Fareed: The rapid secularization of America
2024 ж. 7 Сәу.
381 451 Рет қаралды
CNN's Fareed Zakaria weighs in on former President Donald Trump's faith-based campaign tactics and how he harnesses White evangelical voters. #CNN #News
CNN's Fareed Zakaria weighs in on former President Donald Trump's faith-based campaign tactics and how he harnesses White evangelical voters. #CNN #News
There is nothing pushing young people away from religion like Evangelical hate.
Evangelicals aren’t gonna convince teens to hate their gay friends. They’ll leave the church first.
Mind Begs the Question: - Satan said Devils/Jinns are Superior Race - Hitler said Ariens are Superior Race - Those who hold Superior Race,Exceptionalism complex - Following God or Satan?
But of course they don’t want to join one of liberal Christian denominations either. Liberals are just looking for an excuse to lose their faith. Any little thing is sufficient.
No....DATA is pushing people away from absurd mythology and superstition.
There's nothing pushing young people away from religion like logic and reason. Fixed that for you.
The solution? Thomas Paine - "The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."
humanist cult garbage
We need to bring back the enlightenment of the founding fathers. Right now the pendulum is swinging towards a dark place. It's astounding how we repeat the mistakes of history on a regular basis.
I really like this, thank you for spreading it.
“The word of God is the creation that we behold.” - Thomas Paine *the Age of Reason*
Thomas Paine was a creationist, NOT an atheist. Smart man.
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers AS USEFUL!!!!!!" -Luceas Anneaus Seneca
Did he email that from hell?
@@joeking433 Did Trump train you to believe this? Ironic, isn't it? 🧐🧐🧐🧐
@@joeking433 Only hell is the one we make here on earth. Ignorance like yours is the basis for it.
@@hadara69 Seek the Lord!
@@joeking433 lol 😆
I guess this just proves Steven Weinberg right: “With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”
What do we advocate here? Godless nation?
@@srebaayao9616 Try intelligent nation.
@@petercollingwood522 Purpose is above intelligence. If you tour on earth is just up for intelligence, you don't differ from the animals. Higher purpose is what puts meaning to life. That is why people seek God. Don't reduce yourself to a mere object. In deathbed, most people say they have lived a purposeful life not of intelligence.
@@srebaayao9616 It must be a sad life if you need to invent an alternate reality to make it meaningful.
@@srebaayao9616 Drivvle. People seek God because theyre scared of dying and it's too much trouble to think for themselves so they're happy being told what to do. Purpose is merely a function of intelligence.
Very well done. Fareed has become an outstanding political commentator. Unfortunately, what he says is very true. Never let a preacher tell ya how to vote and never let a politician tell ya how to pray. It's really quit simple.
"Never let a preacher tell ya how to vote and never let a politician tell ya how to pray." Wowie.....that's a gem, right there!!
NEVER let ANYONE do your thinking for you!!!!
He is a bigoted reactionary
The day I left organized religion was the day I began to live the life God meant for me.
Does that include corupt islam
Same about me, great to hear that honestly.
@noahpatterson5667 are you Jewish?
The day I learned to think for myself, was the day I saw through all the lies about Gods existing. I was seven. I thank god every day for making me an atheist.
@@randell9667😂😂😂
I strongly disagree with Fareed's notion that the decline of religion is related to the decline in happiness. Look at Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. All in top 7 of least religious countries, and in the top 7 of most happy countries! There are many studies about happiness, but an analysis by Forbes India shows strong support of healthcare, unemployment benefits, education, economic equality, and connection to nature are more important.
Good catch. Typical fact-free pundit blathering.
I lament to opine that for Americans, money is God, and God is rich
Losing faith isn’t a void, it’s emancipation.
It's the "Worst that could Happen"! ;)
Or is it managing the internal conversation differently? Is it a "demythologizing" of the conscience, which one still probably walks away with, the conversation continuing, and any real God not particularly concerned that a measure of form and falsehood has been set aside in favor of new search for authenticity? A real God, utterly without vanity, might be rather pleased with the development.
@@timtrewyn453 No, it's just Satan winning the game.
@@joeking433 Invoking a second imaginary literary character doesn’t bolster your empty claim.
@@Paine137So are you implying that mankind’s happy, environment destroying culture, is influenced only by its purely rational, enlightened intellect?
We told the Middle East they needed secular democracy but we don't?
Nailed it. Christian religious extremists tried this in India. They were laughed aside
Christians are not the reason we are YSA searched
Evangelicals, have the highest rates of divorce, based on religious affiliation! (Family values?)
@@lordvadertheleftie9703I've never heard of christain extremists, I've heard of islamic muslim extremists, they are responsible for october 7th terrorist attacks
"For every action there is a reaction". Maybe don't secretly give people's kids puberty blockers in school and keep it from their parents and people just might not want to bring their religion into politics!
People who believe foolish things, vote for fools.
Nailed it!
Better vote blue to be a fool then….oops I mean not a fool because democrats are the best! 👎
And they did in 2008 & 2020.
Tell squads followers in person. You won’t .
Yea. We did so, 4 years past.
can't happen fast enough. This coming from someone who used to be a young Earth creationists and diehard true believer. But eventually I realized I was wrong.
Wow, that realization must have felt like a profound wake up call towards life. About how stupid do you feel thinking about your former self? Glad you got out of that mindcage.
Good for you to actually realize that you were incorrect in those beliefs.
When I was a child, my deeply religious mother told me I had to give up my invisible friend and grow up. So I stopped going to church.
