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[quote=Anonymous]I'm an American living in the UK. Religion used to be quite important in European nations. Some social scientists argue that Europeans gave up on religion during WWII, believing that the devastation was proof that God did not exist.

Religion also is not a consumer experience here. Americans can find a religious denomination or church that matches their age range, political leanings, doctrine, socioeconomic status etc. An instant community of like-minded people. In Europe, most countries have the state sponsored church and the fringe. The church also provides community and social programs in the US, while the government and families (much closer geographically in Europe) provide that here. The church bazaar (fete) is still a community institution in the UK.

Interestingly, religion is still a big part of the culture here, sometimes in ways that would appall Americans. The Church of England does not allow gay marriage, and requires gay priests to be celibate. The Church is ostensibly funded by donations, but gets a lot of government grant money for church buildings, and its top clergy sit in the House of Lords

UK schools are ostensibly required to have an 'act of daily Christian worship'. Most ignore this, but state-funded schools give out Bibles and allow evangelists to talk to the children. One third of state (publicly funded) schools are religious here, and these government funded schools are allowed to discriminate based on faith and church attendance in admissions. In the Netherlands, two-thirds of public school are religious, and in Ireland, the Catholic Church still controls 90% of public schools. Many people still baptize their kids, despite not being religious. This is true in a lot of European countries.[/quote]

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