particularly in the Bible Belt. We do have many insular "tribes" that Europeans can't hide like we do. As the evangelicals and cults get more widely involved, largely through their children, religion will become less of their lives.

BTW, the Japanese have pretty much decided that religion is simply a social connection. A Japanese friend of mine said that Shintos have the best weddings and Buddhists the best funerals. (Or maybe it's the other way around.)

There is no uniform religion in the United States, even within the dominant religion. The negative aspects of it outweigh the good, overall, in terms of human suffering, pain, and untimely death. The sooner religion loses its power to control our society, the better. Let humanism run things, I suggest.

Goodbye.

or not.

If it is the former, that explains your response.

If it is the latter...…………………..

While I did read the article, I am in no way required to do so. Your post is your post. Since you did not state what you think, I responded to your abbreviated excerpt. Provide more, and I will respond to more.

But you think that's "fake news" anyway, don't you gil?

You just don’t understand anyway.

He's proven over and over he's not actually interested in dialog, and thus has no desire whatsoever to act in good faith. Or maybe it's the other way around, who knows.

Jesus Christ gil, you're sabotaging yourself again and it's so sad.

I wonder if he grabs his short excerpts and pastes them without reading the entire article. Actually, given the number of times he is contradicted by the article at his link, I don't guess I need to wonder, really...

He sees a headline or key phrase and leaps to conclusions. It's no longer a surprise when it happens. What IS rather surprising is that he has never learned from being humiliated in that manner. He just keeps doing the same thing.

regardless of the evidence. I'm not sure if he believes that or not. Either way, though, it's odd...

It’s headlines only and almost exclusively RNS.

Thus the endless series of faceplants.

I view it as performance art.

It takes thought and some planning, if it's going to be worthwhile. Accidental performance art is embarrassing for the performer, since it's generally an unintended performance.

In the present case, I'm unclear on whether what occurs is intended or unintended. The difference is similar to the difference between a well-prepared roasted pork loin and Spam.

Performance art always looks bizarre to the uninitiated. In this case, one must share certain beliefs to appreciate the brilliance of his work.

I'm actually a big fan of performance art, particularly in its most absurd forms.

diminishing here in the United States, too, as the article you linked to stated. You did not post that portion of the article.

Europe got an earlier start in that decline, but declining it is here, as well. The number of churches that are closing their doors is rising. The number of people who declare "none" as their religious affiliation is rising.

Did you read the entire article, Guy? i did.