Gregg

I remember reading an article in a freethought magazine about this. According to the author, it actually used to be the other way around--even though a lot of people came to America to escape religious persecution, Americans as a whole used to be more skeptical, practical, and "down-to-earth" than Europeans. Then came the death and devastation of the Great War and WW2, and this produced a great deal of skepticism and disillusionment among Europeans in authority and institutions, including the Church.

On the other hand, the U.S. came out of WW's 1 and 2 relatively unscathed and, in fact, more powerful militarily and economically than before. This couldn't help but heighten Americans' sense of their country being especially blessed and protected by God. Plus, WW2 led directly to the Cold War, a 50-year face-off with the "godless commies" which sort of crystallized the new prominence of God in American politics and society (cemented by the addition of "In God We Trust" to the currency and "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in the early 50's).

Gregg

worldling

The summer 2002 edition of <a href="http://www.secularhumanism.org/fi/index.htm" target="_blank">Free Inquiry</a> covered this question in some depth. Unfortunately, the relevant articles are not online, but the <a href="http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/kurtz_22_3.htm" target="_blank">editorial</a> by Paul Kurtz summarizes some of the main points.

Waning Moon Conrad

LOL Big Time!

Therein might be the fundamental cause for the difference between our cultures, outlooks etc.