ubertuber

Ustwo, I think this is quite insightful. This is certainly the sort of religious, conservative household I grew up in. However, I think there is change in the air - it is reflected in my own family dynamics and in our national discourse.

I think we've seen a real popularization of evangelical, dogmatic religious practices. This is true of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These movements have been on a constant upswing for about 150 years, but I believe that there has been a dramatic surge in the popularity of fundamentalist practice in the last 15 years. This is combined with a more savvy political apparatus and other methods of information coordination. As a result, I think young people like myself identify religious conservatism with the fundamentalist movement that seeks to impress itself on others rather than the more introverted "religion as tradition" that you mention. Frankly, this worries me a bit, as I wonder what the future for secular conservatism will be.

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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam