LEAST religious burbs of DC?

[Anonymous]

There was a thread here just the other day where it was mentioned that the Woodmoor area of MD is heavily Catholic.

With that said, I agree with the PP's. No one is going to try to "save" your daughter in the DC burbs. It just wouldn't happen around here.

[Anonymous]

P.S. While the adults are very tolerant/non-pushy about religion here, they are extremely anti-gay. I'm straight, but even I get uncomfortable by the level of anti-gay sentiments (I hate the term "homophobia" because trust me, they are not "scared" of gays -- they just hate them).

[Anonymous]

(I meant "here" as in Mississippi -- I forgot to mention I was the OP).

[Anonymous]

The anti-gay sentiments are most likely tied to the ultra religiousness of where you live.

[Anonymous]

Arlington is full of everybody, including gays.

[Anonymous]

OP, I just don't think you need to put that on your list of criteria of where to look for a home, unless you are looking in the areas more than an hour or so outside DC (areas like Manassas, Front Royal, etc.) I would be astounded if that came up in the schools here.

If you want to look for the MOST tolerant areas, that would be Takoma Park, Arlington, places like that, but again, I would put this thought aside.

[Anonymous]

We're in DC and have never had anything like that happen, but friends in Cincinnati have, so I understand that things are very different in other places! I think you'll be very happy almost anywhere in this area.

[Anonymous]

Md is as a rule more tolerant and more secular than Va. There are historical reasons for this - Md was a more dissenting state than VA, and it still holds true to some extent. For example, you will find both more gays and more Jews in the Md suburbs that the VA suburbs. Gay marriage will be legal in MD 10 or 20 years before it will be legal in Va.

I would say atheists would find Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, and Bethesda very welcoming, as well as NW DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread here just the other day where it was mentioned that the Woodmoor area of MD is heavily Catholic.

With that said, I agree with the PP's. No one is going to try to "save" your daughter in the DC burbs. It just wouldn't happen around here.

The only thing you will encounter in a Catholic neighborhood is a pro-life bumper sticker. If you can live with that, you can live almost anywhere in DC. I'm sure there are a few places in the outer burbs that are different, but evangelical religion, saving people, etc. is not really common here.

[Anonymous]

I think the problem is the opposite one at least here in the MD suburbs. I'm fairly "religious" (although not of the "are you saved" variety) and I often feel like I stick out like a sore thumb here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the problem is the opposite one at least here in the MD suburbs. I'm fairly "religious" (although not of the "are you saved" variety) and I often feel like I stick out like a sore thumb here.

That is very sad. Have you tried praying really hard?

[Anonymous]

OP -

This isn't really a problem here. I'm in Arlington, and this really isn't something we worry about. We're Jewish, and it is definitely far, far, far from the bible belt here. I know there are religious people of all sorts within this community, and I'm sure some of them would like to "save" me, and I know my housekeeper regularly asks St. Anthony to intercede on my health issues (to which I say thanks). However, this is not a community where people feel comfortable forcing their own religion into other people's faces.

[Anonymous]

I think it's actually the opposite environment. My highly religious/conservative friends fled the region after 1-2 years. I think the area can be a little hostile to the fundamentalist sort.

[Anonymous]

i agree with the previous poster that you shouldn't have any problem with overtly religious people anywhere in the greater DC area. I'm also pretty religious and had a really tough time finding a church. It's a very secular area. We live in upper NW DC and at I'd say that 80% of our friends and neighbors are agnostics or atheists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's actually the opposite environment. My highly religious/conservative friends fled the region after 1-2 years. I think the area can be a little hostile to the fundamentalist sort.

I agree with this. I've had one friend complain of other children proselytizing to her child and pressuring her to be "saved". She decided to not let her child hang out with them anymore. I would have done the same. I had my fill of the militantly religious when I was a kid.