Exploring The Religious Landscape Of The United States: Fill & Download for Free

The similarities between the two countries are very superficial, but the differences run deep which, unfortunately, doesn’t stop people from thinking that “it’s all the same thing in North America” - confirmation bias?The answer to that is, “Are Germany and Austria the same, or France and Belgium, or Argentina and Uruguay, or New Zealand and Australia…”?People are also quick to point out that a very high concentration of Canadians cluster in the south, along the border because it’s so close to the US, without realizing that the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes provided the early Europeans with easy access to the interior of the continent, fresh water, irrigation for farming, a source of power and communication. Whether or not the US had formed a nation at a later date is irrelevant. A major portion of US population is also concentrated around the same water system.While you’re safely waiting out the COVID-19 situation, you might want to add the following to your reading list - both books are a fast “read,” and will provide you with credible information and research on the topic.That, plus a zillion other Quora posts on the same subject (links below):Goodreads Review: Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada and the Myth of Converging Values, Michael Adams, President, Environics group of research and communications consulting companies which he co-founded in 1970. In 2006 he founded the Environics Institute for Survey Research, where he also serves as President.“Our front pages scream US military, social and fiscal policy. It may appear that — with immigration questions, airport and border restrictions, debate about common currency and talk of private health clinics — we are drifting inevitably towards a greater political and philosophical alliance with the United States.The implication is that we share their values.As Canadians, we have long defined ourselves as ‘not Americans.’We cherish our differences from our powerful neighbour but, as the United States grows ever more dominant on the world stage, can we hope to hold on to our national identity? Are we fated to become Americans in a generation or two?In Fire and Ice, Michael Adams challenges the myth of inevitability that has led us to believe our Canadian way of life is doomed to extinction. Drawing upon a decade of never-before released pulse-taking from both sides of the border, he reveals that Canada and the United States are not coming together, but are diverging in significant ways. From the vehicles we buy to the deference we pay to authority, Canadians prove to be firmly separate in their attitudes and opinions.If you have ever wondered whether Canada can survive and prosper as a distinct society in an era of globalization and dizzying technological change, Fire and Ice provides fascinating evidence that the cultural divergence between our country and the United States will continue for years to come.”Goodreads Review: Sex in the Snow: Canadian Social Values at the End of the Millennium, Michael Adams“TEN YEARS LATER…CANADIANS ARE STILL DOING IT IN THE SNOW When Sex in the Snow first appeared 10 years ago, it broke new ground by boldly sketching the changing psychological landscape of Canada. It showed that values can be even more important than demographic traits when it comes to how people behave as citizens, consumers, employees, parents, friends, and spiritual beings.Rather than being defined by their religion, age, gender, and ethnic background, Canadians were embracing postmodern values that cut across those categories. Using data from his extensive, innovative polls, Adams argued that the changing postures of Canadians had been shaped by three major quests: for personal autonomy, for pleasure, and for spiritual fulfillment.A decade later, Adams finds that, remarkably, Canadians still pursue those same values in ever-greater numbers. Our attitudes about gender and family, once informed by rigid religious codes, are ever more heavily driven by values of autonomy and fulfillment—the belief that people should be able to choose the family arrangements that work best for them in both practical and emotional terms.Flexibility and openness to diversity have also persisted in ethno-cultural matters, as 1.5 million immigrants arrived in Canada since 1997.Canadians continue to endorse the coexistence of people of diverse backgrounds and cultural fusion that seeks to savour and explore—not eliminate—differences across races and heritages. Ten years later, Sex in the Snow remains a unique portrait of what it means to be Canadian.”The world needs more Canada, Current Affairs“It was Bono who notably proclaimed ‘The world needs more Canada’ at the Air Canada Center in 2003. Thirteen years later, President Obama used the same expression when addressing the Canadian parliament.It is true. The world does need more Canada, more acceptance of the ‘other’ be it refugees or immigrants, more politeness and kindness which are hallmarks of the Canadian people and tolerance, also another Canadian trademark.Yet, President Obama’s farewell speech struck a chord within me.He observed that “our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted” and “Democracy can buckle when we give into fear”.Photo Credit: CBC NewsHow similar is Canada to the USA?When an American moves to Canada what will they find to be the biggest lifestyle differences?What is the difference between life in the US and Canada?Why is Canada so safe compared to the United States, although they are neighbors?What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in Canada compared to the United States?Why can’t the United States be more like Canada?

