To the surprise of no sentient creature, the U.S. is far more religious than its closest allies and is much more tolerant of religious intrusions into public life, a poll has found.
An excerpt from the AP story carried by globeandmail.com:
Only Mexicans come close to Americans in embracing faith, the poll found. Unlike Americans, however, Mexicans strongly object to clergy lobbying legislators, in line with the nation's historical opposition to church influence.
"In the United States, you have an abundance of religions trying to motivate Americans to greater involvement," Roger Finke, a sociologist at Penn State University, said. "It's one thing that makes a tremendous difference here."
Nearly all U.S. respondents said faith is important to them, and only 2 per cent said they do not believe in God. Almost 40 per cent said religious leaders should try to sway politicians, notably higher than in other countries.
"Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian policies, and religious leaders have an obligation to speak out on public policy, otherwise they're wimps," said David Black, a retiree from Osborne, Pa., who agreed to be interviewed after he was polled.
In contrast, 85 per cent of French object to clergy activism — the strongest opposition of any nation surveyed. France has strict curbs on public religious expression and, according to the poll, 19 per cent are atheists. South Korea is the only other nation with that high a percentage of nonbelievers.
Australians are generally split over the importance of faith, while two-thirds of South Koreans and Canadians said religion is central to their lives. People in all three countries strongly oppose mixing religion and politics.