U.S. Religious Population on the Decline; Bush Failed!

by Nico Rahm
www.nicorahm.com



According to the American Religious Identification Survery (ARIS) 2008, a third of a landmark series conducted by Trinity College to investigate trends in the religious views of Americans, the U.S. population of non-believers had increased to fifteen percent in 2008 from 14% in 2001, and about 8% in 1990.

To most secularists and freethinkers this is not big news. In fact, I am surprised that the proportion of non-religious Americans is not even higher! But what did amaze me was the drop in the religious population of the southern states even though a self-professed God-delivered President was in the white house for the last eight years. According to ARIS 2008, the percentage of non-believers making up the lower half of the U.S. almost doubled in 2008 from 1990, while the Christian population, even though still a good slice of the pie, dropped by an average of about 10%.

These findings would explain the hysterical and fundamentalist surge in the conservative media as their hijacking of the Christian faith to abuse as a political tool has finally backfired. Even ex-President Bush could not help deter some Christians from opening their eyes, and freeing their minds to the natural world around them.

It is time the Republican Party adopted alternative methods in securing American votes. This would not only aid in the intellectual and economical modernization of their constituents, but may also help bridge the divide that has split the U.S. in two ever since Bush was sent by God to save America.



NicoRahm.com
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Is the USA the Next USSR?

by Nico Raj Rahm
www.nicorahm.com



While the whole world deals with the massive decline of the financial system I can't help but blame the US. Call me unpatriotic if you must, but given the fact that the greedy investments into risky mortgages by everyone on earth was initiated by, who else, Wall Street, I'm not off base to suggest that the U.S. has really put itself in a bad position.

The U.S. was already fighting a long winded and expensive war in Iraq before this financial crisis started. Its international reputation and respect were already faltering. So if tremendous debt, and sinking worldly relations were not enough, the polarized state of the American populace has me really worried.

I don't think there ever was a time in recent decades that this country has been so devided on everyday issues, and usually based on nothing else but personal religious beliefs, whether they were conservative fundamentalist christians or liberal atheists. An American has to only cross some state lines to feel that he or she has just visited a completely different country. Political trenches are being drawn like no other time before, state by state, and county by county, all the way to cities and districts. It has become difficult to disagree with someone on political issues without declaring social war!

All this scares me, especially when considering the fate of the former USSR only a couple of decades ago. At that time, the USSR was stuck fighting a long and expensive war in Afghanistan. Its member states were polarized politically. Financial constraints were expansive. Doesn't that sound so much like today's USA?

It's easy to imagine how the U.S. could very well be on its way to a simlar fate as the former USSR. Imagine Florida, New York and California as separate nations, or Alaska as part of Canada!

While I don't think it is likely that the USA will break apart any time soon, but with the current problems, and the imminent rise of China and India as global powers, this is not the time for Americans to fight among themselves if they want their country stay in one piece.

Or is it too late?




www.nicorahm.com
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