Is the US headed towards a socialist government?

[kandrathe]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. This was a sum up of things going on in different Christian countries. I guess for a non Christian it would be quite difficult to get the job though.

In the US, at least in the larger cities, there is no overt discrimination based upon religion. I would imagine in a small town, people do know where and if you go to church, and might be able then to discriminate based on that knowledge. Mostly, people in the US don't discuss their personal views on religion or politics unless they are in a safe environment to do so. The work holidays cater to the majority population, but many businesses now give people "floating holidays" that they can take whenever they choose.

There are two aspects I respect about religions; 1) Discipline, 2) Beneficial Dogma. There is of course good and bad in both of these, however, on the whole I think these two things make religions a good thing for people. Religious discipline teaches people how to live peacefully, and to aspire to something greater than themselves. The useful and beneficial dogma's are wisdoms that are taught by the churches that are good for us, whether we know it or not. For example, I was unaware of the biologically beneficial effects of fasting. In many countries times of fasting were performed when food born illnesses were most common. Beyond that, fasting has been shown to promote life extension and disease preventive effects. Pete and I have had long discourse on this issue, but on the whole, I think it is a good thing for people to have societal structure that teaches them the "good" path, rather than rely on each person to be intellectual enough to discover their role in the society. Education is a good thing, but judging where most people are at intellectually, they still need a primer on "How to be a good and useful citizen".

As for faith in God, yes, that is a different thing altogether and can exist outside of a religion. People can be religious, and not have faith as well.