You argue that the increase in religiosity in the U.S. ”“ the most religious country in the world ”“ is spurred not by fears of war or terrorism, but by marketing. How did that happen?
We thought it important to separate church and state, which we did in our Constitution, which means from a marketing point of view; anyone with a program can get into the market and be protected by the state … the wackiest, the noisiest, the most turbulent, will be rewarded.
Other cultures have a state supported monopoly supplier ”“ the Roman Catholic Church in France, the Anglican Church in England or best yet, the Lutheran Church in Scandinavia. These are all suppliers, which have run out of steam. Inevitably, religion loses its pizzazz, because the state always screws up, and antagonisms toward the state get directed to the religion.
Read it all.
Toronto Star: In a consumer society, browsing for belief
You argue that the increase in religiosity in the U.S. ”“ the most religious country in the world ”“ is spurred not by fears of war or terrorism, but by marketing. How did that happen?
We thought it important to separate church and state, which we did in our Constitution, which means from a marketing point of view; anyone with a program can get into the market and be protected by the state … the wackiest, the noisiest, the most turbulent, will be rewarded.
Other cultures have a state supported monopoly supplier ”“ the Roman Catholic Church in France, the Anglican Church in England or best yet, the Lutheran Church in Scandinavia. These are all suppliers, which have run out of steam. Inevitably, religion loses its pizzazz, because the state always screws up, and antagonisms toward the state get directed to the religion.
Read it all.