If this was meant as a joke it was a poor one. If this was meant to suggest that God is invisible you are sorely mistaken.
@@redsable50 that's a fair point. Invisible implies that She's there but you can't see her. God doesn't exist so it's not possible for her to be invisible.
Most Americans don't want to go to hell. Your offer is just not as popular as you would like.
Hell doesn't exist. And as a concept, it is completely flawed and indistinguishable from our current reality when you attempt to reason out properties that are not totally outlandish.
@@aaronsmith1474 Hell exists and you are on it's path.
And it really doesn't help that the politics many religious people take part in is often times quite toxic, hateful, bigoted, and exclusive. That is bound to drive many people away.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God." John Adams "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Patrick Henry "Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness. The religion of America (are) the religion of all mankind. In other words, these fundamental beliefs belong to all world faiths, and could therefore be taught without being offensive to any sect or denomination." Samuel Adams "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind of self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." James Madison “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” George Washington "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.... forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle." George Washington "You can't have national morality apart from religious principle." George Washington "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God... What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be." John Adams "The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made 'bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God' (Isaiah 52:10)." John Quincy Adams "I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself." William Penn "The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code… laws essential to the existence of men in society and most of which have been enacted by every nation which ever professed any code of laws.” John Quincy Adams "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." John Jay "Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty." Abraham Lincoln "Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell." John Adams "Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshiped. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” Benjamin Franklin "I am a real Christian - that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ." Thomas Jefferson "IN GOD WE TRUST" is the official motto of the United States of America, and has appeared on U.S. currency since 1864. Every time you use money, remember this fact of what is inscribed on all US currency. This is America's historic Christian heritage.
NO! We are a nation built on freedom from religion. We are built on immigrants that make us stronger. Take your fairy tales and shove it.
@@bldlightpainting...so I guess the final solution is for everyone to conform to your beliefs, in order to be a true American, or leave? Once you say "In God We Trust" only refers to your specific God, you missed the whole point of how America came about in the first place. Granted, you aren't alone in your belief, but that doesn't mean it is just or compassionate.
No one is less tolerant of religion than the religious The old mentality of if you don't believe as I do then you are heretic and there for must be brought down at all costs
@@bldlightpainting sick old dead guy quote bro.
The Chump is the Golden Calf of the MAGA
That's our daddy Trump.😎👈
Said another mega Chump boy
WE BOTH KNOW YOU WANT THAT OLD MANS LOINS 🤮
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
@@bldlightpaintingoh cool! Where exactly does it say that in the Constitution? Point at it for me.
Religion has failed because it's about power not humanity.
oh stop it the Catholic Church need more money for their lawyers
Let me remind you, Fareed Zakaria is a registered Muslim. Demonizing evangelicals but silent of Islamic atrocities. Demonize both. To be fair.
Your idol Biden is religious. Let that sink in.
@@litojonny All Abrahamic religions have become religions that worship power, war, and gold. The American heretic protestant offshoot religions do not worship Jesus or God, they worship Satan and Gold.
Religion is a tool to control people.
Secularization is one of the only broad-based improvements in society.
Please see Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World for a long list of forces to add to Secularization.
The louder the evangelical movement becomes, the more people will distance themselves from religion. The evangelicals made morality and faith a big joke. We are maturing as a country and we don't need silly superstitions to guide us.
We also don't need Evangelical hate and white supremacist beliefs to be a moral guide......
LOL what a ridiculous statement. Evangelicals are a minority of religious people. They have very little influence on people’s opinions of religion.
That is why the Founding Fathers deemed *ALL* religions unfit for modern, civil governance. The *1st Amendment's Establishment Clause* prohibits the government from making any law, _“respecting an establishment of religion.”_ This clause not only forbids the government from establishing an official religion, but also prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another. It also prohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion. *Constitution Article VI Supreme Law - Clause 3 Oaths of Office* _"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; _*_but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."_* This means nobody is ever required to swear to a god or on the Bible, or any other religious book for an oath of office. They may choose a god or religious book, but none is required. Thomas Jefferson and Calvin Coolidge did not use a Bible in their oath-taking ceremonies. Theodore Roosevelt did not use the Bible when taking the oath in 1901, nor did John Quincy Adams, who swore on a book of law, with the intention that he was swearing on the constitution. _"In this enlightened age and in this land of equal liberty, _*_it is our boast,_*_ that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest offices that are known in the United States."_ *-George Washington* (To the Members of the New Jerusalem Church of Baltimore, 27 January 1793) _“The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or Mohammedan Nation.”_ *- John Adams* (American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, Founding Father & 2nd president) _“...the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."_ *-Treaty of Tripoli - June 7, 1797. Signed by President John Adams & Ratified UNANIMOUSLY, by the Senate June 10, 1797* ....only a few times in history the Senate unanimously agreed on anything. A 2018 Supreme Court Ruling re-affirmed this statement, from The Treaty of Tripoli. The Supreme Court released an opinion on May 14, 2018 in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Assn., 584 U. S. (2018), Justice Thomas in his concurring opinion wrote: _"The Treaty of Tripoli was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President John Adams. As such, it is a "legislated text" which must be read "textually". The lower courts in this case read a hypothetical legislative intention into the text by dismissing Article 11 as "a mere formality". _*_The language itself makes a clear direct statement that our government is not based on the Christian religion and any attempt by a government official to represent our government as Christian contradicts the text and the historical understanding of our founders."_* _"Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?"_ *- James Madison 4th president* (A Memorial And Remonstrance, On The Religious Rights Of Man: Written In 1784-85)
@@xjarheadjohnson Thanks for all the effort you put into this informative post.
