Non American Opinions
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dangdangBB
Posts: 18 Member
I've seen a ton of posts on the Internet from people born outside of the United States and I just have to ask: is God/ Christianity one of the first things you think of when you hear 'American?' Does the prevalence of religion in the US make you think less of it as a country? Is the Christian presence really that much greater than in whichever country you come from?
And for the people outside of the US who have lived/ visited here: did you feel uncomfortable or judged at any point based on your lack of faith?
Please don't be afraid to insult me or anyone else American on here. I'm genuinely looking for honesty, especially as I've never had the privilege of visiting another country for more than 2 hours. I've often felt the desire to leave the US because of my atheism, along with other issues, but is religion enough of a reason to leave a country in your mind?
Also, I'd love to hear how you experience religion in other countries. I myself have been invited to numerous masses and church events and I often feel I'm forced into a situation of less socialization because people dedicate so much time to their parishes. The college application system was slightly frustrating to me because I had no church volunteering or activities to pull from as references to my own well-roundedness. And then of course there's the awkward feeling of omitting a line in the pledge of allegiance or cringing when politicians drag an almighty god into their view of the nation (whether they're lying or not).
And for the people outside of the US who have lived/ visited here: did you feel uncomfortable or judged at any point based on your lack of faith?
Please don't be afraid to insult me or anyone else American on here. I'm genuinely looking for honesty, especially as I've never had the privilege of visiting another country for more than 2 hours. I've often felt the desire to leave the US because of my atheism, along with other issues, but is religion enough of a reason to leave a country in your mind?
Also, I'd love to hear how you experience religion in other countries. I myself have been invited to numerous masses and church events and I often feel I'm forced into a situation of less socialization because people dedicate so much time to their parishes. The college application system was slightly frustrating to me because I had no church volunteering or activities to pull from as references to my own well-roundedness. And then of course there's the awkward feeling of omitting a line in the pledge of allegiance or cringing when politicians drag an almighty god into their view of the nation (whether they're lying or not).
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I've often felt the desire to leave the US because of my atheism, along with other issues, but is religion enough of a reason to leave a country in your mind?
Remember, this is how we started as a country while exiting Europe. But I too am curious about foreign opinion on this topic. Please share!0 -
I am British but have lived in California for 14 years.
Prior to moving here my perception was that many Americans were overly religious to the point of obnoxiousness.
Prior to moving here I visited frequently. Almost without exception I would receive invites to churches from American coworkers.
That absolutely never happened in the UK or Singapore or Australia or Holland or any of the other countries I spent serious time in
As an outsider the religiousness is almost laughable. It seems that as a general population you behave pretty badly. Then rely on your church on a Sunday.
It is both amusing and pathetic.0 -
It is both amusing and pathetic.
QFT - from an American0 -
I've seen a ton of posts on the Internet from people born outside of the United States and I just have to ask: is God/ Christianity one of the first things you think of when you hear 'American?' Does the prevalence of religion in the US make you think less of it as a country? Is the Christian presence really that much greater than in whichever country you come from?
I'll start by answering your questions.
As a Guatemalan, a Latin, and a member of a deeply catholic family, (I'm an atheist) my answer to your first question is NO. The first thing I think about when I hear "American" is "God dammit! Why do these people think they own the entire continent?! *insert rambling&some swearing*"
No, I do not think less of the US as a country because of the prevalence of religion there. Governments do enough. Although, I do think most countries would see their situation improved if more people were atheists, or if they actually were lay countries, at least.
Regarding your last question... I don't really know what to say. Actually, I'm under the impression that only certain states have a high prevalence of religion (please, correct me if I'm wrong). Because of that I can't answer if here there are more christians or catholics than in the US; but in my personal opinion... my country has way too many of those people. I think the latest statistics mention 8 or 9 out of 10 people are christians/catholics. Worst of all, they're the fanatist/crazy kind.
Now I have a question for you: Do you think religion characterizes your country? Is God/ Christianity one of the first things you think of when you hear "American"?0 -
I'm not sure necessarily if only certain states are religious having only lived in some of them, though I do agree some states are viewed as much more fanatical than others (the "Bible Belt" for instance). Quite honestly, I do think religion characterizes the US, though perhaps only from certain European points of view. I think it's more the notion of saying one thing and doing another. If there is separation of church and state (but not really), of course it becomes more obvious when there is a religious aspect. God/ Christianity is one of the first things that pops into my mind when I think of the US, along with some other things that aren't so nice (obesity, hypocrisy, ignorance, etc.). Coming from America, I realize that not everyone is obese, hypocritical, or ignorant, but I've heard from others that is simply what America portrays. I can't help but think religion must fall in the same boat.0
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I've seen a ton of posts on the Internet from people born outside of the United States and I just have to ask: is God/ Christianity one of the first things you think of when you hear 'American?' Does the prevalence of religion in the US make you think less of it as a country? Is the Christian presence really that much greater than in whichever country you come from?
I'll start by answering your questions.
As a Guatemalan, a Latin, and a member of a deeply catholic family, (I'm an atheist) my answer to your first question is NO. The first thing I think about when I hear "American" is "God dammit! Why do these people think they own the entire continent?! *insert rambling&some swearing*"
No, I do not think less of the US as a country because of the prevalence of religion there. Governments do enough. Although, I do think most countries would see their situation improved if more people were atheists, or if they actually were lay countries, at least.
