I'm worried that Europe will follow America's Xtian Right-Wing lunacy

[PlanetBev]

You know that old saying, "When America catches cold, Europe sneezes? Although Europe, Canada and a lot of the world are far more progressive at the present moment than the US is, will this sickness of ours spread? I'm afraid we'll become influential in a very negative way.

[LisaLynne]

1. Well, why don't we do this?

All the people who want to live in a Christian Theocracy can move to the US and those of us who want out can trade places with them! Of course, we might have to take the WMD that the US has with us, so they'll have to play nice ...

[cavanaghjam]

2. It's not the Christian

right wingers, it's the corporate fascism that will prevail in Europe as it does here; at least until oil depletion makes a wreck of the system.

[McKenzie]

3. cannot agree my friend

I'm European and we are, in general, much more socially aware and politicised than the US methinks. (the DU activists might disagree!)And, Europe is a mature confederation of states where the memory of WWII is a constant reminder of what could happen if fascism ever reared its ugly head again. To a lesser extent, the same applies to the Spanish Civil War; just look what the Spanish people voted for in their last general election.

A right wing takeover in Europe is unlikely. In the UK, for example, the most right wing party is now being supplanted as the opposition to Blair by the Lib Dems. And, Scotland kicked every single Conservative Member of Parliament out when Blair first came to power. Since then they've climbed back alittle. However, they owe many of their seats in the Scottish Parliament to Proportional representation.

Mind you, I have a deep distrust of that Puritanical zealot David blunkett, so it's all the more pleasing to see that he's been caught with his pants down ...snigger.

A worry? Yes. A likely event? I doubt it. Shenanigans such as voter fraud in the UK would have the people on the streets.

[BurtWorm]

4. I don't see it either.

Precisely because the U.S. is and always has been unusually "religious" for a Western democracy. We're an anomaly.

[pelagius]

5. The particular form of Christianity...

...prevalent in America (I call it "Armageddonism") is a minority belief in world Christianity. Most non-US Christians have very different views of the "End Times" as described by Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, and others of that ilk. So much of what passes for Christianity in the States is based on ideas that most Christians find frankly bizarre.

[riverwalker]

6. Agree, it is an American phenomena

started with the Scofield bible in the 1880's. He was a creep who abandoned his wife and kids and started all this dispensationist fundie rapture crap. It has no foundation in real Christianity and all Europeans know this.

[PlanetBev]

7. That make me feel a little better

As bad as it is here, I would feel even worse if the voices of reason were cut off outside the US.

[Malva Zebrina]

15. Hal Lindsey, Tim and Beverly La Haye would be nothing if it were not

for rampant capitalism gone amok.

[bobbieinok]

8. there is a growing pentecostal/charismatic movement in Europe

small, yes....but growing...it has lots of support from US church groups

[bobbieinok]

9. see this link in English from a German pentecostal site

http://www.bfp.de/english/about_us_en.htm

[BlueManDude]

10. If their media becomes like ours - they will n/t

[sonicx]

11. doubt it, didn't UK legalize civil unions resently?

[Liberty Belle]

12. Fox just got ok'd in Canada.

I think they're in Europe now, too. Brainwashing is underway.

[Kellanved]

13. that is actually a major fear in Europe

The Barroso thing was a direct reaction to that fear.

With Berlusconi in Italy there is one country with a leader who is probably worse than Bush, others are very afraid of similar things happening. Yet it seems unlikely, at least in the central/northern countries (with the possible exception of the UK, despite the Guardian claiming the opposite). Spain is moving left as well.


http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,325722,00.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1391622,00.html

[w4rma]

14. They need to keep their media/robber barons in check.

That means you guys need to fight Rupert Murdoch's propaganda when it comes to *your* nation. Whether it's Sky News or Fox News. And beware of hate radio. I suggest that progressives start working on non-government media outlets *now* out there in Europe just in case Blair is able to defund the Beeb and allow Sky News to become prominant in Britain.