[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.