How Religious Is Your State?
(Top Posts - Social/Legal - 021909)

- - -
Graphic Displaying Religious Status
of US States
  http://tinyurl.com/ReligiousStatusofUSStates
- - -

Polls have always shown that the vast major-
ity of Americans believe religion is "an import-
ant part of their daily lives" -- 65% in a recent
Gallup poll versus just 34% who said it wasn't.

But that national average obscures a stunning
variety by region.

For starters, the Gallup poll shows that there
still is a Bible Belt. The 10 most religious states
were: Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas.

And just as remarkable, all of the least religious
states were in New England or the West: Vermont,
New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, Rhode Island, Nevada,
Connecticut.

The gap between the poles are remarkable: in
Mississippi, 85% said religion was important;
in Vermont 42% did. Different planets.

What are we to make of this?

Some of the perceived cultural difference be-
tween 'red states' and 'blue states' comes
down to religiosity. Note that nine of the 10
most religious states went for McCain, and
nine of the 10 least religious states went for
Obama.

...
- - - end excerpt - - -