Recently I drove to Orlando, Florida for vacation at a popular resort/entertainment complex. I had purchased a GPS navigator for this trip, and it suggested that once I reached Tallahassee via interstate, take the highways down to Orlando.
I observed something during the trip that I’m sure is not just a Florida phenomenon, and is indicative of why this state, among others, is having an issue with fundamentalists attempting to subvert the school system and government.
From my vehicle, I observed no less that 50 signs for different types of Christian churches. I didn’t see any temples or mosques, and only a small number were non-protestant (2 or three Roman Orthodox).
At the same time, I only saw one sign for a library. Just one! And for museums, the count is zero. I did see a sign for a quilt museum, but I’m not going to count that one.
I pondered why this would be. Was it just coincidence that from the major highways I saw this, and that if I had driven into the hamlets and villages I would have found more libraries and museums?
I’m afraid the answer would probably be no. It saddened me to see so much money, time, and resources, invested in so many churches, many of the same sect right beside each other, while institutions that help us with the real world go unfunded.
Why does this condition exist? Why is the protestant religion, and in a lot of these cases the Pentacostal sects, so anti-knowledge? Are the people conditioned into giving their time and money to the churches above all, and at the expense of their children’s future? With so little access to information outside of their religion, it’s no wonder that the creationists and other pious liars are able to gain such strong support.
As a side note, I also noticed almost as many liquor stores as churches.
