Are the Dakotas part of the Bible Belt?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No.

Harry said there was actually prayers at his graduation. The thought of that happening at mine is laughable.

[Verily]

No. The Bible Belt refers specifically to the Southern Baptists.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No. The Bible Belt refers specifically to the Southern Baptists.

Yes, this is the point I've been trying to get across for a long time...

[Alcon]

No, although they are (IIRC) the two states with the fewest non-religious people.

[7,052,770]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

[Eraserhead]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

[Aizen]

Good thing I don't live in Mississippi.

[MODU]

Let's see....



... ummm, nope.

As far as prayers at graduation goes, that happens in many states outside the "Bible belt," and it was a common practice in most (if not all) states before most of you were born. 

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

As far as prayers at graduation goes, that happens in many states outside the "Bible belt"

Harry is the first person I've heard who's reported such a thing.

[Eraserhead]

Let's see....



... ummm, nope.

As far as prayers at graduation goes, that happens in many states outside the "Bible belt," and it was a common practice in most (if not all) states before most of you were born. 

Yeah. That is pretty sad.

[7,052,770]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

I don't think it's really appropriate, but if I had been #4, I probably would have done it just to get a chance to speak.  I would have made it VERY Catholic though, just so I could make most of the audience uncomfortable.

[Ban my account ffs!]

You should have done the Lord's prayer in Latin:

PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

And in Old English... just to creep them out more:

Fæder ure,
 þu þe eart on heofonum,
 si þin nama gehalgod.
 Tobecume þin rice.
 Gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
 Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg.
 And forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum.
 And ne gelæd þu us on costnunge,
 ac alys us of yfele. Soþlice.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

No.  Coservative religious states are not Bible Belt states - it has to do with Southern Baptists.

[Ban my account ffs!]

My guess is that there isn't a lot of Bible reading going on in the Dakotas.  Sure, they're in church every Sunday.. and they're all God fearin' folk... every last one of 'em.. and you won't find a back room in their video stores.. because they leave that filth to the Sin Cities, a.k.a Minneapolis/St. Paul.

But church is seen more as a social function.. a binding of the community fabric where people go to commune with each other in fellowship through a common bond.  They care more about the dress that Mrs. Olson wore to the community dance and the faltering marriage of the Gundersons than they do about whether their children are taught creationism or evolution in schools.  It is all spelled out quite clearly in Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion.  It's not funny because Keillor is a funny guy with a great imagination.. it's funny because no matter how silly and made up it seems, we can all relate to it somehow... down to the gloriously decorated school gymnasium full of paper plates and plastic streamers  and hot dish and jello salad that Marlene and Phyllis prepared to celebrate the graduating class.

There is a huge difference between the conservative, humbled Christians of the Dakotas (especially North Dakota) and the self-serving, individualistic, materialistic Chall (mall-church) goin, tongues speaking, screaming and falling on the floor and judgment casting "y'all're goin ta hell.." *spit* .. *TING!!!* Southern Baptists.  A HUGE difference.  And if you don't recognize that, then you need to spend more time in flyover country.

[Gabu]

The Bible Belt specifically refers to the regions of America where Southern Baptists are in the majority, as has been said before.  A state has to be more than just conservative and religious (what state isn't religious, demographically speaking?) to be part of the Bible Belt.

[Eraserhead]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

I don't think it's really appropriate, but if I had been #4, I probably would have done it just to get a chance to speak.  I would have made it VERY Catholic though, just so I could make most of the audience uncomfortable.

That would be funny. Are you a Catholic Harry? I was one years and years ago.

[J.G.H.]

No, as has already been said; in S. Dakota, I did not have any prayers at my graduation but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see that happening among the smaller schools (I went to a- relatively speaking, of course- larger high school)

[WalterMitty]

i graduated from high school in nc.

it has been so long now i cant really remember if a prayer was said.

if it was, im sure i bowed my head and prayed like any god-fearing man would do.

[Eraserhead]

i graduated from high school in nc.

it has been so long now i cant really remember if a prayer was said.

if it was, im sure i bowed my head and prayed like any god-fearing man would do.

...and now you get to pray for Fred Thompson and Larry Craig everyday. Congrats.

[7,052,770]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

I don't think it's really appropriate, but if I had been #4, I probably would have done it just to get a chance to speak.  I would have made it VERY Catholic though, just so I could make most of the audience uncomfortable.

That would be funny. Are you a Catholic Harry? I was one years and years ago.

more or less...I haven't been to Mass in a long time, and I really don't like the pope, but I still identify myself as Catholic if people ask

[Eraserhead]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

I don't think it's really appropriate, but if I had been #4, I probably would have done it just to get a chance to speak.  I would have made it VERY Catholic though, just so I could make most of the audience uncomfortable.

That would be funny. Are you a Catholic Harry? I was one years and years ago.

more or less...I haven't been to Mass in a long time, and I really don't like the pope, but I still identify myself as Catholic if people ask

I don't.

[WalterMitty]

harry you should just understand that brtd hates the south and southerners.

but as a southerner myself, i know that mississippi couldnt be any worse than north fing dakota.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

harry you should just understand that brtd hates the south and southerners.

but as a southerner myself, i know that mississippi couldnt be any worse than north fing dakota.

Um, North Dakota has gay bars. Try finding those in Mississippi. Also no school prayer, no one b!tches about the school system teaching evolution, no dry counties, very liberal gambling laws (my dad used to have a job as a black jack dealer at a local bar. Bars are allowed to have black jack and poker gambling there. Doubt that's the case in Mississippi.) and a lottery. ND also has more strip clubs per capita and more "scene" things and people (which isn't saying much of course, but MS is literally basically a giant "scene" black hole. Yet one of the hottest new bands out there is from ND [and one of my high school buddies is roommates with one of the members]). And Fargo is larger than any city in MS except Jackson, and Bismarck is larger than any except Jackson and Gulfport, so ND isn't even necessarily more rural (at least not in the places where the people I know live)

I'd certainly rather live in neither, but ND is better than MS.

[Sensei]

Just for the record, I never claimed that the Dakotas were part of the Bible Belt, or anything.

But yes, we had opening and closing prayers at graduation, said by the people whose class ranks were #3 and #4.

That is scary.

I don't think it's really appropriate, but if I had been #4, I probably would have done it just to get a chance to speak.  I would have made it VERY Catholic though, just so I could make most of the audience uncomfortable.

That would be funny. Are you a Catholic Harry? I was one years and years ago.

more or less...I haven't been to Mass in a long time, and I really don't like the pope, but I still identify myself as Catholic if people ask

I don't.

Neither do I. Agnostic all the way, although my godparents still give me bad looks.

[WalterMitty]

well brtd, i have to be honest with you...

ive lived in the north and ive lived in the south.

i cant see where the north is any more sophisticated.

unless you are going to tell me that nd > ma.   which may be possible, actually.  i wouldnt be surprised.

ive been shocked in my 2 years in mass.  all i can say is....police state!