Greenville/Upstate = Bible Belt?

[GvilleSC]

So, Greenville is the root of the Iraq War, all evil, all hate, and atheist China would be a better place to live? We are looking at the Upstate in this thread.

[monsoon]

So, Greenville is the root of the Iraq War, all evil, all hate, and atheist China would be a better place to live? We are looking at the Upstate in this thread.

[Pillsbury]

Well I'm a Christian, and I'm opposed to the Christian Right on almost every issue I can think of. But please remember, they do not represent the majority of Christians out there. I've said it before: how someone chooses to vote is less an indication of his/her religion than it is a representation of his/her basic outlook on life.

And there are Christian countries that are tolerant and welcoming places---the Netherlands, France, England to a certain extent. All traditionally Christian countries which are quite welcoming to people. Though the majority do not attend Church on a regular basis, neither do most Americans, though they are "culturally" Christian.

[teshadoh]

This is really off topic, but interesting. I do think it is naieve (sp?) to equate christianity as only practicing christians. Similar to judaism, culturally all people of northern European descent share a common protestant belief system. I don't have any spiritual belief, but I can acknowledge the influence of christianity on my life & my decisions.

(though it can be said all religions & belief systems have commonalities)

[GvilleSC]

Indeed. . It was you who brought into this conversation 80% of the USA, and other countries that are less tolerant. I responded to that. To be "open-minded" and "tolerant" as you suggested that Christians are in your original post on this subject, you would have at least considered what I had to say. Instead, you chose to immediately to attack the credibility of what I posted by making this absurd comment which had nothing to do with what I posted.

You said earlier:

It is a shame that some people evidently equate Christian beliefs with intolerance.

You have just demonstrated the reasons that people may come to this conclusion.

[Spartan]

^ No, but Columbia does have better progressive rock stations.

[Pillsbury]

Whatever man, 93.5 sucks. I will take the 93.3 the Planet any day. WUSC does play somes decent stuff

[mallguy]

Exactly what are Christianity's values? There is no definition of this as far as I know as Bible can be interpreted by anyone in almost any way.

[Pillsbury]

^ Indeed. Messages of caring for the poor and fallen predominate in the Catholic Church. I have never heard a fire and brimestone type homily. Same with the Episcopal Church. Episcopal sermons are the same way as what you described above.

[monsoon]

Check it out again. It was not me.

[monsoon]

The two greatest commandments, according to Jesus, are (1) love the Lord with all your soul, heart and mind and (2) love your neighbor as yourself. At least that much is clear. People who do otherwise, even if they are so-called Christians and claim to be doing what the Bible says, ought to think about what they're doing.....

[GvilleSC]

Most religions have a God. But there is no question as to which God is being referred to when the Declaration of Independence talks about a God/creator, or 'In God We Trust', or 'one nation under God'. Sure you can interpret it to be any God that you like, but the point is that the Christian God is MOST likely the God that those individuals had in mind.

Go ahead, tear it apart and call me rediculous.

[monsoon]

......but the point is that the Christian God is MOST likely the God that those individuals had in mind.

[krazeeboi]

OK, so can we get back to the topic at hand? This has really devolved into something else entirely.

[gs3]

^ There is no topic at hand. The original title of this thread can be debated till the cows come home. People who live in Greenville say no, it's not the buckle and people who do not live here make somewhat false statements that it is. Shall we start a new thread and see what some other cities in the area may be perceived as being? My vote is no.

[krazeeboi]

My point is that the influence of Christianity upon the founding of this nation (or at later times in the nation's history) is not what the title of this thread would suggest we are discussing.

[whitehourseview]

If the question of the thread is: does Greenville have a significant portion of its population that is conservative in its Christian Protestant theological views, maybe moreso than large portions of the rest of the nation, then the answer is yes. Some people like that, others don't.

We live in a Federal Republic where people tend to congregate close to people like them and in some areas, certain cultures, beliefs, politics, etc. have greater sway than others.

