Portland is the most godless city in America, says the American Family Association.
Three of the most godless cities in America are on the West coast, with the Rose City—Portland, Oregon—coming in as the least faithful. According to a survey of 50,000 people conducted by the nonpartisan and nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas, 42 percent of Portland’s residents are “religiously unaffiliated.” Seattle and San Francisco tied at second place (33 percent), with Denver and Phoenix (32 percent and 26 percent) in third and fourth place.... Compared to more devout cities such as Nashville and Charlotte, Portland bills itself as “quirky and different” (the city’s unofficial motto is “Keep Portland Weird”). The South’s higher religious population reflects a strong religious culture in its history and cultural norms. But the Pacific Northwest has no such historical influences. Without a large influx of a major denomination, “religious groups, spiritual environmentalists, and secularists ‘must vie or sometimes must cooperate’ with each other to address the region’s pressing economic, environmental and social issues,” according to MarketWatch.
Heavens! Religious orgs, environmentalists, and secularists here in the Pacific Northwest have to cooperate to get shit down? That's a real tragedy. Just imagine what we could accomplish around here if we had a "strong religious culture" like they do down South. Hell, with a big influx of believers we might be able to get our infant mortality rate up to Bible Belt standards in a few years time—to say nothing of our childhood poverty rate or our teen pregnancy rate. (Via JoeMyGod.)