What I find depressing is that so many people need someone to tell them what to think and what to believe. If you don't agree it's because you don't understand, if you don't conform you are at fault and must find the error of your ways. forget christian teaching about tolerance. An eye for an eye is not christian. Carrying our pre-emptive strikes on perceived enemies is not a christian act.
I always thought that the point about jesus was to show a new way for mankind. with tolerance and understanding for all. The whole point about the protestant reformation was to allow people to read the bible for themselves and not just have to listen to corrupt self seeking priests, yet the bulk of the religious right seem to be protestant denominations
Looking at what I have posted in reality my knowledge of US fundamantalism is gleaned from the TV and occasional amazed watching of the god channel (it's all send me money and I will show you the way to salvation with this tape, book, whatever) so I may have a totally wrong view of things. We have the same strains that the US does but the religious right are on the whole viewed as a bunch of nutters best ignored and received with hostility when they try and interfere in our lives.
In the UK we have had the US evangelical churches preaching their message of abstinence from sex in place of sex education only to be met by deafening indifference. The Catholic church and the more extreme protestant also want to ban sex education. The overwhelming reaction is keep your religon but don't try and shove your opinion down our throats. Its the same in France they have a secular society and want to keep it that way
In Scotland we have a slightly different attitude to education in that the whole point is to educate people so they can think for themselves right back to the early days of John Knox, read the bible yes but so that you can find out for yourself and not follow blindly what you are told. It was seen as a way to combat catholicism. The only compulsory subject is religious education but we still have a largely secular society despite the demented sectarian nutters we have as well.
Our politicians are ambivalent, the tories don't like social history being taught and prefer it to be about the important dates not why things happened.
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsi ... /benn.html
The civil war doesn't really get taught, it's more parliament killed the king, cromwell was a nasty purita,n the king came back and we all live happily ever after. Yet what happened influenced not only us but the US as well, the same debates roll on and on.
I ramble a bit but do you believe in god is a question people have been killing over for years. Therein lies the roots of our democracy. If all men are equal in the eyes of god then why aren't we equal on Earth? Arguing about who's version is right is a power game played by priests. Come to me and i will bless you and you will go to heaven. By the way you just need to kill these people here because they are unbelievers.