VERSION|0.5.1|NAME|Broga|DATE|1372796859|CONTENT|@Charlie:  Keep the comments coming.  I hope the USA is opening up to accepting sceptical thinkers and I think the perspective from the other side of the pond is valuable.  Some years ago now we had some visitors from the USA who were as atheist as I am.  When I mentioned this to a friend who visited them I was told that back in the USA they went to church and the man parked the cars of the attenders. 

 My son, who visited them later, explained that in their small town if they had declared their real feelings the man would have had no clients to his legal firm, his children would have been bullied and excluded from school activities and they would have been social pariahs.  Only the spread of sceptical thought till it becomes too prominent to ignore will change that.

Regarding the military, I suppose not too many people have experienced that any more.   I caught the end of National Service and was in the army aged 18.  After being instructed, in detail and expertly, in using more kinds of rifles and guns than I knew existed, plus various other kinds of non explosive mayhem I was told, still aged 18, that, &quot;You are now professional killers.&quot;   I still remember the surge of pride at this pronouncement.  Indoctrination works.   It is effective.

I never once entered a church during my two years nor did anyone insist that I should.  

|EMAIL|denis.watkins12@btconnect.com|IP-ADDRESS|86.170.196.192|MODERATIONFLAG|