So just where is this "Bible Belt" really?

[neonplaque]

Everyone talks about the "Bible Belt" but I've never actually seen it in some graphical map form. Just where is it and why is it called a 'belt'?

And, has anyone actually seen a map of this supposed "Bible Belt"??

?

[B Calm]

1. Take a trip down south. You'll see churches every ten feet.

[Ian David]

21. I didn't see churches every 10 feet. just stripclubs and adult bookstores

All the way down Route 95, there were huge billboards for adult books, massages, gentleman's clubs, oriental spas, and "private lingerie modeling."

And every public restroom had a condom machine in it.

It should be called "The Bootie Belt."

[neonplaque]

2. Well I answered my own question

Found on wiki:

The Bible Belt is an area including a number of southern and midwestern states in the United States in which fervent Protestantism is a pervasive part of the culture. The stronghold of the Bible Belt is typically The South.

Although exact boundaries do not exist, it is generally considered to cover much of the area stretching from Texas north to Kansas, east to Virginia, and south to northern Florida. The term is also sometimes used to describe the generally conservative province of Alberta, in Canada, or the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Utah is often called the "Bible Belt of the West".

It is also interesting to note that Nashville, Tennessee, in addition to being referred to as "Music City, U.S.A.", is sometimes also referred to as "the buckle of the Bible Belt". This play on words is especially favored by Nashvillians due to the large (jokingly referred to as "dinner plate sized") belt buckles stereotypically worn by country music artists and the fact that several Protestant denominations are headquartered in Nashville. Many other cities and towns are commonly called the "buckle of the Bible Belt," including Tulsa, home of Oral Roberts University; Dayton, Tennessee, site of the Scopes Monkey Trial, and Abilene, Texas, home Abilene Christian University.

The "belt" terminology is common in the U.S. to describe regions with a roughly east-west orientation that share a feature, such as the Rust Belt, a term to describe declining industrial areas of the northeast and upper midwest, and the Sun Belt, a term for hot-weather states stretching from coast to coast.

And a map:

[booksenkatz]

7. Mighty conservative coloring on that map!

I would've stretched the red to cover Texas completely, and pulled it out west to Utah, and it'd be a sin not to include Nebraska, where one of my best liberal pals moved to a few years back.

Grew up in Texas, love/miss many things about it, but THAT is one thing about Texas which I do NOT miss! I hope that Jaysus will allow me to continue living in a blue state and let me visit my family in Texas a coupla times a year, and I'll be happy.

[liberal N proud]

3. Mostly in the south but there are branches of it that stretch in to

places like Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

[fleabert]

4. the bible belt spanked my ass throughout childhood.

it was in my father's hands.

that was my first reaction. sorry. I always thought it was pretty much the middle to southern portion of the country.

[More Than A Feeling]

5. How can you have a Bible belt without Colorado Springs?

This month's Harpers has a chilling article about the fundamentalist capital of America, home of the mad dog himself, James Dobson.

[Lochloosa]

6. Come on down for a visit to Jacksonville, FL

I'll take you for a ride by the "Bible Believing Conservative Baptist Church"....no really....that is the name of the church. Over 2000 in the congregation. You would love their sign board. I think I'll start posting their weekly message here. That should start some lively discussions.

[booksenkatz]

8. Lived there for 7 years

You'd have to take folks down to Stark to see the cross on top of the water tower. And is Dolly Harrell still preaching on TV from beautiful downtown Palatka? North Florida is not a very pleasant place for a freethinker.

[noonwitch]

9. I think Western Michigan is part of it, too.

Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon,and the surrounding areas, where the dutch reformed still rule.

[Blue Diadem]

I think so too.

I was surprised at the different churches with names I was not familiar with, mostly with reformed in the name. We lived there for a few years and the one that still stands out in my mind is the tv advertisement for the drive in church.

[kwassa]

10. Where? Just below the Bible Belly

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bridget Burke]

14. Please--be consistent!

Our born-again Atheists tend to use Xian or Xtian--but they use it consistently.

You've typed out "Christian" in other places, so you're sending a mixed message.

[BiggJawn]

12. From Sea to Mountain Pass....

It extends as far north as Grand Rapids, MI, home of the ultra-rich fundies who run Amway (and think they run the state of Michigan) and as far west as Colorado Springs and Denver, home of Dobson, Hickey Copeland, and many other Fundy "Blab-and-Grab" ministries and the USAF Academy.

All of Texas, and as far up the East coast as Washington DC.

[noonwitch]

20. They do not run the state of Michigan, only the MI GOP

And L. Brooks Patterson (R-Oakland County) is getting sick of that.

We have a democratic governor at the moment, and both out senators are dems. The current state legislature is republican dominated, and the AG is also a repub, albeit a Wayne County one (who has lots of dem ties to the governor, the current mayor of Detroit, and the congresswoman from Detroit's east side).

[BiggJawn]

22. I'm sorry, I forgot.

I should have said they THINK they run the state.

No denying that those over-funded RW fundies with their "soap empire" and higher aspirations live up there, though...

I spend a week ever summer in South Haven. If I could figure a way to make a living up there....

[mtnsnake]

13. I saw it when we drove south to the Outer Banks, ugh.

It became real prominant around Virginia as we headed south and cut across toward the coast. They even advertised it on the billboards. By the time we got to the Outer Banks it was written all over the tourists faces. All bible belters seemed to gather there. Other than the lighthouses, it was the most boring vacation place on earth. Never again!!

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fifth of Five]

18. Oh come off it...

I used to live in Nashville - the "Buckle of the Bible Belt" -- there were plenty of strip clubs.

Seems like your vision of a "pure" area of the country due to the influence of the Christian Right just doesn't exist.

[dbackjon]

24. I live in Nashville

And the Fundies are doing their darnedest to close any adult business - and winning.....

[dogday]

15. South Carolina-One of the biggest I know of........

Greenville, to be precise

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Bible Belt ........ more like a corset ....... and it's .....

.... squeezing the air out of the country.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

19. The Far Side...

There's a Far Side cartoon in which a map of the US is shown with the "Bible belt" "Garfield Belt" and "People Magazine Belt" all clearly shown.

[kentuck]

23. The first known snake handlers can be traced to Pineville, KY...

Down in the corner where KY, TN, and Va intersect. They worked south from there -- down to TN, AL, and GA...So that might be considered the buckle of the Belt...in my opinion.

[Catherine Vincent]

25. In my parents neighborhood, there is a church on every block.

Small churches mind you but they're there. Now there is nothing wrong with that but when I was growing up there, I always thought it was interesting that there is a church on every block.