southern culture

Miracle Burton
Dr. Crawford
Written Comp. 1
12/1/13
Why the South Is So “Southern” When I stepped off the plane in Tennessee, I momentarily froze. I felt like I had almost landed in a different country. Not only was the temperature and scenery a change, the way people acted changed as well.
Southerners have different accents and clothing styles, but the thing that stuck out the most was that people in the south are all together more friendly, hospitable and courteous. Being in the south might make me forget how to open doors since everyone will do it for you. Politeness and good manners abound in the south. While people in Alaska, my home state, are generally nice, their courtesy dims in comparison with the Bible belt’s. I notice the difference everywhere I go. When I need something at a store here in the south, the store’s employees are always ready to help and make sure I am happy. In other places clerks never go the extra mile; you have to search them out to help. The bare minimum is acceptable. In contrast, the employees who work in the south seem to be held to a higher standard. Southerners are more open to strangers and hospitable. I cannot count the times that I have been invited and welcomed into someone’s house. The south even has a nice way of insulting people, “bless his heart.” After living in such a different environment for a while, I have begun to wonder why different areas of the same country are drastically different. Looking at different areas of research, I began to notice a trend. The states included in the south have a lot higher percentage of churchgoers. In fact a Gallup poll reported, “Christians -- the largest religious group in the country today -- are heavily concentrated in the South and nearby states, while constituting only a minority of residents of Northeastern states, and of many Middle Atlantic and Western states.” “Americans with no religious identity at all tend to be found most frequently in the Northeast and Northwest” (Newport, State). This finding shows that there is a split between people, those who live in the south and those that do not. Out of the top ten states for church attendance, nine of them are in the Bible belt (Newport, Mississippians). Living in the south for college made me wonder why it was called the Bible belt. What is the Bible belt and where does it include? This familiar term, coined by journalist H. L. Mencken in 1925, refers to a religiously conservative region in the American South and Midwest. The Bible belt is a perceived region, not having definite boundaries like states and countries, and is understood in our mental maps, or, our perception of the world. In the early 19th century, the second great awakening of revivals and evangelical resurgence burned across the region. Baptist and Methodist churches won big rewards. They would claim the most adherents in the country and an unusually large share in the South. A century later, Pentecostal and holiness churches also won scores of followers in Dixie. The movement’s chief denominations are still headquartered in the South. The term Bible belt is used informally by journalists and by its detractors, who suggest that religious conservatives allow their religion to influence politics, science, and education” (Rainey). It refers to an area where Christianity is deeply imbedded in everyday life.
The south is filled with churches, church goers and a history of the church playing a huge role in the shaping of their lives. The Bible belt is vital to southern culture. Teresa Watanabe, a feature writer for The Los Angeles Times, noted, "The [Bible] is a cornerstone of Western civilization.” The influence of the church playing such a key role in the south reflects in the mannerisms of the people. Since most of the population grew up in the church or at least were shown the morals of it, the people as a whole behave better. Their manners, especially how they treat others, are shaped by this huge influence. Because people are used to everyone treating each other well they are more trusting. This allows strangers who are visiting to be welcomed with open arms.
The Bible 's influence on our culture is everywhere. Dr. Kroll commented that about how the Bible has shaped society. “Old American society would not be the great society it is today without the impact of the Bible.” Our culture is so shaped by the Bible because, “the Bible is a foundation of ideas and principles upon which our society rests.”(Thiessen) Just growing up in an atmosphere where the Bible is so important will make people will act differently. If numerous generations all of the country had grown up in this type of influential atmosphere we might not have a specific area nicknamed the Bible belt. The Bible belt does not only refer to a dominant religion. It references that all of the south, its culture, education, even politics, are shaped in a way by Christianity’s large presence. I have realized that even though there are genuinely nice people back home, the presence of the Bible belt in the south means that southern culture as seen especially through its population’s manners will continue to seem nicer and friendlier. Without the Bible belt, the south would lose its outstanding hospitality.
People in the south have grown up with the idea of church and proper moral instilled within them. Of course not everyone attends church regularly. But if you grow up in an atmosphere where the majority of people attend church even if they are not Christians, you will be influenced by their behavior. This phenomenon creates a community of people who all have the same basic morals, good ones. This enables manners and hospitality to be passed down generation after generation. The Bible belt continues to be such a standout area because of these traditions that come from Biblical truths and are implanted into the communities through churches and the custom of attending.
Works Cited
Kroll, Woodrow. “The Bible’s Influence on American Culture.” centerforbibleengagement.org. N.p. n.d. Web. 12/1/13
Newport, Frank. “State of the States.” Gallup.com. N.p. 8/7/09
Newport, Frank. “Mississippians Go to Church the Most; Vermonters, Least.”
Gallup.com. N.p. 2/17/10
Theissen, Carol. “How the Bible has shaped the Western World.” Faith Today
1998 Newhopeforliving.com. Web. 12/1/13
Watanabe, Teresa. Centerforbibleengagement.org. N.p. N.d. Web. 12/1/13
Rainey, Jane. “What Would Jesus Drive.” 2004 Allacademic.com. Web. 12/4/13

Cited: Kroll, Woodrow. “The Bible’s Influence on American Culture.” centerforbibleengagement.org. N.p. n.d. Web. 12/1/13 Newport, Frank. “State of the States.” Gallup.com. N.p. 8/7/09 Newport, Frank. “Mississippians Go to Church the Most; Vermonters, Least.” Gallup.com. N.p. 2/17/10 Theissen, Carol. “How the Bible has shaped the Western World.” Faith Today 1998 Newhopeforliving.com. Web. 12/1/13 Watanabe, Teresa. Centerforbibleengagement.org. N.p. N.d. Web. 12/1/13 Rainey, Jane. “What Would Jesus Drive.” 2004 Allacademic.com. Web. 12/4/13