Bibles R Us

Here people smile and say hello. They seem happy. And they drink out of public water fountains.

Yet, the American economy is hemorrhaging. Two out of every five Americans surveyed believe that a nuclear bomb will be detonated in a large city in America somewhere in the next five years. And according to the Pew Research Centre (a non-partisan think tank) only 31% of Americans trust their government. Lastly, it's entirely probable that Sarah Palin could be the president (a minimum 1 in 6 chance McCain may not survive a second term).

Aside from the fact that her foreign policy experience is living next door to Russia, this woman does not believe that global warming is human-caused. She also insists that U.S. polar bear populations are stable and called nine U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies "highly speculative and questionable" (www.worldwatch.org). Furthermore, she believes in 'faith healing' and 'God's plan'?

All of these characteristics have a familiar ring, huh?

It's the last of these characteristics that is not uncommon in the average American. Depending on which poll you believe it could be as high as 92% of Americans believe in God.

And it permeates their society - Main street in SmallTown has SisterThis and ChristianLifeThat buildings. The downtown movie cinema is used by the "International Christian Church" for prayer meetings on Sunday. Here in SmallTown, there are 21 churches, that's enough for 1 church per thousand people.

To be fair, SmallTown is also populated with a ton of Hippies. I have counted at least half a dozen other MopTopPopTops. And the farmer's market brings them out in droves. But there is serious tension between the Hippies and the Christians. When a SuperStar Faculty came to visit, I was asked to take her out for dinner. I thought I would try this sophisticated Parisian looking restaurant, but when I mentioned it, a faculty member of SmallUniversity, WiseOne looked quite dismayed and said, "Oh you don't want to go there, that belongs to the Christian Theological College." (Was she worried that with every sip of wine, I might be persuaded to open my heart to Jesus?)

The presence of religion, however, is felt not just in politics but also in academia. The Microbiology and Molecular Biology department at SmallUniversity hired an avowed Creationist to teach a first year microbiology course. How could a department do this you ask? Well, they didn't think it would be a problem. This would just never happen at LargeUniversity in Canada.

This past week, as I was walking to a meeting with my supervisor, someone offered me a little green book. I thought, well that makes sense, they're giving out free books on campus. How nice. It turns out it was a bible. The New Testament to be exact. Not that it actually means anything to me (born into Moslemness and loving the bacon -yum).

In Canada, although we do have problems with religion causing people to act as if they have their heads up their ass, we aren't confronted by it on a daily basis.

One very good example of how religion has made people in Canada stupid, is that in rejecting an application by McGill professor Brian Alters, the second-largest research-granting agency, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) wrote this,

"Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design Theory, was correct."

Like Bill Maher, I think blind faith makes people stupid and sheep-like. Despite the fact that Americans distrust their government and are fearful of everything around them, their behaviours are completely disconnected from these fears. Instead, they continue to behave as if, the economy is fundamentally sound. Best of all, Sarah Palin is poised to become one of the most powerful women in the world.

With guns, God, and football who cares if we're about to face emergency measures like food rationing soon?

I just smile and wave.