Whatever one thinks of religion for whatever reasons, it cannot be dismissed as “silly.” It has had-- and continues to have-- a profound effect upon history, for better and for worse.
Evangelicals have lost the ability to distinguish their god from their devil. They'll believe anything to avoid growing up and accepting responsibility for our fate.
Christ. It’s like living with my parents again, only 30 million times more isolating.
It's like in Exodus, when they kept making idols and worshipping them after God told them to just be patient and have faith.
Based on what?
Based on what You make generalized attacks but no facts
@@silentmajority8365 If I and 44 other people corroborated their statements, would you put down your dukes and walk away with everyone’s mental health intact? Check the likes.
Many people evolved to like the taste of boot. There's a conservative rhetorical trope about "needing" someone to worship. They cannot imagine a world without some tyrannical hierarchy.
It’s because they believe that, if they work hard enough, it’s their boots that others will be licking.
Mr. Zakaria: You are brilliant 👏 I always learn so much from you!
Hahaha. Fareed is a registered Muslim. Fareed should atone for all Islam's atrocities.
This is the best op ed that Mr.Zakaria has ever done, or ever will do, because of the discussion it started.
When your 'spiritual' leader starts telling to worship the most abhorrent politicians, isn't it time to run for the door?
What like Pelosi the inside trader or AOC the "RICO isn't a crime? Yeh, pretty sure Biden is doing that hahahahaha
Secularism is categorically not saying that the religious may not speak out publicly or have a say in public life. It is about saying that religion alone should not confer a privileged say in public life, or greater influence on it, Because of it. it really is as simple as that. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" James Madison
Sums it up perfectly.
The fight against God is never a good thing for a person later on the society. But who cares we will all understand the truth or reality after we die. Be
@@Mypresident1986which god?
@@Mypresident1986 I doubt that I will " understand the truth or reality after we die". From my position, you should rephrase you comment to "I will understand the truth or reality after I die". Simply and respectfully put, your truth is not my truth.
@@Cmunic8 I agree with you there are so many gods but am referring to the creator in this case.
That’s a great shift. Religion has no place in government
Religion? It’s a point of view. Much like those who are atheists and beleive in their dogmas: (1) abortion, (2) homosexual marriage, (3) climate change, (4) Big Bang, etc. Saying no one point of view “has no place in government” is like saying liberals or conservatives don’t deserve to have a point of view represented.
Absolutely and it shouldn't be any more complicated than that.
@@jaaklucas1329 are you including the Climate Change/transvestite/evolution/quantum physics? These are zealous movements that claim to have some ethical concerns.
@@laverdadescatolica5 Whatever stimulants you are taking I want some!
@@jaaklucas1329 black coffee 😀
When religion got into politics, I got out of religion. Religion and politics is a two-edged sword. I use to think religion would ruin politics but find that politics also ruins religion. There is little destructive difference between the Taliban and the Evangelicals. The 1990 US pop was about 250 Mil. Today it is 333 Mil. 9% of 250 is 22.5 mil. 29% of 333 mil. is 96.57 mil. with no religious affiliation. 4.3 times as many. I believe that number will grow.
Thank you for listening to Fareed. Your registered Muslim bigot. Yeah. Islam's atrocities is worst.
Yes, from those 333 million, the young population is not accounted for. Children aged 1 to 18 usually follow their parents' religious views because they are raised in them. Children raised in atheistic, non-religious households most likely will be non-religious. Children aged 1 to 18 who were raised in religious household will most likely lose their faith and be non-religious when they are adults, so the non-religious population will increase.
If you were in religion to know God then you got out for the wrong reason.
A look a world history would tend to support a conclusion that human society evolved into a mix of religion and politics. The printing press changed things. A great dissemination of knowledge has brought about experimental science and a new paradigm. We have a broader and continuously improving understanding of human history. This isn't just a 21st Century thing. Oddly enough the Soviet Union went all in on atheism, and now we see the Siloviki of Russia returning to it for social manipulation. Their finding seems to be that there will be a religious sector to be managed and it can be used to create a more prosperous state than a policy of atheism could. They are pretty sure they are better than we are.
14% of the population shouldn’t have the right to dictate to the rest of us, especially when most of the evangelicals vote for corruption. repression, discrimination and hate. The rich .01% of the population shouldn’t be dictating policy (and who gets tax breaks and special privileges) either, but that’s a somewhat different problem.
They approximately 28% of the voters. I don't believe in them but everybody has a right to be their voice heard, whether they are 5% or 40%.
@@endlessendless2391 It might be a problem when they try and restrict the voting rights of others. Some go as far as making it illegal to give food and drink to those waiting hours to vote. While others just walk up without a wait and vote.
@@endlessendless2391 "Voices heard", yes; impose their will on the majority, no.
When the rich use the religious to win elections it is all the same problem.
Spoken like a true leftist fascist that wants to censor and silent people. You're not above other, you're not better than those people. EVERYONE is entitles to their opinion! They are just voting for what they believe in, who are you to tell them otherwise?
I never felt that leaving religion was losing anything. What we fill our lives with- our purpose, our morality, our interests- this all must be rationally thought out over one's lifetime. We have been taught to think: now we do the work for ourselves, within our own families and communities, that which the church once did for us.
30% is an understatement. I’d say it is twice that with a lot of people claiming to be Christian, but having no idea what that means.
Religious freedom (or the freedom from having to practice a religion) is fundamental/core principle of America. 😮
Evangelicals, have the highest rates of divorce, based on religious affiliation! (Family values?)
