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[Phmcw]

Hey, you guys remember where this "Arab spring" started?

Oh yeah, Tunis. Elections went very well, and the "soft islam"-party (Ennahda) has won. This is probably what will happen in the other countries as well. Too bad, because the democratic secular center-left instigators that I was vouching for lost big time in those elections, not even ranking 3rd or 4th... Could be worse though, it's not turning into a theocracy.

It was to be expected : they are not very numerous, just very vocal and actives.
They got to be a recognised opposition movement, though, and will be able to influence their policies.

[RedKing]

Plus secularism is still seen as kind of aberrant in most of the Muslim world (Turkey being the notable and extreme exception). Seperation of mosque and state is about as foreign to them as seperation of work and compensation would be in the West.

[scriver]

...No. There are a lot of people wanting a secular state there. Especially in North Africa. Just not a majority.

[Rose]

Plus secularism is still seen as kind of aberrant in most of the Muslim world (Turkey being the notable and extreme exception). Seperation of mosque and state is about as foreign to them as seperation of work and compensation would be in the West.

reminds me of texas.

[DJ]

To be fair God is sure mentioned a lot in American stuff (on money, in pledge of allegiance etc) for a supposedly secular country. I really don't see a problem with Muslims having analogues to this in their own governments, as long as they're tolerant of other religions.

[Kogan Loloklam]

God has been infiltrating the secular US since it founded. It just goes to show you that everyone has trouble keeping religion out of their government.
I guess the big question will be how much Ennahda forces their brand of Islam on their own people and foreigners, and how they choose to interpret Islamic law and what changes they make to their country based on that. 

[Nadaka]

To be fair God is sure mentioned a lot in American stuff (on money, in pledge of allegiance etc) for a supposedly secular country. I really don't see a problem with Muslims having analogues to this in their own governments, as long as they're tolerant of other religions.

God was plastered over every public institution in the 40s and 50s. You see, those godless pinko commies in the Soviet Union were our enemy, so by god we had to be religious to make sure we were not mistaken for pinko commies. Prior to that, less than 1 in 6 Americans was even a member of a church. 

[scriver]

God has been infiltrating the secular US since it founded. It just goes to show you that everyone has trouble keeping religion out of their government.

The Christ Democrats have only 5,6% of the Swedish Riksdag mandates, and the only reason they have that few to begin with is that they got support votes from other right-wingers (they're in a coalition) anyway. Their share of the county and municipality mandates are even less. Latest Svenska Dabladet/Sifo survey had them at only 3,8% of the votes should there be an election going on today, and the few months older DN/Synovate poll puts them at 3,3%. You need to have at least 4% of the votes to get into the Rikdsdag.

And nobody takes their politicians seriously, either. Especially their latest move when they tried to appeal to anti-intellectualism by blaming the cultural elite for ruining Sweden and calling themselves "reality's people". Cue the whole nation making fun of them and their %'s going even lower than before, when they hardly stayed above the water with their 4,1-4,3%.

So yeah. Not that hard.

[Lysabild]

Kristendemokraterne in Denmark tries each year to come in, but keeps failing miserably. It's sort of funny and sad. But then, Konservative's motto is God, King and Country so it's still present, somehow.

[RedKing]

To be fair God is sure mentioned a lot in American stuff (on money, in pledge of allegiance etc) for a supposedly secular country. I really don't see a problem with Muslims having analogues to this in their own governments, as long as they're tolerant of other religions.

God was plastered over every public institution in the 40s and 50s. You see, those godless pinko commies in the Soviet Union were our enemy, so by god we had to be religious to make sure we were not mistaken for pinko commies. Prior to that, less than 1 in 6 Americans was even a member of a church. 

And now it's roughly 1 in 8 (16%) that don't at least claim an affiliation with a denomination. Although how many of those actively attend serviecs is another matter. I'm a Taoist, but I'm essentially non-practicing since North Carolina is not exactly awash in temples. The fascinating part of it all to me is the demographics:

Spoiler: Flyover country is also pray-over country. (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: The "Bible Belt" could just as easily be called "the Baptist Belt". (click to show/hide)

[Tellemurius]

WOOHOO CATHOLICS UNITE!

[RedKing]

Yeah, but if you look at the number of counties, the Baptists have you beat by about 200. And they're much more tightly packed. Less perimeter to defend when the Great Denominational War begins in 2012. 

[DJ]

I thought Catholics were a minority in USA :S

[Sheb]

If they have 30% of a county's people, but the others don't have more than 20, they can be the first one without beingna majority.

[Nadaka]

I thought Catholics were a minority in USA :S

They are. But they are monolithic. There are thousands of different types of protestants. There is only one Catholicism.

Note how few of those blue counties have the black dot noting that more than 50% of the total population belongs to that denomination.