Future of Religion in the South and USA

I agree with the fact that religion has been a very influential element in the South and that in some areas it is still a very influential part of the community. One thing that I would like to say though is that the status of religion in the USA maybe on a decline as this news clip on youtube shows. My take on this survey is that it shows that to an extent people may be getting tired of the things that churches have done and the positions they have taken recently, such as gay marriage, stem cell research, and abortion. Then, of course, this shift may have been a long time coming.
-Evan Lohrey
(I couldn't figure out how to link only the video so I tried linking the whole page. If that doesn't work I will put the link in a comment.)

[Rabbia] Churches Galore (response to Ben)

I am from a small town due east of Atlanta called Snellville. Snellville comes complete with a famed game ranch, gorgeous views of Stone Mountain, two different "Country Cookin'" restaurants, and Ford F-150s adorned with confederate flags, but what really makes it the quintessential Southern town is its sheer number, variety, and influence of churches.

As Ben stated, religion has historically played an influential role in the South--religious beliefs have governed everything from law-making (no Sunday liquor sales) and economics (no Chick-Fil-a on Sundays), to education (creative design). My little ole town of Snellville is no exemption to the rule.

Religion is the backbone and defining characteristic of my town. In fact, I found out that there are 42 different churches within the 9.7 square miles of Snellville--that comes out to over 4 churches in one square mile! The following slideshow gives a glimpse into one of the larger churches in Snellville:



Furthermore, numerous streets in Snellville are named after churches. The street that runs along my neighborhood is named Bethany Church Road, after Bethany Church, of-course. My elementary, middle, and high school were all named after Shiloh Baptist Church. Even the street is named Shiloh Road. Then there is Zoar Church Road just down the street and Church Street, which runs through the town center. I've tagged these streets and churches and a few more prominent churches close to my home on our blog map.

It is important to mention that the demographics of Snellville are rapidly changing, much like the rest of the South. Buddhist temples and Bosnian Muslim congregations (also on the map) have sprung up just across the street from Protestant churches. Regardless of this shift in type of religion, it is still evident that religion is a large part of Southern identity--so much that we name our streets after religious organizations.

Southern Relgion Issues

This is a pastor in Hickory North Carolina talking about the Southern Baptist church. He is arguing on a very influential topic of the link between gay marriage and the influence of the church on peoples minds.

Rev. Reggie Longcrier argues that for years now people have said that it was not right for people to use religion as a justification for racism and woman rights. However, people are using their religious beliefs to justify their hate for homosexuals. This is not right in the eyes of many people in the South which is known for its very narrow view on such controversial topics such as racism and gays.

Week 2 Topic: Religion in the South

Religion is a big deal, especially in the South. Most of the South is known as the "Bible Belt" for the predominance of socially conservative Protestantism, especially Baptism. This is not an insignificant part of the character of the South. In many places, a person's friends may be defined by their religion and where they go to worship.

I believe that religiosity in the South has had a large influence over its political and educational leanings. Georgia's own Cobb county, for example, is well known for its controversy of putting stickers on biology textbooks stating that evolution is a "theory not a fact." Also, Southern states are usually included in the category of "Red States."

These two things are at least in part affected by the religious leanings of the South. Ideas about the origins of the universe, marriage rights for homosexuals, and abortion rights are often religiously influenced.

Another place where we see the influence of religion in the South are in things like the Civil Rights Movement. This is very prominently seen in people like Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister. His ideas about civil rights were very religiously-motivated and many of his speeches were full of religious imagery.

So, what do you guys think about religion in the South?

Simple Man

This song is by a Southern Rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. This song, "Simple Man," in my opinion, exemplifies the south and the tendencies towards of people there to be "simple" people in mindset or purpose. This is shown most explicitly in the following lines: "Oh, take your time / Don't live too fast," which shows the idea of that many people in the South aren't nearly as "upwardly mobile" as many in other regions of the country try to be. This is also shown in the lines: "Forget your lust / For the rich man's gold," showing specifically the advice against even trying to be ambitious.

Another sentiment briefly stated is the idea of religiosity in the South, especially in this line: "And don't forget son, there is someone up above." In general, the Southern idea of religiosity is more pronounced than in other regions, with certain areas being more religious or more secular. However, this song shows that, in general, it is fairly passive religion. The sentiment is merely "don't forget," a reminder, rather than a chastisement.