They refuse to believe America was founded on religious freedom. They think we were founded as a Christian nation. *yikes*
Those laws were put in place when the only religion present in America was christianity. The founding fathers did not secularize the country to protect satanists.
No one says its not.Just keep it out of politics.
@@jaaklucas1329 How so? Religion deals with values. How could politics not deal with values?
We don't need religion to be moral and compassionate. Some people use their religion to spread hate and to have an excuse for their behaviors.
There was a recent poll done that found that agnostic or atheists were far more compassionate, moral and tolerant than religious people. Go figure.
Unless we want our morals to include slavery and stoning of gays…
There hath no greater hatred than thy Evangelist "love".
Quite apart from the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that a god exists. Religion at it's base is exclusionary. This is our god, for our tribe, for our people. It promotes other-ism. It seeks to divide, not bring people together. It's not good for the world. Once the world embraces logic, reason, and critical thinking, there is only one logical outcome: Atheism. The human race will never unite until all of humanity puts aside superstitious nonsense born of the ignorant infancy of our species.
In fact, since Gods don't exist, We find all of the goodness and the badness of humanity inside the writings of every religion. Religions are simply the ideas of man to include imaginary utopian views. The bible is one of the greatest Sci-Fi stories ever told and now it's a matter of Life imitating Art and Art reimagining Life. What we decide is Right and Wrong is a construct of our own imagination and that construct changes over time.
Thank you so much Fareed - so sober, so much traction in fact, so without distortion of an ideology.
That gaping hole in your heart can be filled with science. It provides the same spiritual experience as religion. It humbles you, while showing you a glimpse into something great, eternal, and mysterious. It is also a lot less fragile than religion. When new evidence comes out that disproves something you believed, it doesn't shatter your whole world and destroy families.
As an atheist, I'm actually iffy on this. There are three big problems here: One is that science is not a one-stop shop that tells you what you _should do_ in the absence of philosophy or your own moral values, and a lot of people want to be told what they _should do,_ not simply what _is._ (Scientists are often very morally upstanding people at the forefront of trying to make the world a better place, but that's because they have their own values regarding what _should be_ and their knowledge of science tells them what that's going to take.) Two is that science doesn't really provide you with the same kind of local community that organized religion does, and I don't know that it could given point one. Three is that people fear death and often want a promise of eternal life or some other continuation like reincarnation that science cannot offer them. So, yeah. Science can be a transcendent experience--it was for me--but there are still functions religions have that science doesn't and can't. This doesn't mean that religion is true, but it is why if you're going to replace it, it's going to take more than just science.
@@belladonna5012 thing is, we don't need to get rid of religion, just keep it where it belongs - in homes, in churches, and religious schools. If there were more science-related get-togethers, that would provide some of the "community" that people want. Also, religion can't really tell people what to do because that varies widely depending on which religion, which subset of that religion, and even the individual person you're talking to. You can talk to 10 different Christians and get 10 different answers to the same question.
No it isn't, as a scientist who believes in God i couldn't disagree more with your imbecilic take
You clearly haven't read any Kant to spout the asinine notion that science can replace religion. Even atheists like Heidegger, or militant atheists like Nietzsche were well aware of the incapacity of science to fulfill almost anything religion offers.
How does this make sense when the evangelist conservative right is the group so concerned with money and deficits? The least charitable are the most religious?
It makes perfect sense. HYpocrisy is a requirement of religion, especially the abrahamic cults. They call themselves religions of peace while promoting violence and conflict right from day one. The abrahamic cults; one religion, three names, all hypocrites, all evil.
Technically they give the most through church programs. Churches then fund a gazillion charitable outreach programs.
@@jakeroper1096 By demonizing and spreading hate against native faith. Happens a lot in my country.
They're only against debt a deficits when a democrat is in office. Republicans administrations spend like drunken sailors. Scaremongering over the debt is just another prop for them.
@@jakeroper1096really? Is building a big new church helping the community at large? Or buying that third airplane I’m sure benefits everyone 😂😂😂😂😂
‘Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom’. Most people desire easy answers. Thinking and making decisions is hard work. It’s easier to let others tell you what to do. What is right and what is wrong. Critical thinking is a muscle that must be exercised and developed. If you don’t put in the work you will be easy to manipulate.
Well said
I don't disagree, but that saying is pretty ignorant. It's not dizziness of freedom to be worried about feeding your family, keeping lights on and a roof over your head. The American people do not have a reassuring existence.
Very well said.
What body of experimental science supports the hypothesis that "Most people desire easy answers"? Would anyone taking the survey to agree or disagree consider themselves to be among "most people". I honestly don't know. I've never read a scientific paper on it. Is this critical thinking?
@@timtrewyn453 Actually, we could go even further than describing general human preferences to highlighting scientific community conformity. Occam's razor (later, the scientific principle of parsimony) encourages the mainstream view that the simplest answer usually is the best one. And there goes the problem: the difference between what USUALLY IS and what IS. Though they may oftentimes be well intentioned, both scientists and laypeople create havoc in the wider society, on account of what they were taught to believe, by not allowing enough space for 'what they don't know' to actually be important. (Many cancer survivors and victims have learned that the hard way.) For the purposes of understanding the gravity of human bias towards easier explanations, you might also want to look up (or be reminded of) black swan theory, which is a metaphor for a particular set of observations that explain why people are overly vulnerable to harmful effects from low-probability events when they occur. "Black swans" are rare occurrences which vastly outweigh regular occurrences, in terms of their collective consequence.