Regarding your last question... I don't really know what to say. Actually, I'm under the impression that only certain states have a high prevalence of religion (please, correct me if I'm wrong). Because of that I can't answer if here there are more christians or catholics than in the US; but in my personal opinion... my country has way too many of those people. I think the latest statistics mention 8 or 9 out of 10 people are christians/catholics. Worst of all, they're the fanatist/crazy kind.
Now I have a question for you: Do you think religion characterizes your country? Is God/ Christianity one of the first things you think of when you hear "American"?
I'm not sure necessarily if only certain states are religious having only lived in some of them, though I do agree some states are viewed as much more fanatical than others (the "Bible Belt" for instance). Quite honestly, I do think religion characterizes the US, though perhaps only from certain European points of view. I think it's more the notion of saying one thing and doing another. If there is separation of church and state (but not really), of course it becomes more obvious when there is a religious aspect. God/ Christianity is one of the first things that pops into my mind when I think of the US, along with some other things that aren't so nice (obesity, hypocrisy, ignorance, etc.). Coming from America, I realize that not everyone is obese, hypocritical, or ignorant, but I've heard from others that is simply what America portrays. I can't help but think religion must fall in the same boat.0 -
I think it's more the notion of saying one thing and doing another. If there is separation of church and state (but not really), of course it becomes more obvious when there is a religious aspect.
That's a big deal here, especially for people who are critic towards religion. Sometimes you can even find it in the newspapers: "Double standars" in bold and capital letters, lol.
I find your perspective on the US very interesting... because most of the people I'm surrounded by -and I-, think about politics when someone mentions the country.0 -
I think it's more the notion of saying one thing and doing another. If there is separation of church and state (but not really), of course it becomes more obvious when there is a religious aspect.
That's a big deal here, especially for people who are critic towards religion. Sometimes you can even find it in the newspapers: "Double standars" in bold and capital letters, lol.
I find your perspective on the US very interesting... because most of the people I'm surrounded by -and I-, think about politics when someone mentions the country.
I suppose it's because I'm from the United States... I sort of take the politics for what it is. Obviously we have a system different from any other country, but growing up with it sort of desensitizes me to it. That combined with my youth leads me to think more in terms of social injustices/imbalances in quality of life for certain people living here.
I suppose the American mentality (as in US American rather than the continental use of American) toward politics must seem rather strong. "We're number one, rah rah rah, red white and blue" and all that tends to be exaggerated I think, as I know many young people who are dissatisfied with many flaws in the country.
May I ask what you think of the US governmental system, now that we've brought it up?0 -
I've never been to the US, so my perspective really is flawed... It really depends on where in the US we're talking about, and the image I've got in my head thinking of North Carolina is different than the one of NYC... As a general statement: yes, the concept I've got was that religion was very prominent in US daily life and politics, and that being atheist is kind of "taboo" in some places there.
Is it true or not - can't really tell.
Here I think while most people aren't practicing religion really (unless celebrating holidays counts), but I don't think many people really define themselves as theist (the statistics I've seen sets it between 15%-37%, which is a HUGE spectrum and it isn't clear how they even defined "atheism"). most would just call themselves "secular", and in all honesty - don't know what the hell that even means. Maybe people just don't really care.0 -
I've never been to the US, so my perspective really is flawed... It really depends on where in the US we're talking about, and the image I've got in my head thinking of North Carolina is different than the one of NYC... As a general statement: yes, the concept I've got was that religion was very prominent in US daily life and politics, and that being atheist is kind of "taboo" in some places there.
Is it true or not - can't really tell.
Here I think while most people aren't practicing religion really (unless celebrating holidays counts), but I don't think many people really define themselves as theist (the statistics I've seen sets it between 15%-37%, which is a HUGE spectrum and it isn't clear how they even defined "atheism"). most would just call themselves "secular", and in all honesty - don't know what the hell that even means. Maybe people just don't really care.
I had to google Ramat Gan, TA, to find out it was a suburb of Tel Aviv.
If I was drawing a picture of a stereotypical American I would definitely have an arrow attached to "Theist". This would also be true if I were drawing a picture of an Israeli.
Happy to wear any arrows into the stereotypical Australian.0 -
I'm Australian and new to the group, so hello all! I'm glad I found you.
I've travelled to the USA several times and know a few people who live there, some of whom are closet atheists. My impression is that religion is very dominant in US society. It's all over the television and people often make religious comments in general conversation such as god bless and I'll pray for you etc. I love visiting the USA but I can usually only cope with 3 weeks maximum mainly for that reason. Too much religious nonsense makes me feel uncomfortable.
Some of my work colleagues have all sorts of horror stories from when they worked in the USA eg. Being invited to church and then being iced out for not accepting the invitation; people demanding to know their religious affiliation; group praying in the lunch room. I had an opportunity to spend 6 months working in the USA and as much as I would have enjoyed the experience, I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle anything like that so I declined the offer.
Interestingly, we travelled to Mexico recently and despite the fact that church and religion are so dominant there, the people seemed more private about their religion and I didn't feel as uncomfortable about it as I do in the USA.0 -
* feeling dumb, can't figure out how to delete post.0
