A BBC correspondent is clearly horrified by the religious faith of most Americans. What else could explain their resolution to go to war? The condescension drips from every sentence. Here’s a classic extract:
Mr and Mrs Average share an uncomplicated faith with its roots in the puritanism of their forebears. According to that faith there is such a thing as heaven – 86% of Americans, we are told by the pollsters, believe in heaven. But much more striking to me, and much more pertinent to current world events, is the fact that 76% or three out of four people you meet on any American street believe in hell and the existence of Satan. They believe that the devil is out to get you. That evil is a force in the world – a force to be engaged in battle. Much of that battle takes place in the form of prayer. Americans will talk of praying as if it were the most normal, rational thing to do.
The word “rational” is used again and again in contrast with religious faith, as if reason and belief were completely incompatible. But then in Europe, that’s how they see things – and partly why the cultural gap is growing.
WHAT THEY SAY: Scanning some of the quickie photo sites for the anti-war demos in San Francisco, I was struck by some of the posters and slogans. “Mid-Life Menopausal Hippies For Peace” struck me as unusually honest. A Hitler mustache put on George Bush’s face and the U.S. flag turned into a swastika captures the essence of one faction. “Fight the Rich, Not Their War,” was somewhat retro. And my favorite: “We Support Our Troops When They SHOOT Their Officers.” Ah, yes. Loyal opposition. No wonder polls show war-support firming up.
The Dish 