Fareed nails it every time. How strange that I understand more about American politics from an Indian born commentator than a native born American
Fareed is indian born.
@@saravananrajagopal2683 White people are unable, or unwilling, to distinguish.
@@saravananrajagopal2683 Oh. My mistake. Apologies
@@saravananrajagopal2683 And a registered Muslim bigot. Remember that. Lecturing evangelicals about secularism. Fareed should atone Islam's atrocities.
How is he any less American if he is not native born? This anti-immigrant sentiment is repulsive.
Your commentary makes so much sense. You piece together information in a clear way. Thank you.
If people find themselves, "looking for something greater than themselves", it's hard to believe they would choose Trump.
As Cesar Sayoc described it, attending a Trump rally was "like a new found drug."
@@Mdebacle I think we non-MAGAs underestimate the intoxicating power and entertainment value of Trump rallies and how important they are to maintaining the cult. It's a lesson Hitler and other autocrats knew well, and Trump understands instinctively.
I don't understand how working class people could support Trump. It boggles my mind.
Sadly, I have pastor friends who are struggling to keep the divisiveness and populism out of their places of worship. It is getting hard. Spirituality is very personal and anybody who comes along and tries to dictate how (or if) you connect with the spiritual should be treated with caution.
church may do well by openly rejecting politics.
Religious ideologies are regressive. Period
LOL nice friends you have. This tells me all I need to know about you.
@@toni6379 This is such a vague comment it tells me nothing I need to know about you, including what you mean.
"Jesus is Lord, not Trump" is not something that should be hard to convey with people who claim to worship Jesus. The problem is people are really after power, and not the cross. That's the only thing that would make it "hard". Trump makes them feel like they can have power over others or win the so-called "culture war", so they follow him instead of the words of Christ. No Christian who truly reads and believes their Bible would have a difficult time seeing why Trump does NOT represent anything Christ-like. Just read the red letters. But then again, there are tons of people claiming to be Christians who are not, and are really just church goers, so here we are.
If a person says they go to church here in Australia then I would say the first thought reaction is 'uh oh could be weirdos'.
Same here in Germany 😅😊
Well, we've got some of the meanest SOBs on Earth sitting in the pews on Sunday morning here in the US. A few prayers then back to business as usual.
so not really tolerant eh?
@@tanaymishra7333 there are people I would drink a beer with. And there are people I wouldn’t. 😁😜
The same applies to Fareed Zakaria. A registered Muslim. Blah blah blah.
"Keep the church and state forever separate." --Ulysses S. Grant, Sept. 29, 1875
Talking down to people who aren’t religious certainly isn’t going to help make this “Take” any better. I’m not “missing” anything by not being religious.
He's pushing religion, but doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to be straight about it.
@@poorboyjim6392 I don't see it that way. I think he's trying to explain why people flock to snake oil sales men. 14/3!🇺🇸
From an atheistic world view human life is not sacred. Humans are just made up of different gasses, it is all just random and you have no free will. I would like you to try to explain why humans have any particular value from a purely "rational" and atheistic viewpoint, its pretty difficult.
In fact you're gaining hell! ;)
On the one hand, science and reason liberate people from absolute obedience to their religious leaders (and the abuses that are inevitable in organized religion). On the other hand, the loss of certainty about the place of everything in the universe is the price of that freedom. Each person must decide what gives their life meaning. I think this is better than being told exactly who to love, and who to hate.
Very well put.
The problem is that simply just doesn't work for everyone. I know a lot of people who would not have survived tragedies such as the deaths of their children and spouses had it not been for their religious beliefs. After DJT won in 2016, I knew a lot of White secularists who lost their minds after the Trump victory and had nothing to sustain themselves, and they openly asked Black people how we could maintain our sanity. I would often respond that secularism is rare among Black people, in the words of Jesse Jackson, "except among a radical few." That is still true except for large portions of the younger BLM types.
Or someone will decide for us. The problem with the idea that each individual has the right and privilege to decide about our place in the universe, is that it is highly dependent on having the social, political and material preconditions for the said "freedom". It belongs to the liberal tradition and philosophy, that frankly, even liberals don't believe in.
Yep, I think you make a great argument for letting the blind lead the blind. And actually the bit about letting everyone decide to seek out what gives their life meaning actually just opens the door to all sorts of illiberal, power hungry, demi-gods. You see when people get to decide what gives their life meaning those that decide they like to and want to control OTHERS USUALLY end up on top. Christianity is the foundation upon which you now live and people can choose to decide what gives their lives meaning. If you lived in Rome today you would be told who is your God. Period. Look up Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World to consider this from a different perspective
It's a choice, heaven or hell. Take your pick!
Excellent perspective. Thank you for you insights
"Modern society gives us all wealth..." that is hard to argue, especially as so many rural communities have been hollowed out. Factories have gone offshore, mines have closed, farms have gone bankrupt, small businesses have failed, and main streets have gone quiet. The financial strain on some communities has created an eagerness for some viable path forward. They are seekers, of a sort.
Oh no. Americans won't believe in magical creatures anymore.
Compared to the atheists who believe in the right to castrate children and can't tell the difference between a man and a woman? I'll take Trump any day of the week.
Christians don't believe in magical creatures we believe in historical truths.
I gave up "god" when I was 11 years old. No loss in faith or community because of that. In fact, my sense of loss is that so many continue to adhere to religious doctrine perpetuating the continued oppression and hatred of those not in their group, and their continued resistance to sanity, principles grounded in logic and facts, and progress in the right direction. It gives me great solace and optimism to see religion dying all around me.
