Why are people in the big U.S cities much more open minded than people in smaller towns regarding religion?

Question

People in places like New York and California are very open minded when it comes to religion....but in the Southern cities are much more hostile to any doubting of their religion...people in the South claim to be patriots to the U.S but oppose anything that goes against their religious beliefs..I thought the U.S was the land of free speech!

Answer 1

Don't you think you are generalizing with this comment?

I know some very open minded people in the south and in small towns and some very narrow minded people in the big cities.

Answer 2

I stay in Fargo North Dakota, right here Fargo is seen a huge city. In Fargo gas is extra low-fee than the little cities by skill of 10 cents, foodstuff is cheeper, and nicely each and everything is rather lots cheeper. i've got additionally lived in a small city which there have been purely seventy 5 human beings in the entire darn city. Smaller cities have not got reliable jobs like the huge cities the two. additionally the smaller cities are kinda borring too. Fargo isn't something whilst in comparison with Austin Texas or Los Angelos California regardless of the undeniable fact that, you will probable say Fargo is a small city. LOL

Answer 3

One major reason is exposure. There's more people in big cities, so there's more ways of thinking floating around. In small communities, it's easier for people to think alike and not be aware that it's possible to think anything differently.

I have only visited NY, but I'm a native Californian and I can tell you without doubt that CA in particular has a culture of tolerance. In California they expect people to be different. Differences are celebrated. It's what makes everyone unique and interesting. I lived in a small town in Idaho for a while and differences freaked them out. Everyone was supposed to think the same, at least about religion. Thank goodness I got out of there!

Answer 4

Two reasons, I would speculate:

The big cities are where the major economic activity is. That attracts highly educated types. Education and fundamentalism are generally not compatible.

Secondly, the big cities are diverse. You can see firsthand that cultures other than yours aren't that bad afterall. That kind of diversity and respect for diversity is incompatible with religions that claim to have an exclusive source of truth.

Answer 5

New York and California have Syncretism (a blending of different religions) where the South has pure religion and want to keep it that way.

I'm from the south and I love our small towns like Atlanta (3,500,000), Richmond (1,167,500), Roanoke (260,000), and Charlotte (540,828).

Answer 6

I think it has to do with what you are exposed to growing up... If you are never taught it then how would you be able to be open minded about it.... in bigger cities there are more diversities of people and cultures unlike small towns that do not attract as many people to them

Answer 7

KCLightman explained it pretty well--it's about exposure. There's a psychological safety of villifying "Other" people. As long as you don't know someone too well, it's easier to see them as the bad guys. But if you've got Jewish neighbors, or your office-mate is gay, then you see that they're just people and start thinking maybe they aren't so bad/scary after all.

Answer 8

there is an educational divide in all countries between the rural farmers and the enlightened city people. Generally....What country are you from?

Answer 9

Umm, no.. you will find open and closed minded people all over in different areas.

Answer 10

I'm not sure how you came up with this, and I have no idea if it is true or not.

But God Bless anyway and have a wonderful New Year !