Reply #20: Worldview, yes [View All]

[muriel_volestrangler]

but I'd contend that there can be a large difference in worldview between people of the same denomination, and sometimes little between people of completely different religions.

Your point about the ASPCA is good; but I think that often the same results come from differing religious reasons (for instance, I thought the cow was sacred in Hinduism because of its usefulness, and association with certain gods, rather than a belief that human souls can be reincarnated as cows).

Yes, I suppose there are political points in the film, though they don't seem to be getting much play at the moment.

I'm English, and I lived in the US for 2 years, so I've seen a little of US politics, but also see it in the international news, and through websites like this (the DU name is stolen from John Cleese, by the way).
It's unusual for British politicians to explicitly mention religion much, for instance, about the Tory leader:
"Crucially, moreover, Howard's Jewish profile has always been low. True, in his leadership bid he drew attention to the fact that he was the child of immigrants. True, he says Jewish values are still 'an important guide and influence on my life', and he attends a (Liberal) synagogue on the high holydays. But he has never made much of his Jewishness. His wife, the former model Sandra Paul, is a member of the Church of England; and his son Nick not only became a Christian, but provoked controversy as a student when he started trying to convert Jews to Christianity as well."
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1103/phillips_2003_11_10.php3
I'd never heard about his son (and I think I'm fairly well informed), and I had to search for this to find out if he was a practising Jew or not - but the story of how his father came to Britain (fleeing Hitler) was much better known.
Blair is considered unusual in talking at all about his religion (and even then, his Press Secretary once stopped all religious questions with "we don't do religion"). I know some of the current cabinet are agnostic or atheistic enough to have affirmed allegiance to the Queen, rather than swearing it, but I'd challenge anyone to tell which.
In UK politics, when a subject that does have a significant ethical component comes up, it's very often declared a 'free vote' - there's no party line on it. This would include capital punishment, abortion, and, these days, homosexual matters (though the Tories used to have party policies on this - they've dropped that, since it was losing them some of their more talented politicians). Apart from in Northern Ireland, I'd be surprised to see a candidate mention these explicitly when trying to get elected (though I think many Tories are still pro death penalty, personally).
Contrast this with the US, where candidates seem to be expected to state their views on abortion, and now gay marriage, and very frequently mention God and their religion. The large number of people who say they wouldn't vote for an atheist for president look very strange from a UK perspective.