The Most and Least "Religious" of the United States

http://www.gallup.com/poll/153479/mississippi-religious-state.aspx

I just heard about this 2012 survey and thought I should share it with you.  Gallup released a list of the most (top three: Mississippi, Utah, and Alabama) and least religious  (48-50: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) of the United States of America.

Gallup describes 40% of the American populace as “very religious” and 32% as not religious at all.  The most religious states are heavily clustered in the South, while the least religious states tend to be in New England or the West.

The most religious state in the United States is Mississippi, where a total of 58% are described as “very religious.”  I find this to be disturbing because it means that four people out of ten describe themselves as “not religious.”  We are rapidly becoming the “remnant.”

The Universality of Christianity

Many religions are closely tied into racial, ethnic, or national identity.  Not so with Christianity.  The message of jesus is just as relevant for a Zulu tribesman as it is for a little boy in Mississippi.  It is for a German and a Choctaw, a Basque and a Gujurati.

Jesus  saying The Lord’s prayer in Mandarin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m3u71ShEG0

Jesus saying the Sermon on the Mount in Mandarin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqJHRCMXBZc&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday).  The celebration is named for the eating of rich, fatty foods before the fasting of the Lent season beginning on Ash Wednesday.  The idea is of a cycle a feast before a fast.  The celebration is associated especially with Roman Catholicism but many non-Catholics participate.  There are annual celebrations in the following countries; Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.  In the United States there are major celebrations in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

The celebrations include, of course, overeating, but also dances, parades, the wearing of masks, sporting events, and the wearing of costumes.  Sadly, some also bring binge drinking of alcohol, drugs, and promiscuous sexuality into the mix.

Mardi Gras was brought to the future United States by the Lemoyne brothers, Pierre LeMoyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptise LeMoyne de Bienville.  The brothers were sent by King Louis XIV to claim Louisiana (modern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana) for France.

The brothers founded several cities along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico: Biloxi, Mississippi in 1699 by Pierre; Mobile, Alabama in 1702 by Jean-Baptiste; and New Orleans, Louisiana in 1718, also by Jean-Baptiste.  Mobile became the capital of New France and today has the longest-celebrated Mardis Gras festival in the United States.

I must confess that I personally do not understand this holiday.
 

A Choctaw Hymn

The Choctaw (alternatively spelt as Chahta, Chactas, Chato, Tchakta, Chocktaw, and Chactaw) are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana). The Choctaw language belongs to the Muskogean linguistic group.  There are about 160,000 Choctaws today. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians are the two primary Choctaw associations today, although smaller Choctaw groups are located in Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. In World War I, they served in the U.S. military as the first Native American codetalkers, using the Choctaw language as a natural code.

The most notable Choctaw from history is Pushmataha (ca, 1764, Mississippi – d. 1824) Actual Choctaw name: Apushamatahahubi.

Pray for the People of Alabama

Today is a beautiful sunny mild day.  Yesterday was sheer terror.

Yesterday there were at least 164 tornadoes in six southern states (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and Kentucky) of the United States.  At least 280 people died, with 195 of those in Alabama.  They are still finding more and many are still missing.  Hundreds were injured.

Please pray for the people of Alabama.

The tornado which hit Tuscaloosa and Birmingham (it was the same mile-wide tornado) was probably an EF3 - EF5.  An EF3 tornado has wind speeds of 158-206 mph while an EF5 has speeds of 261-318 mph.  The EF ratings are part of the Fujita Scale devised by Tetsuya "Ted" Fujita (1920-1998) in 1971 at The University of Chicago.

The authorities are discouraging people from showing up to help because of the danger; you can not safely just begin to pull and tug on some of these buildings or they might collapse on you. The National Guard, police, and firemen are doing that work.  Local churches are helping in another way; preparing food for the hundreds of rescue workers.  This is a noble work by the churches.  Please pray for them, the rescue workers, the injured, and the families which have lost loved ones.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Cullman, Alabama

http://tweetbeat.com/events/16695-tornado-strikes-cullman-alabama?mqhom=car

30 Incredible Pictures of the Tuscaloosa Tornado

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/30-incredible-pictures-of-the-tuscaloosa-tornado?s=mobile

Stacked up cars

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150562248780293&set=a.10150162584525293.415108.261724115292&type=1&ref=nf

12 photos

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150172071421336&set=a.10150172070936336.296372.15704546335&type=1&ref=nf