# Why is politics in the US more faith based. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 24, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076 "2014-12-24T01:52:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/41 "2015-01-04T10:05:08Z")
> [@Jeffery Sacks](#): > > The main reason for America’s majoritarian character is the electoral system for Congress. Members of Congress are elected in single-member districts according to the “first-past-the-post” (FPTP) principle, meaning that the candidate with the plurality of votes is the winner of the congressional seat. The losing party or parties win no representation at all. The first-past-the-post election tends to produce a small number of major parties, perhaps just two, a principle known in political science as Duverger’s Law. Smaller parties are trampled in first-past-the-post elections. The Price of Civilization. ISBN 978-1-4000-6841-8. In contrast, many other countries have preferential, proportional, plurality, or run-off systems that allow you to express shades of opinion at the vote without effectively dissenfranchising yourself. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/42 "2015-01-07T10:58:59Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Racist bullshit. > > Nowhere in Europe is anything ruled by “Islamic law” not even those countries which are predominantly Muslim. They where protesting because minority group did not like their laws they wanted a Islamic law for them. The Islamic law was for them not other people.The court system would grant privileges for those living under Islamic law. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/43 "2015-01-07T11:15:56Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > We’re not too hot on the spending, either. > > I personally think only agnostics and atheists should be allowed to vote. Anyone who votes for someone based on whether that person shares the same superstitions is a fool. The US political climate is more feel of big government than Europe. People in Europe are more centrist and left where in the US are more right centrist and far right the neocons that don’t exist in Europe or Canada. In US minority group they more libertarian party and independent party where Europe group is more socialist party. This may have to do with psychological effects of the cold war and communism. If communism and socialism never existed the US probably would of had more socialism system backed by church. A church state run universal health care. There would be major religious part of socialism system. But probably because of psychological effects of the cold war and communism why US politics is so different than other developed countries. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/44 "2015-01-07T14:26:14Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > They where protesting because minority group did not like their laws they wanted a Islamic law for them. The Islamic law was for them not other people.The court system would grant privileges for those living under Islamic law. What on earth are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/45 "2015-01-07T15:18:11Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I asked here about this perhaps ten years ago or so. As it was explained to me then, the term _Christian_ in the names of these parties was originally intended to be inclusive of both Catholics and Protestants, rather than one or the other. After all, the early modern era, many regions and countries in Europe had experienced brutal sectarian wars, and atrocities on both sides. That, and to contrast with the ostensibly atheist marxists who in many European countries were a legit major movement. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What on earth are you talking about? In that last one I think it’s about the allowance in some communities to internally use Islamic forms of dispute resolution and have it be recognized legally. Do we know what is the OP’s location/native language so we can get context to assist in properly interpreting some of his statements? ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076/46 "2015-01-08T01:36:26Z")
> [@](#): > > In that last one I think it’s about the allowance in some communities to internally use Islamic forms of dispute resolution and have it be recognized legally. > > Do we know what is the OP’s location/native language so we can get context to assist in properly interpreting some of his statements? This not language problem :eek::eek:it is I don’t understand law. What is difference of Islamic law vs civil dispute courts of allowance of Islamic forms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-politics-in-the-us-more-faith-based/708076.md?page=2)