which you've further expanded. But, I'm bothered with this particular comment:

'Today, we are the only non-brainwashed nation on earth.'

You've gotta be nuts if you still believe this. Wasn't the thesis of this video operating under the assumption that we are one of the more RELIGIOUS nations?

Maybe you were focussing more on the first ammendment. But doesn't that also give entities the right to brainwash people?

[zleverette]

@MrCropper well think about it if a person wants to be religious person they can even ayn rand disliked religion but as long as that persons religion does not endanger or harm another person or another persons property they can practice it.

[ChristophDollis]

@MrCropper

Exceedingly well put. And I was going to criticize one part of your video about the British paying mandatory tithes. First, I decided to fact check. You are right.

Damn, that's messed up.

[MstrirSage]

From what I've seen, the more "established" churches - the UCC (Congregationalists), Episcopalian/Anglican church, Roman Catholocism, etc., tend to be more "moderate" than radical reformation churches because they've traditionally had to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. By "moderate", of course, I mean the ability to tolerate divergence.

[SidHenderson]

You seem to define "free" just as freedom FROM something (restrictions) and not freedom TO something (real opportunities). Maybe USA is more free in the first meaning of the term, but definitely not the second. Well maybe my comment isn't very relevant in this context because you are mainly talking about restrictions, but for a European "the American way" of talking freedom sounds insufficient and quite strange. Your theory is still interesting though.