That is why you need a ($59) MAGA bible in your life.
Amen😂
But not everyone is like you. Death of religion is not brought about by European enlightenment everywhere. In China and North Korea, absence of religion has led to complete amorality. There is no sense of right and wrong in many sections of these societies. While there are bad religious people and wonderful people who happen to be atheists, don’t have this great hope that you can create an enlightened citizenry everywhere in the absence of religion. Some people do need the old fashioned “you will go to hell” scare tactics to be good.
@@ownerspride8305 What a crazy thing to say. MAGA is all religious and christian, you think those people are enlightened? WTF is wrong with you?
@@ownerspride8305 What about Finland, Sweden or Denmark ? Very few Christians in those countries . And are they really horrible as well as the two you mentioned ?
Wonderful topic that is well done by Mr Zakaria. RS. Canada
Word. I can't wait to delve into your book!
2,000 years of religious interference in civic governance leaves no doubt about the outcome. Fareed misses the key point. Many Americans have been subjected to or witnessed religious fervor, and we have rejected organized religion's focus on money and censorship. We have turned to the Golden Rule for guidance. Heaven...hell...maybe? We gladly take our chances that treating others well, while we're on this earth, is certain.
He does say that secularism has grown with the rise of science, technology and education. Broad education being the key to understanding.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
@@davidbannerman4359 unfortunately that education was totally missed by MAGAs. Its as if their skulls are impermeable to logic, facts, and science.
AND NOW AMERICA IS FALLING APART THANKS TO SECULAR HUMANIST TRASH.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God." John Adams "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Patrick Henry "Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness. The religion of America (are) the religion of all mankind. In other words, these fundamental beliefs belong to all world faiths, and could therefore be taught without being offensive to any sect or denomination." Samuel Adams "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind of self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." James Madison “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” George Washington "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.... forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle." George Washington "You can't have national morality apart from religious principle." George Washington "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God... What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be." John Adams "The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made 'bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God' (Isaiah 52:10)." John Quincy Adams "I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself." William Penn "The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code… laws essential to the existence of men in society and most of which have been enacted by every nation which ever professed any code of laws.” John Quincy Adams "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." John Jay "Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty." Abraham Lincoln "Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell." John Adams "Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshiped. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” Benjamin Franklin "I am a real Christian - that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ." Thomas Jefferson "IN GOD WE TRUST" is the official motto of the United States of America, and has appeared on U.S. currency since 1864. Every time you use money, remember this fact of what is inscribed on all US currency. This is America's historic Christian heritage.
This is what happens when you judge everyone who is different as being the equivalent of Satan or sin. People these days don't like being judged in unnecessary ways. So it's not surprising that secularism is taking over. I'm all for it. Do you want to believe in it? It makes you feel happy? Cool... keep it to yourself.
Except you just broke your own rule just now, didn't you? In fact, you can never express your own opinion if you follow this rule. So I suggest either being quiet forever or changing your rule. (Hint: when you make a rule make sure you follow it.)
@@redsable50 I didn’t make a rule dum dum. Read it again.
@@redsable50 LOL! So true!
@@joeking433 The only rule I set is I just want people to be left alone. I don’t care what your beliefs are. I expect the same back. I don’t impose my will on you and you shouldn’t either. Don’t want an abortion? Don’t get one. It is literally that simple.
@@ejkk9513 Well, we Christians DO have a vote you know! ;)
Brilliant articulation of the phenomenon of secularization, Fareed you have a rare gift!
Fareed Zakaria, I admire you. Time after time, you prove to be the most intelligent person on television.
Normalize people with weird religious beliefs minding their own business.
Maybe if religion in this country didn't deny some fellow human beings basic rights, people would be more inclined to remain in the faith as it wouldn't clash with the increasingly popular notion that the right to marriage and a family and body autonomy are things everyone deserves. Communities can be found everywhere, churches ain't special
Bodily autonomy is not a real right.
If you were in religion to know and understand God then you got out of religion for the wrong reason. If you were in religion to have your opinions rubber stamped by a distant God then you made the right decision. God doesn't care about what's popular.
..“there are no new beginnings until everybody sees that the old ways need to end” - Kae Tempest
Thank you very much for this. Great point to show how things have become of so many leaving God for Politics.
Yeah, I really miss being told that I am an evil, wretched sinner.
The point is not to return to religion. The point is that there is a religion-sized hole in many hearts, and that hole has not been filled with something productive for a democracy. Politics has become as bad as religion. If we disagree on religious issues, that's fine. People can have separate worldviews, and ultimately what you think about God isn't going to affect day to day life. But having such opposition on political views, on even basic facts, that has massive ramifications on issues of policy that do affect everybody.
People fought over religions too. The truce among religions in the US and some other countries like Singapore was exceptional. In most places religion has always been politics.
TAX THE CHURCHES!! NOW!
Including atheist churches
@@toni6379That's an oxymoron. Tf is an atheist church
Also include Fareed's Islamic Church.
In fact, why don't we get rid of all Non-profit organizations?
I am curious Fareed, did you write a book? Nonetheless, a good piece here.
People need to find a purpose. These days, with jobs often being temporary (because companies have no loyalty to workers, the feeling is often mutual), families being far apart, we need to find something to be passionate about and dedicated to. Could be friendship, could be a hobby that becomes a passion (creative projects, for example) or it could be doing good and spreading some kindness, doing our small part to create a better world for more people (INCLUDING ourselves). There can be communities (NOT CULTS) OUTSIDE Of churches and people need to create them, but do so without spreading hate and creating misery for many, especially the most vulnerable people. I know - it's easier said then done, and will take time. (I'm pretty introverted, so just having a few good friends and some contact with family is enough for me, but I know others need to be a PART of something big).
