Hi! :3

[Cat]

Hello everyone!

I've never been to America and that's probably the major reason for me creating a profile in this forum. I'm a university student from Sweden who is curious about belief and disbelief in different parts of the world. I have a friend who's currently studying physics in San Diego through an exchange programme. He talked to me today about how people approached him regularly trying to consult him about his beliefs. These people also appeared to be somehow offended when someone (my friend) asked them to step aside and not waste his time.

Personally I've never encountered a religious group at my university and I believe there probably even isn't one. Me and my friends have had Jehova's Witnesses come visiting a couple of times at home. I've told them off, being gay, saying that if I am not welcome within their group (faith) they certainly are not welcome at my doorstep and must leave immediately, and so they have done.

If there is an actual question to my introduction thread it would probably be something like this: Do religious people in the USA generally get away with preaching intolerant beliefs in the public sphere?

Perhaps you might find my question naive but then please accept it as an ignorant European's. :)

[aitm]

Greetings Cat and welcome to the forum. If you come to the usa and attend any university you will, most likely, come across some sect of religious nutbaggery that thinks preaching on some special lawn or square of proverbial "something or another"....it can be quite comical and saddening at the same time, to realize all that intellect wasted......like realizing good puppies died.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Go go Columbia S Carolina and the whole downtown is one big box of religious "colleges" to the point it swallows up the state Capitol.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I lived in San Diego for three years and nobody ever asked about my religion except for the hospital people when my appendix went south on me.

[Cat]

I actually wrote a quite elaborate post but I accidently went backwards in the browser and ended up deleting it. Anyway, what is difficult for me to understand is that they actually receive the same legitimacy as other organizations. Are the groups of minority religions (if there exist any) respected in the same way?

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Luckily so far the Billy Graham crusade isn't in total charge of NATO if that's comforting.

[Cat]

I lived in San Diego for three years and nobody ever asked about my religion except for the hospital people when my appendix went south on me.

I'm not sure that they specifically asked about his religion but they were certainly addressing the subject when they tried to "spread" their own. May I ask why the hospital people had any business regarding your religion?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm not sure that they specifically asked about his religion but they were certainly addressing the subject when they tried to "spread" their own. May I ask why the hospital people had any business regarding your religion?

Yeah, proselytizers can be aggressive.

The hospital staff asked if I had any religious preference. I replied "None" and things went on from there.

[Cat]

Luckily so far the Billy Graham crusade isn't in total charge of NATO if that's comforting.

I'm not sure how to interpret "isn't in total charge" and I'm not sure I want to know.. :P We're not part of NATO either, whether that is good or bad is debateable.

[Cat]

Yeah, proselytizers can be aggressive.

The hospital staff asked if I had any religious preference. I replied "None" and things went on from there.

I'm not familiar with having religious preference in the healthcare system. Perhaps I should google it but if it's not too much trouble perhaps you could elaborate?

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I'm not sure how to interpret "isn't in total charge" and I'm not sure I want to know.. :P We're not part of NATO either, whether that is good or bad is debateable.

if the Billy Graham crusade was in charge of NATO you'd probably be looking for a bomb shelter everywhere on the planet right now.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm not familiar with having religious preference in the healthcare system. Perhaps I should google it but if it's not too much trouble perhaps you could elaborate?

They asked so they could have a chaplain come around if I wanted one. (Yes, I was that sick.)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

We're not part of NATO either, whether that is good or bad is debateable.

I heard rumors Sweden was considering joining NATO. You haven't heard of this? If not then I would doubt my sources.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I was born at St Elizabeth hospital.. They named it after a saint to hide the stench of corruption.
Read about the doctor whose name is on my birth certificate, a Catholic hospital. 
http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com//blog/dr-burts-infamous-love-surgeries/

[Cat]

I heard rumors Sweden was considering joining NATO. You haven't heard of this? If not then I would doubt my sources.

It's been considered since NATO was founded I believe so you're certainly correct. We're very much about protecting our "neutrality" though, so it's always been seen as fairly unlikely in the eyes of the people. With the recent activities from the east (Russia) this might all change though. We've seen an increase in percentage people wanting to increase military spending recently. Perhaps what you've heard of is related to this. I must say you're well informed :)

I was born at St Elizabeth hospital.. They named it after a saint to hide the stench of corruption.

I'm not sure if naming it after a saint is hiding the stench of corruption or (can I go this far?) rather increasing it. ^^