Religion Still Important in Oklahoma

Three out of every four Oklahomans consider religion an important part of their daily life, according to the Gallup organization. That's pretty good, but only enough to rank the state 8th in the nation.

Who's No.1? Mississippi, where 85 percent answered the same question in the affirmative.

The states where respondents were least enthused about religion as a daily part of life: Vermont (42%), New Hampshire (46%), Maine (48%) and Massachusetts (also 48%). These states, all in New England, were the only places in the country to fall below 50 percent. John Adams would be spinning in his grave, as would the Puritan settlers and several generations of their descendants. Even Connecticut and Rhode Island (founded as religious colonies) are in the bottom 10.

There are other striking geographical relationships in the Gallup data, as they show on a couple of graphs. The South is still rock solid in its reliance on God. The states adjacent to the Old South, like Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia, are still largely religious, as are the Dakotas and Utah. But there is slippage in the Western states and outright backsliding on the Left Coast.

Though Gallup refrains from making the connection, one can easily correlate this noticeable lack of concern for daily religious practice (or thought) with increased support for progressive (socialist) government policies. Whoa! Big surprise there. Not. Those who pay no attention to God will always find another to replace Him, even if its name is Big Government.