Its not a loss of faith, its realizing that you can not create laws to govern a country based on any religious. Especially since the religion is about power and control, who has the power and whom they want to control.
If you can believe a snake talked a hungry naked couple into eating an apple you can believe DJT should be president.
You don't need God or religion to be ethical or live a meaningful life. Remember: Bear and forbear Give and forgive Live and let live
True religion doesn't need the force of politics; empty religion does.
Religion is something that is taught. Spiritualism is something that is experienced. Many of the so called religious, have no spirit.
And spiritual awareness doesn’t need a god
@@EthanLomaswhatever that’s supposed to mean 😂
@@EthanLomas God is a spirit.
A few oligarchs shouldn’t own and control the means of production, distribution and exchange. Workers make America run, workers should run America.💙🇺🇸
I’m curiously asking and not trolling at all. In a capitalist society, how can we NOT inevitably have oligarchs? How can we complain while simultaneously reaping the benefits of the very system (as Americans) we are beholden to?
@@yDrewy we need capitalism but there needs to be moderation. Having a tiny percentage of the population with most of the wealth is suboptimal. For one thing, billionaires don't just have money. They have power because of that money. And they use it to further their own interests at the expense of others - especially after Citizens United.
@@georgesimon1760 100% true, however capitalism will always lead to these things. It’s just how this system is. We can’t have one without the other is my main point.
@@yDrewy sure you can. It's called laws and regulations. True laissez-faire capitalism will always lead to that, but we don't have to have that.
@@georgesimon1760 Higher taxes on billionaires would help as well.
This is one of Fareed's best.
"The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and in-grafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man." Thomas Jefferson
This was true in Europe.
Thank you Fareed for giving me more food for thought on why people are turning to people like Drumpf. What an ugly thing to fill the emptiness with.
Fareed Zakaria is a registered Muslim. He should first atone for all of Islam's atrocities. He has credibility after.
All my life I lived without the need for religion. I don't feel an empty space in my being. My being it's filled with what I see around me, the beauty of the nature as a whole. No need for god especially one that the people aroud me preach to.
And yet the most secular nations are rated having the most happiness on international studies and the best welfare. People who have not grown up with public organised religion don't miss it.
Sounds like China is the place for you! NO Christian history!
let’s get that ranking up!!
WAR IS DUMB
So are Russians and the gqp.
Forever wars are as American as apple pie.
So are Russians. And the gqp.
@@kevinjenner9502 democracy is what we fight for, its what a 1/3 of the planet fight against. trump for instance.
@@jerryjerry7561 UKRAINE ISN'T A DEMOCRACY
This guy is Gem of CNN....never missed his show
Great piece, Fareed. I’m surprised you didn’t mention the role off social media, though. I think this is a huge piece of why we’ve seen the cultural shifts we have.
The venality of evangelicals has driven millions away from churches.
Hello gorgeous, 🥰 Your comments are always worth reading.. I pray God gives you many beautiful days and you know God loves us all so much!.....So where are you from? I'm Glenn A. Goddard, originally from Canada but currently living in California.
And their focus on greed and vengeance has drawn millions more in.
@@patrickfitzgerald2861 it’s the American way personified in the cult leader
If secularization is leaving a void for other things "greater than oneself" to step into (populism, nationalism, authoritarianism) - why is it that it's the Democrats who are mostly secularizing while the Republicans are the ones turning towards populism, nationalism, and authoritarianism? I've seen people try to make the same argument for why BLM and LGBT issues have taken on such... let's call it fervor... on the Left, but not from this angle. Seems like we're seeing a world in which the modern Right increasingly loses its ability to win and reacts by knocking over the chess board.
Yeah, Zakaria's premise here is utterly counterfactual and ahistorical. Religion tends to be intertwined with those -isms, more than it is opposed to them.
@@yohei72 Yea I think if you're disposed to believe in an invisible man in the sky, you're ripe for believing other things like Trump's lies. Trump is not really a Republican or a Democrat, he just found Republicans to be more susceptible to his BS. I should add that the lack of empathy and callous disregard for the welfare of their fellow Americans that was displayed by Republican politicians before Trump, probably made them a prime target for Trump since he's the same way.
Politics and religion are both the same thing in essence because they are based on people's belief system and
@@jacqueslee2592 except that one's view on politics can be based on facts. Religion is belief in something for which there is no evidence, only faith.
@@georgesimon1760 However, there is no political ideology that views facts under the same lens. Everything is open to interpretation.
"As a historian, I confess to a certain amusement when I hear the Judeo-Christian tradition praised as the source of our concern for human rights. In fact, the great religious ages were notable for their indifference to human rights in the contemporary sense. They were notorious not only for acquiescence in poverty, inequality, exploitation and oppression but for enthusiastic justifications of slavery, persecution, abandonment of small children, torture, genocide." ~Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., "The Opening of the American Mind," The New York Times, 1989
Smart, inform, calm talk on private TV, no used to it anymore.
There is no greater hate than Evangelical “love”.
It may not be the shape of things to come. People will build communities with and without religion that are more wholesome for the future. It is an emotional spiritual evolution that humanity is going through. Filling it with politics is a temporary phase.
