Is America the most religious nation?

Studies have shown that America is the most religious nation in the world. More than 90 percent of Americans say they believe in God and pray. 61 percent of Americans declare themselves atheists or agnostics, but out of those 61 percent, 17 percent of them say they have attended church services. But, being a religious person doesn't just have to do with attending church and praying. Behavior is a huge part of religion. This article talks about the "2011 report card for religious America." First off, poverty is constantly increasing in the U.S. 49.9 million people in America today are considered poor. Even worse, 3.5 million people in America today are considered homeless. The United State's world ranking in life expectancy has also fell. We were 16th in 1960 and now we are 29th. Many blame this on our inadequate healthcare system. The federal minimum wage is $7.25, but several states have rose their wages. "The U.S. ranks eighth in minimum wage compared with European countries - just two notches above Slovenia." The United States is also the only industrialized nation that fails to provide healthcare for all of its citizens. Close to 6 million American children are uninsured. Religions also preach about marriage and frown upon divorce, but divorce rates in this country are higher than they have ever been. Lots of religions also frown upon sex before marriage. "Isn't it ironic that the journal Reproductive Health reports a correlation showing that the more religious the state, the higher the rates of teenage pregnancy?" We can sit here and name American problems for hours on end, these are just some of the major ones. At the end of the article, the author, Bernard Starr, asks, "What is religion? Love, caring, serving, giving, sharing, oneness, brother and sisterhood, compassion and selflessness." Hmm, what's wrong with this picture?
I personally found this article to be HILARIOUS. I completely agree with Bernard Starr. So many people in America claim to be so religious, and really what they're doing isn't religious at all. Starr is very persuasive in this article and kept me interested. He persuades readers by expressing how religious Americans think they are, and then proving the irony in the situation by naming all of the issues. I think one of Starr's purposes to write this article was to entertain. I really enjoyed this article and believe Starr got his point across nicely.

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