Monday, June 06, 2005

Our Faithful Allies: This probably won't surprise anybody, but it's interesting nonetheless. According to a new poll, the United States is more religious than our closest allies. Not only are Americans more likely to worship than are citizens of other countries, some people here don't mind a little mix of church and state.

Of the countries polled, the U.S. had the highest percentage of people saying that religious leaders should actively try to influence government decisions. But, even in the U.S., only 37 percent want that religious influence in government, and 61 percent oppose. While that's a higher demand for religious influence than in other countries, it's still a minority here, so no theocracy anytime soon.

On the other extreme was France, with 12 percent of the population wanting religious leaders to influence government, and 85 percent opposed.

Under this president, religion has become more of a political issue than it has been in the past. And we also have had some pretty fundamental differences with our allies. I know there's so much more going on than that, but it is something to keep in mind.