Yes, perhaps just a difficult chapter in the history of a young civilization. There's an infinite amount of space to experience, share, explore for spirit, community, culture, life. When mathematics is inexhaustible and imagination cannot have imaginable bound - then why would the stunning vastness of the galaxy be a mere coincidence, rather than an open and logical invitation?
I hope you're right. That would be far superior to what the right-wingers are trying to do now.
Go to Seattle and see the junkies defecating on the sidewalks to get a glimpse of your Marxist utopia! ;)
Preaching from the pulpit used to have consequences because fanaticism is the denial of reason.
So chilling.
Since God does not exist being religious is a losing proposition.
Since he does you will end up a loser.
If you live free from Religion, then you live free 😊
Really? Actually, you are slave to your wants. Earthly wants.
Brilliant! Normally I don't like Zacaria's comments, because he is, like 90% of American Press, sold to AIPAC (I'm a Brazilian who lived in the US for 8 years). But as a Religious Scientist, Lutheran, former Pastor, he is absolutely correct.
Honestly a great analysis, especially about how politics has replaced that spot of religion in many secularists.
I agree that there needs to be a community of fellowship for people to feel a part of. But, it doesn’t have to be a religious fellowship. Invest your time and energy with others who share your passions and create a community of caring. Neighborhood gardens, libraries, community cleanups or tree planting, service to seniors or those who are ill. Many of us who are secular are doing just that in our communities. But it will take a national conversation to bring up this issue of how do we create community and fellowship not clustered around a personal belief system in one religion or another, but in a common understanding that we are all connected to one another and to this earth.
I agree with you up until "... it will take a national conversation..." We can all make choices as individuals. And we see that individuals are turning away from religion. We also see a national effort to force Christianity upon our society. That will be defeated by individuals making their best choices - hopefully in my lifetime.
The problem with that is our messenger Fareed Zakaria is a registered Muslim. He needs first to atone for all of Islam's atrocities to be credible.
That's one of Satan's best messages!
what fareed (and others) miss in the so-called secularized demographic is the large number of people who have switched from the empty rituals & dogma of organized religion to practices that bring a meaningful difference to their lives - such as yoga, meditation, spending time in nature, and psychedelics experienced within the proper set & setting.
He wouldn’t understand seeing as he comes from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Says the guy who is high out his mind.
@@toni6379 "Hear, O People of Gazania, the Lord your Allah is calling you back to your homeland!" I am pleading with Egypt to knock down the wall they built to keep out their ethnic brothers (same DNA) and allow them to return to their homeland. Judea is not for the Gazanians. Amen
@@EthanLomasA nutcase AND a bigot.
Mot his focus in this piece.
“The biggest threat to America today is not communism, it’s moving America toward a fascist theocracy, and everything that’s happened during the Reagan administration is steering us right down that pipe." - Frank Zappa , 1986
Fascism is what you are seeing today with the DOJ using social media and DOJ trying to put your chief political opponent in prison .. (LIKE PUTIN DID TO NARVARLNY)... Camelshit is batshit crazy
The only *DICTATORS* are the Democrats ban Freedom and legislate for more Laws stripping away our Life freedoms as Americans
"The only difference between [Communism, Nazism and Fascism] was the difference between murder, killing and taking a life. But in our moment of blindness we said only two of these are evil, one is good. And we call it democracy." - Fulton Sheen, 1954
Frank Zappa was merely an entertainer. (Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
LOL!😂🤣🤪☺️ Listen son, if you had not fallen asleep during American history, you would know that this country was founded on biblical values.
Right on the Spot!
This is REASON why most people need to go out and vote. Remove these zealots, they know that they dont represent America or the Constitution but fear of losing power and $$$keeps them setting fires. Separation of Church and State is a must.
One nice thing about politiprayer meetings, they display our gullibles publicly. young people can now see clearly who they should not breed with.
It cannot be rapid enough. The Bronze Age “wisdom” of middle eastern holy books outlived their usefulness ages ago. We need to be grounded in knowledge and understanding now more than ever. Believing in fictional gods is a millstone around our necks.
America really is not embracing your atheism as you like to think! If Trump gets elected it will be partially because of people like you. (And I will be voting for anyone running against your candidate!) ;)
Fareed Zakaria is one of my favorite people.
Human rights is the answer. It works out well, as you can't take actions against human rights, you can also live in peace. I don't mean it's working out right now, but in the future it's most likely the basis of peaceful society.
I’m sure the Catholic Church scandals helped
the Evangelicals have as many sex scandals but they've been better at avoiding responsibility.
Hello Fahreed. Thank you for drawing attention to the emotional deficits we all suffer when religion grows obsolete in our lives. When churches and temples close, and congregants become disillusioned, we are left with only ourselves in a vast, indifferent universe. Reality truly hurts sometimes. Astronomys greatest gift to humanity is this Great Demotion. We really are nothing more than a speck of dust. Maybe a nice collective project for those of us who are NOT going to end up in heaven, hell, purgatory or nirvana would be a replanting and resoring of the planet upon which we survive. I believe that this collective revolution could occur through the net. We need to revive the Earth for ourselves and future generations. It's really the ONLY thing that matters , since the universe clearly does not give a f*** about us. Sounds like a far better quest than chasing after gods who are ineffectual in preventing suffering war or murder What say you?
I say you were NEVER one of us!
A typical radio face. What a beauty. Can you believe it?
Use of religion as a weapon goes back thousands of years, my friend.
We should not use ancient mythology about invisible sky fairies as a guide to choosing our leaders.
especially when that leader doesn't even believe in the sky fairy that you believe in.
Well tell that to Fareed. Your registered muslim bigot.