Praise Jesus

And people think that it is the Republican Party which has all the religious fundamentalists in it. Well look at who the Democrats have just made third in line to the presidency – Senator Robert Byrd – now president pro tem of the Senate. Read this account from the Washington Post:

The West Virginia Democrat punctuated the opening prayer with shouts of “Yes!” and “Mmmhmmm!” and “Yes, Lord!” and “Yes, in Jesus’s name!” When he was sworn in, he twice cried out “Hallelujah!” and then “Amen!” Minutes later, he was installed as Senate president pro tempore, the majority party’s most senior member. “Yeah, man! Yeah, man!” he shouted. “Hallelujah!” “I do, so help me God!” he shouted when the oath was administered. “Yeah, man!”

If that was a Republican, I am sure it would be the on every news bulletin around the world.

Talking of religion in the US Congress, some interesting stats here:

* Largest group is Catholics at 29%
* There are 43 Jewish Representatives or Senators, 40 of them being Democrats. They make up 8% of Congress despite being 1% of the population.
* Only six out of 536 members of Congress have no religious affiliation, so 98.8% profess to believe in God. By comparison 14% of Americans have no religious affiliation.
* There are 15 Mormon members of Congress, two Buddhist members and one Muslim member

Hat Tip: Adolf F at Sir H