Yes we do. However, this attitude exists in places I have lived. Denver, Austin, and Taos were like that. l am sure it exists in other places. Other than Utah I have found the West has that attitude.

It takes some courage alright to break away. In this country the native Maori population is more or less wedded to forms of Christianity, though not normally Bible-bangers. I've had Pacific Island women friends and male acquaintances who were shocked -- shocked I tells ya! -- when I told them I had no religion. I accept that Christianity is alloyed to their very core, deeply imbedded in their culture, though in umpteen different denominations. In my day it was mostly Methodist and Mormon, now mostly evangelical fundamentalist. But there is still recourse against such haranguing from Old Testament Christians in Australia & New Zealand. In the past day or two a very highly rated professional rugby player in Australia was called out by his club and fired for breaking the code of conduct for players repeatedly and posting online that all homosexuals, fornicators, atheists were going to Hell. Some of his fellow Island rugby professionals have come out supporting him. Hope that same medieval crusading spirit isn't on its way here in a big way.

Oh good grief.

Yes, as a "former" American (you never really leave an American upbringing behind) I have been a steady student of US history from the Pilgrims/Puritans on. Yet, logically (and I know this isn't an adjective that applies in religion) the influence of a hundred or so surviving settlers at Plymouth Rock should have been lost about 395 years ago; should just be an object of Halloween dressing-up today. And to think the whole idea of resettling from England was to establish religious freedom. Instead, the opposite -- intolerance -- has been magnified over the centuries. My impression is that Roger Williams/founder of Rhode Island(?) was infinitely more liberal than most religionists today. As a kid, how naive was I? -- I used to think sons and daughters of the Mayflower/Revolution were a bad joke. How very, very destructive.

Yes, it's disappointing to us internationalists to see someone even as "progressive" as Bernie Sanders regularly ritually nodding to Christians, Muslims, you name it. i.e. Freedom of religion -- as long as you pick one!

I know, your post prompted me to post. Hope the ongoing trauma you're obviously suffering has a chance to settle down in time. I'm just lucky I had an easygoing Catholic mother and an absent easygoing Baptist father; and that we were kicked out of Catholic school here in Auckland for not being able to afford the fees. This was 1960! -- being just too poor for the likes of God's spokespersons on earth. My mother was a nostalgic Irish Catholic, and my older sisters and I would have done better than we did being educated by the nuns. But eventually she realised we were no worse off out of the Church on balance. (I'm so aware these days about the benefits of church solidarity -- I'm constantly amazed how many Pacific Island mormons with no connection to US heritage are able to leave new Zealand here and connect with USA residency and benefits I've never enjoyed!)

@LisaL81 -- Stay the course. Chin up and carry on.

Have you suggested that maybe he should defend his belief first?

@amymcmxcii no because he’s all too happy to do that and he will talk for as long as it takes for me to give up and tell him he’s right, there is a god. And the longer I resist the more angry he gets and then the name calling starts.