The "Bible Belt" is a slang term used for a geographical region in the South and the midsection of the United States — areas that host large groups of fundamentalist Christians. The area of focus here is basically the southeast of the U.S. I personally live in Florida and I once thought all of America was so Christianized. Although I don't feel exactly accepted here, because I can't just go around saying I'm an Atheist. People tend to look at me differently, and think something must be wrong with me if I don't believe in God. So the only people I bothered talking about Atheism with is close friends and family really. I plan on moving to Pennsylvania or perhaps another state in the northeast when I finish college. I'm glad to see that things will be much better there!

To be a true Bible Belt Christian, you must have a clear understanding of the things you don't do, like smoking, dancing, going to the pool hall, drinking, or making a public appearance without a Bible in hand. You must believe that your actions are controlled by the Holy Spirit and that doing God's will is the most important part of your life — no matter what scoffers might think.

Some say that certain people in the Bible Belt go overboard in both their religious and political (usually conservative) practices. But Bible Belters believe that their lives are totally controlled by God and they could no more change their ways than fly. Furthermore, they don't apologize for their seemingly irrational behavior. Like a favorite bumper sticker declares, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."

Quoted from: http://ca.essortment.com/whereisthebib_rgux.htm 

Of course, the quote is poking fun at the Bible Belt, but unfortunately it's an all-too serious issue that does get to me at times. Living in its proximity has caused me to develop a bias towards Christians many times when I have to keep reminding myself that it's just the people around here. Not all Christians are like them. In my area, Christian businesses who proudly display Jesus Fish on their business doors and signs are ripe for the picking. I all too often see Christian bumper stickers, some cars having more than 5 at once. There are so many people here who advertise their faith, and it's only Christians who do it. There is even a local Christian yellow pages called "The Shepard's Guide", that has Christian-only businesses in it. To me, this is both wrong, and foolish. It's wrong because public yellow pages should not be allowed to single out and allow Christian businesses only. That would be like having "The White Man's Guide" that has a list of businesses that host an all-white man staff, no blacks, women etc. And it's foolish because the fact that a business is Christian does not mean crap, they'll still rip your ass off. A lot of Christians are using "The Shepard's Guide" to find Christian businesses that they trust just because the business is Christian. That is just plain ignorant.

Picture of the Bible Belt: The most conservative, gay-hating, flag-waving, Jesus-worshipping, anti-evolutionist, church and state joining, conservative Christians are located in the red area. I'm in Tampa, FL, at the very bottom of the blurred red area. I cannot imagine what the dark red areas are like! Pennsylvania looks very nice to me!

Popularity: 11% [?]