The Pope may be, but the Italian people may not be. Indeed, over 100 years ago, Italy, by popular demand, fought for and won a kind of separation of church and state, keeping the church out of society to a much higher degree than pertained before. Why would they do that if they were so highly religious?
Seriously? Ask yourself why the US Constitution involves a separation of Church and State. A highly religious society can still view such a separation as a good thing, as part of its purpose is to prevent one religion persecuting or controlling another. That's one of the core reasons for the initial colonisation of America, to escape state sanctioned religious persecution in Europe.
And the Italians are a lot more overtly religious than most other European countries.
but you're wrong if you think America is highly religious.
Your wack job cults and 'ignorant and proud' overly religious Republican politicians give a bad impression. I suggest you take it up with Rick "I buggered up the budget so now will pray to an invisible sky being to save my ass" Perry of Texas.
The entire West has become secularized to a profound degree in terms of popular culture and civic laws. When I mentioned "liberal Christians" (and I was thinking in the U.S. of the National Council of Churches type -- the NCC represents thousands of churches and dozens of denominations throughout the US -- and they are very tolerant and support female ordination, gay and lesbian ordination, "Palestinian" rights, you name it)
None of those have anything to do with a reduction of faith and its limiting case, atheism. Someone can be secular and still be non-liberal, they aren't synonymous. It just happens that a lot of people's bigotry and ignorance is motivated or guided by their religious views. Questioning one usually leads to questioning the other but that isn't automatic.
The fundies are a tiny minority. They may seem larger because they make more noise and are more annoying. The other Christians -- the vast majority -- just recede into the wallpaper.
Too bad the vast majority don't stand up and do something about the nuts. The fact the nuts are tolerated by the more moderate religious groups taints everyone and skews the actions taken by government. The Tea Party group is a small minority but due to it being very vocal it gets a lot of pandering from the politicians planning to run on the Republican ticket. Small special interest groups with deep pockets get given more attention than the everyday person. This is seen in the case of the general economy right now, with your government paralysed into inaction in regards to your national debt because the Republicans utterly refuse to move on anything involving tax increases on the wealthy because that's where their funding comes from.
But anyway, I'm getting into a rant about how thankful I am I don't live in the US under anyone like Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann (dear god that woman is
horrifying).
Also, I often read in the news about how various religious figures (ministers, theologians) and religious organizations in the UK and various parts of Europe support Muslims and oppose "Islamophobia" -- they wouldn't do that if they were the gnarly right-wing monsters with horns and a tail which atheists seem to think they are.
I'm an atheist and I don't think they are 'gnarly right-wing monsters with horns and a tail'. I think they are misguided people who are becoming more and more out of touch with reality. Thankfully because their influence is falling they are becoming more and more of a non-issue. Religion doesn't fact into politics here in the UK. Now compare that with the ever increasing religious and ideological polarisation which is happening in the US. People like Palin and Bachmann are extremely ignorant, they are simply not suitable to hold the office of the President and yet they are taken seriously by a worryingly large chunk of the population in large part due to their religious views.
That is worrying.
In any other area of life if you asked someone "Why do you want this job?" and someone said "An invisible man told me" you'd
not give them the job. You'd end the interview and stamp "REJECTED" on their form. Yet things like Rick Perry's prayer rally will actually
help his approval rating.
Here in the UK I have the fortunate to be able to generally ignore religious nuts. In the US you vote them into Congress! But hey, if your electorate thinks seeing Russia across the Bering Straits gives you foreign policy experience then on your own head be it....