I’m leery of that “Bible Belt” label. I live in a very rural part of Alabama. Yes, there are a good many church-type folks around, but so there are everywhere. Most of them are very good people who are not judgmental in the least. Only a few are obnoxious in their ego-driven zeal. My point is that what is called the Bible Belt is not much different than other places, and professional studies show only a few percentage points of difference in religious attitudes and practices.

In my neighborhood, I have a handful of friends, and not one in the group is a believer in the dogmas of Christianity. They don’t say they are atheists—I don’t say that either. We simply don’t know.

For most of my life when asked what religion I was I would routinely answer, “delicatessen”. Now that I’m vegan I guess I need a new religion I’ll perhaos change my answer to “framers market”. Nobody has yet assumed my answer meant Satin, at least not to my face.

Religion almost never comes up in conversation. Not in big blue cities on the West Coast anyway.

The only place where it was a topic of interest is when I worked & lived in North Carolina for six months and later on a project in Tennesee where I commuted from either SEA or SFO for months. This was 20+ years ago. I have zero desire to go to the South or the bible belt. Ever.

No one has ever suggested I worshipped anyone or anything. I don't understand how anyone can live surrounded by brainwashed morons.