I have to say it. (title edited for Bill)

[renate]

40. I think context matters

In the United States of America, Christianity and Judaism are common enough that they're just sort of part of the culture. (Other religions are becoming better known now, but when I was growing up, Christianity and Judaism were the only games in town. We sang "Dreidel, Dreidle" at the Christmas concert and that made it all politically correct.)

Even to those of us who don't like organized religion, believing in a religion that's so widely accepted isn't quite the same thing as believing in a religion where you get your own planet and have to wear magic underwear. In Utah, it wouldn't seem like such an odd belief, because in Utah that's just accepted behavior. In parts of the world where there are, for example, many gods, or where every tree or mountain is commonly believed to have a spirit, sharing those beliefs just sort of reflects the culture in which a person grew up.

I agree with those who say that a belief in God based entirely on a literal interpretation of the Bible is just as weird as a belief in Kolob, but considering the culture of the United States, Mormonism is still kind of an outlier.