This is a misquote.Here is the actual line, from Obama’s keynote address at the Call for Renewal Conference.“Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”However, there is something worth exploring here.Barack Obama genuinely believes in a multicultural, multifaith society grounded upon a set of common ideals. A religious man himself, Obama would often mention his faith, as well as the importance of religious discourse, on the campaign trail.“But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.That's a path that has been shared by millions upon millions of Americans - evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike; some since birth, others at certain turning points in their lives. It is not something they set apart from the rest of their beliefs and values. In fact, it is often what drives their beliefs and their values.And that is why that, if we truly hope to speak to people where they're at - to communicate our hopes and values in a way that's relevant to their own - then as progressives, we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse.”In many ways, his biggest challenge as president was accepting that others did not share in this vision. There’s a line in this same speech that, looking back on decades worth of birtherism, strikes me as especially prescient.“Indeed, Mr. Keyes announced towards the end of the campaign that, "Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama. Christ would not vote for Barack Obama because Barack Obama has behaved in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved."Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama.”This multiracial religious man with a foreign last name became the President of the United States. He is proud of this story, and he loves the country that made this possible.“As is true across the landscape of American history, we cannot examine this moment in isolation. The march on Selma was part of a broader campaign that spanned generations; the leaders that day part of a long line of heroes.We gather here to celebrate them. We gather here to honor the courage of ordinary Americans willing to endure billy clubs and the chastening rod; tear gas and the trampling hoof; men and women who despite the gush of blood and splintered bone would stay true to their North Star and keep marching toward justice.They did as Scripture instructed: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” And in the days to come, they went back again and again. When the trumpet call sounded for more to join, the people came – black and white, young and old, Christian and Jew, waving the American flag and singing the same anthems full of faith and hope. A white newsman, Bill Plante, who covered the marches then and who is with us here today, quipped that the growing number of white people lowered the quality of the singing. To those who marched, though, those old gospel songs must have never soundedThere was a confidence in Obama’s speech, a belief that for all the hiccups along the way, the long arc of the Universe would inevitably bend towards justice. This optimism was essential to winning him the presidency, and a key part of what made him so inspiring.It is also his greatest tragedy.For as quintessentially American as Obama considered his story to be, a sizable portion of Americans would never call this man their own.The first Black President was succeeded by the man who began the campaign to label him illegitimate.In many ways, Barack Obama is an enviable man.In this, he is a profoundly tragic one.SourcesObama Speech - “'Call to Renewal” Keynote Address - Complete TextRead the Full Text of Obama's Speech in SelmaMy President Was Black

Quora in Indonesian has a lot of questions on rules of standard Indonesian. This is because word formation in spoken Indonesian often differs from the formal language. The vernacular absorbs a lot of foreign and regional terminologies, as well as informal derivatives of existing standard words.Given that Quora’s Indonesian user base is quite international in nature, there are also a number of questions on the experience of living, studying, and working overseas in countries such as Japan and the United States. Most of these revolve around asking for advice on how to increase one’s chances of attaining such an achievement.Political awareness is also slowly rising in this young democracy. In June, Indonesia held simultaneous local elections. It will also hold a presidential election in 2019. This has led to an increase in the number of questions around electoral procedure, opinions on candidates, opinions on policy (both religious and non-religious), etc.Indonesians are also inquisitive about their own customs. There appears to be a general interest in the matriarchal society of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Sumatra. There has also been an interesting pair of questions around the origin of left-hand traffic in Indonesia. Some questions concern customs in the workplace and in daily life, such as the emphasis on academic credentials over skills, a national migration phenomenon called merantau, or even something as mundane as fellow Indonesians walking slowly.Technical topics are still niche but have strong representation given the growing tech startup culture. There are many questions around the profession of software development, but there are also questions on nuclear technology, the aerospace industry, local earthquake tectonics, and so on. Many of these questions are still fundamental, but they are growing more in-depth in areas such as artificial intelligence.Writers in niche topics also exist, such as how the national postal system adapts to the new landscape of shipment and logistics, the experience of members of the Indonesian military, and journalism in post-authoritarian Indonesia. These types of answers give Indonesians perspective on professions and industries they rarely get a chance to explore in their daily lives.Finally, given that Indonesians are known to be prolific social media users, there are questions around trending social media topics. One example is a question soliciting the opinion of state-sponsored scholarship recipients on the hashtag “Shit LPDP Awardees Say”.