I've noticed this for a long time ... people want to have voted for the winner. They want to be able to tell their friends that their candidate won, as if that also makes them a winner. So, they make their decision based on who's winning in the polls and who the media paints in a positive light.

I experienced the same thing when I used to go to church with my wife years ago. Her parents were -- and still are -- critical of what they call "Chreasters." They would get upset that they would have to sit in the folding chairs set up to handle overflow when "those people" were in the pews. Of course, the priest made sure that his homily mentioned something about the full church to try and guilt the Chreasters. Oh, and tithing was always mentioned so as to maximize their take while at maximum capacity.

I still think the answer is "nothing". Or, rather, "nothing organized." When I walked away from religion and weekly church, my Sunday mornings became less hectic as I had more time to prepare for my activities for that day ... coaching/playing soccer, yardwork, projects, gatherings/parties, etc. Of course, my wife, who cannot walk away, still stresses over "I have to fit church into our tight schedule somehow."

Hopefully, people will take that time -- whichever day(s) it falls on -- to just do something else that interests them. Soon enough, they'll socialize with people that share that interest without having to dress up and shell out money to some governing body.

Reality, though, says this will never happen because many people need that crutch and would never get out of their house and interact with society if they weren't compelled to do it by some inner need to worship mythological figures. Those are the people that would really be missing something. Others with hobbies and interests outside their religion would find the void filled soon enough.

I think it has to do with the "in your face" style of religion. Nobody is walking around with "My hetero partner loves me", or "Real men love women" T-shirts or bumper stickers (at least, I haven't seen them). So, while heterosexuality may be considered "normal" or mainstream by many, they're not advertising it in their daily lives, so to speak. They're just going about their business being heterosexual. Of course, there's always the "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" stuff but, of course, that has a more religious overtone than heterosexuality, which is part of my point.

Religion is so in your face, it's hard to escape, especially here in the bible belt of the USA. People put those bumper stickers on their car, wear the t-shirts, sign their emails "God bless", etc that people can't help but keep it in the forefront of their minds. So, when someone says, "I don't believe any of that crap," it goes against everything they see and hear all day, even if they're not overly religious.

Hey Andrew...check out this "news" article from the Christian Action League when a few dry locations in NC tried to "get wet": http://christianactionleague.org/news/three-nc-co...

Arguments were basically: alcohol is bad and it causes problems. Uh, yeah. But there's no law against consuming it, just buying it, which means the $$$ are going out of your community and people are going to drink anyway.

Then there's the follow-up article after the elections (those evil pro-alcohol forces must have been stronger than their prayers): http://christianactionleague.org/news/pro-alcohol...

Living in North Carolina, USA -- where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a church -- this bugs me as well. You can buy beer & wine in grocery stores, but other alcohol is only sold at state controlled ABC stores. Of course, they're closed on Sundays. (I won't discuss the current investigation of corruption in that department here.) And, beer & wine cannot be purchased before 11AM on Sundays.

I've always wondered what happens in 24-hour grocery stores. When is it considered before 11AM? Do the sales stop at midnight? What's so magical about those 11 or so hours that everyone needs to be inconvenienced? I know it's not really a necessity to buy alcohol, but if the merchant has something on their shelves, why is the state dictating when they can sell it? I remember going to department stores as a kid (in NJ) and seeing sections roped off because there were certain things that couldn't be sold on Sundays.

few months ago I was making a lasagna for a Sunday dinner and needed to pick up some last minute accessories (garlic bread, salad fixings, etc). I decided to pick up a bottle of wine as well. When I got to the checkout, I couldn't proceed because it was 10:45 AM. I asked the clerk what magically happens in 15 minutes, but she didn't really pick up on my sarcasm and just said that's the law (the registers are set up to comply). I waited until 11AM and then completed my purchase. Like I said, minor inconvenience, but still really dumb.

The Progressive Nation article has a link to a VERY SCARY Washington Post article about the Texas school board and what they're trying to accomplish. I highly recommend it...http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/10...

These people are crazy.

In the article, Dr. Meyer states "Man may think that through advanced technology he will somehow make it into the third heaven, which is the dwelling place of God" and "No matter how much man may explore the heavens above he will not learn to know God."

Yeah, THAT'S the reason for space exploration. {rolls eyes}