via Pew Research Center

Apparently, the big binding tie is that 82 percent of Alabamians and 83 percent of Iranians say religion is an important part of their daily lives.

Interestingly, Georgians in the U.S. are just as religious as Georgians in Europe. Somehow Vermont is the least religious state. I mean I kind of get that, but at the same time, those southern and midwestern governors should probably stop harping on California Values being so horrific. I’m kinda sick of it myself.

But, the pollsters make a good point:

Just as the U.S. has a disparity in religious fervor — from a high of 85 percent in Mississippi to a low of 42 percent in Vermont — similar diversity is likely in countries across the globe, Gallup researchers said. That means one shouldn’t assume that people in a particular country are less or more devout than the average American.

photo by curly exp(l)osure

A study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life claims that the incoming Congress generally reflects the religious composition of U.S. citizens. I personally don’t see it in their findings:

- Protestants take up a big chunk of new Congressmembers, which is pretty accurate when you compare that to the U.S. population. The number has changed, however, when 75% of Congressmen/women were some form of Protestant in the 1960s — remember when electing that Catholic guy JFK was such a big deal?! Notable Members: John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, Chuck Hagelof Nebraska

- Catholics are the largest group on Capitol Hill, now. A third of new Congress members are Catholic; the numbers correlate with the population, as 25% of Americans identify as Catholic. According to Politico, 162 members are Catholic in this session. I hope there are a few Catholic School “Dropouts” like myself… well, I just moved to good old public school down the block, anyway. Notable Members: Possible New York Senator Caroline Kennedy, John Kerry of Massachusetts

- It’s still so crazy to me that Jews only make up 2% of the population. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in New York City, and I now live in Los Angeles, so I always thought there was a far more substantial population. Anyway, 1/8 of Congress members bust out the dreidel during Hanukkah. Notable Members: Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

- And there are Mormons!! Two percent of Americans are Mormon, while there are slightly more Mormons in Congress, percentage-wise. Notable Members: Harry Reid of Nevada, Thomas Udall of New Mexico.

- I’m not very surprised there aren’t too many Muslim politicos on a national level. It makes me wonder if it’s because Muslims make up a rather small, and somewhat newly emerging population in the U.S.; perhaps it’s that they don’t run for office because ignorant voters might not be down with voting for someone who is Islamic. Or maybe the few Muslim political hopefuls there are in America don’t win elections for national office. Notable Members: Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Andre Carson of Indiana (OK, the only two Islamic members…)

- Ellison, who was sworn in as the first Congressional Muslim in 2007, was not the only one to  break such a barrier: the same freshman class saw Buddhist members Hank Johnson and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.

- 5 members have not identified a specific religious affiliation, but none of them claim to be completely unaffiliated.

Well, with all this, I ask, where are the openly proud Agnostics?! Where’s the Wiccan priestess? No Hindus, either, despite their high levels of education and economic status in the U.S. In either case, I don’t think religion should play such a part in legislative matters at all anyway. The separation of Church and State is the bedrock of our Constitution, so religious affiliations shouldn’t even matter. I don’t want some uptight, overpaid dude from Oklahoma telling me that I can’t marry a woman, or undergo certain procedures that are only of concern between me and my doctor.

OK, I’m sure you’ve all seen Prop 8 The Musical; if you haven’t or you just need a refresher, check it out here:

Well, as expected, there aren’t too many Christians very happy with the mini-musical. A press release went out from the Christian Anti-Defamation Comission, expressing their anger, demanding an apology:

“Jack Black should remember from his days at Hebrew School that homosexual acts aren’t funny and are roundly condemned in the Bible,” said Dr. Gary Cass, of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. “Appearing as a sarcastic, rotund Christ, Black distorts the Bible and condones shameful, homosexual acts. Associating Christ with perverse activity is an affront to all people of faith, especially Christians. Apparently Black and company find it hilarious to falsely accuse Christians while they intentionally distort the Bible. Black ought to apologize.”

Really? Oh no, he talked about the separation of Church and State…blasphemy!!!

I’ve noticed that the pagentry and ridiculousness of the Purity Ball movement has gained traction. What are these things, you say? Via Wiki:

A Purity Ball (also known as a “Father Daughter Purity Ball” or “Purity Wedding”) is a formal event attended by fathers and their daughters. These events promote virginity until marriage for teenaged girls, and are often closely associated with U.S. Christian churches, particularly evangelical Christian churches.

Time Magazine sparked a lot of debate over what some called a biased, glowing POV of the concept, but here’s what I agree with (because it only makes sense:

The events have been called odd, creepy, oppressive of a girl’s “sexual self-agency,” as one USA Today columnist put it. Father-daughter bonding is great, the critics agree–but wouldn’t a cooking class or a soccer game be emotionally healthier than a ceremony freighted with rings and roses and vows? Some academic skeptics make a practical objection: The majority of kids who make a virginity pledge, they argue, will still have sex before marriage but are less likely than other kids to use contraception, since that would involve planning ahead for something they have promised not to do. This puts them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

Has anyone been to one of these things? Does it feel weird or is it just something you do with your dad, no big deal? I’m curious to know. This also seems like there may be a socio-economic divide in all of this. I just don’t see something like this happening in the very racially/ culturally/ religiously diverse neighborhood I grew up in.

photo by Pargon