As a person who currently resides in the People’s Republic of Oregon, I can confirm this. But let me back this up with a little bit of background on me.
I am a native of the US midwest, but have always loved travel and the outdoors. I was also an atheist living in the Bible Belt. Yuck! When I visited Oregon (and Washington state) for the first, I was quite impressed that they had fairly effectively suppressed nearly all things Christian from the public eye. They had even enacted zoning laws in some areas that said a Church is a misuse of property which is zoned residential or residential/light commercial! Mosques and synogogues regularly got exemptions, but it is very difficult for a Christian Church to get one, even if all they wanted to do was expand their parking lot.
Being an atheist in 1991, I felt Oregon to be very welcoming so I moved here. Heck, they practicaly have a sign at the border declaring ahteism to be the official religion and that they tolerate any religion EXCEPT any form of Christianity.
Now that I am Catholic, I find the things that I once appreciated very troubling.
I would like to update Distracted’s comment aobut OIregon being the most “unchurched” state. We lost that distinction earlier this year. It is now Vermont.
oregonfaithreport.com/2009/05/oregon-unseated-as-the-most-%E2%80%9Cunchurced%E2%80%9D-state/
I have not read much of this thread, but I would also like to comment on the opening post. Mark Steyn, the author of America Alone is a Canadian and, because of some of the things he said in his excellent book, is currently being persecuted by Canada’s infamous Human Rights Commission and has spend tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees just trying to defend himself. Those who accused him are given free legal representation and have zero expenses, even if the case were eventually thrown out.