There can be macro cultures in the nation: the South is more traditionalist and conservative than other parts of the nation

There can be micro cultures: certain areas of Atlanta have significant Roman Catholic Latino aspects than does a city like Orangeburg, SC.

But different cultures exist

Otherwise, the thread can devolve into a debate that cannot be solved in a message board format, and can generally be a waste of time.

[mallguy]

If the question of the thread is: does Greenville have a significant portion of its population that is conservative in its Christian Protestant theological views, maybe moreso than large portions of the rest of the nation, then the answer is yes. Some people like that, others don't.

We live in a Federal Republic where people tend to congregate close to people like them and in some areas, certain cultures, beliefs, politics, etc. have greater sway than others.

There can be macro cultures in the nation: the South is more traditionalist and conservative than other parts of the nation

There can be micro cultures: certain areas of Atlanta have significant Roman Catholic Latino aspects than does a city like Orangeburg, SC.

But different cultures exist

Otherwise, the thread can devolve into a debate that cannot be solved in a message board format, and can generally be a waste of time.

[Spartan]

What???? 93.3 plays too much macho rock. And 98 is better than 96 Wave??? What? I'll give you that 93.5 sucks---it sounds too much like the End in Charlotte. But 96 Wave is, hands down, the best rock station in South Carolina (maybe even the country.....)

[monsoon]

.... So I agree that it is more difficult to lump all of Christianity/Protestantism into the same basket.

[Spartan]

Especially since most Christians in the world are not Protestant. (75% are not) However in the SE and namely SC, the vast vast majority of Christians are Protestant. It is what differentiates the region and why it earns it's bible belt nickname.

[whitehourseview]

Some maps you might find interesting

US population by % of religious adherents

US population by the leading religious body by region

Or try this on for size:

[Pillsbury]

I for one won't presume to speak for the founders beyond what they they have shared with us through their writings. However it's my guess they would be very distressed to learn that religious zealots attempt to steal their words to push their religious beliefs on others. The only time that God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence is Nature's God which the Pagans believe in. It does not say Christian God.

In God we Trust was not made a motto of the United States until 1956. This was during a particularly intolerant, vindictive, and dark time of our history.

[teshadoh]

I don't think the issue regarding fundamentalism or whatever choicer words one may have, is about church service or a belief. But how they interpret the relationship between god & politics. The issue with neo-conservatives & fundamentalists is they do see a marriage between politics & their belief. As for what is a stastically more religious part of the country - the midwest plains region of the country, this is not so much the case.

[digital_sandlapper]

The perception that the Upstate is the most conservative part of S.C. is very strong. More evidence is the current debate on legalizing poker and raffles. As reported in this article in the Post & Courier, members of the legislature and supporters of the bill say it probably won't pass because of the opposition by the powers-that-be from the Upstate. Here is the article:

http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/mar/24/a_long_shot76232/

The most telling quotes, I think, are "Opponents in the Legislature, especially Upstate conservatives, already have killed previous efforts to legalize "kitchen-table" poker and don't seem inclined to change their stance." and "McConnell said a telling forecast on the bill's future will come Monday when a public hearing on the two bills is held in Greenville, the heart of the state's Bible Belt. Ford called on pro-poker forces to attend that meeting, as well. "Y'all get a couple of buses," he said, adding, "I'm always afraid of Greenville on these kinds of issues."" (Underlining is mine.)

In my opinion, the Upstate is DEFinitely more conservative. One example of my experience with this: whenever I visit the Upstate, which I love to do for many reasons, I attempt to find good modern rock or anything close to it on the radio. No cigar . . . the only stations my radio seeks and stops at have ultra right-wing talk shows, church, gospel, or other religious music, and maybe a country music or adult contemporary music station, and that's it. The pop music stations are usually Charlotte stations, and maybe a classic rock station or two might be based in the Upstate. This is just my experience, and one I don't have in other parts of the state. I do get a lot of this same thing when I travel to eastern N.C. (except the Triangle, of course!), which is frustrating but not surprising.