From Timesonline.uk:
Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side'
Religion increases social ills. See why this benefits the Republicans, below the fold.
A few choice quotes:
In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies.
The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.
This is my first diary, but as a scientist I follow the science & evolution issues particularly closely on this site and elsewhere, and the support this administration has put behind anti-science and anti-intelligensia has me very frightened that by the time I graduate, my PhD degree will be worthless.
I find it kind of amazing that this correlation hasn't been made sooner, frankly. But, what it comes down to, is that the Republicans are using the two enemies of science (and of a free state), fear and ignorance, to control this country.
If you believe the correlations in this article, by promoting religion, they are actually promoting that which keeps society from progressing and then, by claiming they have the answers to the problems caused by religion (i.e. they have moral authority), continue to keep power.
There's also been much talk about "what is a Democrat?" and the lack of unity behind the party as a big problem to challenging the Republicans. We need a message, part of it should be INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.
Not just in schools, but in daily life. In world politics. In your neighborhood. Fight ignorance. Fight laziness. Why does it not bother most people that this country is looked upon so poorly? Why do they not care? Because they think they are better? We're not. I can only hope, should the general populace be made aware of how poorly we compare with other nations, they should be ashamed.
(Forgive me if I seem to be rambling. I'm at work and upset, especially after listening to Brown for hours.)