They have been with us a very long time before tv was tent revivals

I’ve wondered that myself.

@Marionville Lacking a state sponsored or sanctioned religion, ‘over here,’ they all compete … tallest spire, largest building, congregation, parking lot ..newest vehicles, most elaborate windows.. And, commercialism reigns; if it sells, it’s OK! Money talks, too… it purchases unscrupulous politicians ..funding one party in particular. Whatever behavior accumulates the funds to ‘elect’ those writing regulations is encouraged to protect the process, so it compounds itself

@Varn Its the fact that so many buy into this that worries me the most. The whole reason vast numbers of immigrants left Europe’s shores was to go to a new land free from state dictated religion where they would be free to follow non conformist views, but what that has led to is worse by far as the ones with most money have become most vociferous. It was inevitable that this money would become allied to politics where it’s being used to try to change the whole ethos of America and goes completely against the Bill of Rights.

Simple minds are easy to control our government's been working hand in hand with religion on creating simple minds.

@oldFloyd Yes, I agree with that, but where are the ones working in government, working on the controlling, the ones devising those plans and strategies coming from_ Surely they come from the same stock as the simply lead ones.. or is there an elite America being developed somewhere?

@Marionville "The whole reason vast numbers of immigrants left Europe’s shores was to go to a new land free from state-dictated religion where they would be free to follow nonconformist views". Don't forget that the original immigrants were religious Puritans. They left Europe because they wanted the freedom to not follow the state-sanctioned religion. They were still religious extremists.

@rogueflyer AActually, religion was probably not the driving factor. It was scarcity of land in the old country for all but the eldest son , who inherited. That is the same reason the Vikings went on their "world tour- sons and daughters who could not inherited land.

@rogueflyer I know that...they wanted to get closer to biblical interpretation, they were indeed Puritans..but that was only the original ones, the ones who followed later brought Catholicism and other Christian denominations, and were more economic migrants than persecuted religious minorities. I think it’s still kind of ironic that a country founded by a bunch of people looking for religious freedom is now turning into a state which is increasingly intolerant of dissenters of their particular brand of Christianity and of those with other religious views and none.