Also shown is a the fairly general advice to "Go find a woman / And you'll find love." This is somewhat connected to the idea of being a "Simple Man," as it is expected for one to be married to someone from his or her own region. This is appropriate coming from the vessel of the advice in the song: a mother. This sentiment is echoes the idea of being a simple man and not being too ambitious in one's life.

Altogether, I think that this song paints a picture of the south, which not nearly as extreme as some examples, but it still cannot represent all aspects of the South. However, I don't think it has to do so. I think it's primary purpose is just to show part of the South in a somewhat sympathetic way.

Southern Rednecks

One of the most common jokes involving the south are about rednecks. As a result some people may think that they are everywhere in the south. Jeff Foxworthy is well known for his jokes that start with "You might be a redneck if...". This image presents one of Jeff Foxworthy's jokes with a picture of a steriotipical "redneck" wearing a big rediculous red hat and being in a room with a deer head on the wall. Rednecks are often depicted as such and with the misconception of there being multitudes of rednecks running around everywhere (being true in some places), the south and its inhabitants are often looked down upon. There are some who would be offended by this image while thinking of the great injustice it does the south, but then there are those who take the image for what it is ....... and laugh.

The South??

This is a photo of a not true impreesion of how religions are upon our schools around American but really in the Southern region of United States.

The photo shows a wall that is used as a game of some sort and has around 40 different gods of different things. This photo is trying to demostrate how schools mention prayer. The photo clearly has the teacher deciding on what god the school or class would focuse on. School aren't in no case like this with prayer.

Depictions of The South

When many people think of the south they have horribly wrong view, things such as an illiterate redneck shooting a deer while chewing on tobacco. Although, this view of southerners is often used in a very comic way in movies, TV shoes, cartoons and comics, it is a very false interpretation of the south. The following cartoon is a perfect example of this misconception.

The cartoon depicts a "sophisticated" man who is reading a book. This man is confronted by a "southerner" who is dressed like lumberjack who says, "in these parts we don't take kindly to people who... read". This is a false depiction of a southerner.

The Southern tries to tell an educated man that he is not welcome around these parts. Making the assumption that a well educated man would not fit in the south. This is one of the biggest fallacy about the south. Although many southerners have accents that make them sound different from the rest of the U.S. it does not mean that they are any less intelligent. All I'm saying is next time you use the word "hick" or "redneck" think about why you are saying it.

A (Poor) Representation of the South

The following is a YouTube clip from the movie The Waterboy (1998), a comedy featuring Adam Sandler as the dimwitted protagonist Robert 'Bobby' Boucher Jr. The most relevant segment from the clip spans from 3:50 to 6:05mins.

 

In this portion of the video, Bobby Boucher returns to his home in Jackson’s Bayou, Louisiana, aka “The Heart of Cajun Country”.  Once home he tells his mother that he had just been fired from his waterboy job. Through this discourse Bobby and his mother are portrayed as illiterate, unrefined, Bible-beating Southern rednecks.

Firstly, Bobby is seen driving back to the bayou on a tractor. This portrays the Southerner as poor and agrarian, and plays on the notion that Southerners adore their John Deeres. Also, Bobby can't enunciate properly and is shown as a dunce and momma's boy, which are all stereotypes associated with Southern people. Bobby's home is a dilapidated shack that also houses a donkey(?), which paints Southerners as poor and classless.

Bobby's mother is shown butchering some unknown swamp creature, which substantiates the stereotype that Cajun people eat rodents, offal, and other unappetizing food. Furthermore, Bobby's mother calls girls the Devil, which correlates to the stereotype that Southerners are evangelical Christians.

I don't think this is an accurate representation of the Southern way of life, particularly for the Cajuns. Southerners own proper cars and houses. In fact, the standard of living is highest in southern states! Cajun people don't eat possum, squirrel, or roadkill; these are the people that gave the world gumbo and jambalaya. Southerners don't interpret the Bible to the extremes shown in the movie. Lastly, most people in the South obtain at least a grade-school education, which is enough to speak English decently. There aren't any Bobby Bouchers in the South I know.