France certainly is a secular state, but it's still a pretty Roman Catholic country... however, they figured out centuries ago to keep god-bothering out of affairs of state (thus freedom FROM religion).
However there is a presiding cultural assumption tha people are Roman Catholic, even though this has a very large NOMINAL tacked on in front of most.
Whilst people can pretend wine and biscuits magically becomes flesh and blood, that condoms damn you to hell, and that the Pope is inflatable (yes, I know, I'm being funny), people beleiving that using blood make god angry or that E-meters are a good way of resolving psychological conflict is viewed differently. It's not 'normal', as 'normal' is RC..
Obviously there is a difference in HOW people come about beliefs that splits of common-or-garden religion from cults. However, it's not black and white, it's a graduated spectrum and some RC's are just as bound by cult like conditioning as some cultists are.
Now wearing a head-scarf (not the veil, which is as much a statement of political identity as a Swastika armband or Confedrate flag) is banned in French schools along with 'large crosses'. Apparently whilst you can wear small crosses you can't wear small head-scarfs. So it ain't all roses in la belle France.
France along with Germany and Austria (both of whom should know better) are the chief opposers to one action which will probably mark a favourable watershed in Christo-Islamic relations; the entry of Turkey into the EU.
This is again based on the assumption that 'Europe is Christian'.
No, actually, most of Europe is more intreseted in a lie in on Sunday, or going to Ikea, than in worshipping god, actually...
As Turkish people are as for lie-in's on the weekend and consumer spending as your next EU citizen, I don't see why they shouldn't join once they've made a few essential human rights consessions.
If the USA follows suit with the human rights consessions we might even let you guys join...
