One thing that map fails to capture is the spirit of the area. For example, Florida is bursting with Baptists who generally try to control the area politics and communities. Yet their actual numbers may be as low as that map says. So it feels very 'Baptist', even moreso than areas where the numbers may be higher. At the same time, there is a large population that isn't Baptist or republican, but it tends to feel like the minority because it is on the defense most of the time. It is a matter not just of numbers but of tone and tolerance in various areas.

To put things in perspective (perhaps?) for the non-US people here, and even for the less-travelled US people, here's my take on religion in the US. I've travelled through and lived in quite a few portions of the US, coast to coast. Here's my impression.

Probably the larger, younger segment of the US labels themselves Christian, one form or another. But they don't go to church regularly, just maybe on holidays. They don't read and quote the Bible. They view religion as kind of quaint, and they don't really use it to navigate their lives much. The popular culture (movies, TV, music, drugs and alcohol) is a much larger factor in their lives. Young families might attend church more when the kids are small, if at all, but after that it is replaced with other activities. Kids are often exposed to religions because many are now sent to private schools, which tend to be religion-based. Yet often the parents are just interested in the private education, and view the religious training as a helpful moral component.

Another segment is the older religious folk in smaller communities. They adhere a little more to religion, but not particularly fundamentalist. It's more of a social gathering place, and a place to engage the deeper questions of their lives. The minister is like their psychologist/therapist, marriage counselor, etc. And the church is the place for death - a place to view death, mourn those who have died, and give meaning to death for the aging. I grew up in a community like this and church (Lutheran) was actually pretty good. There wasn't a lot of judgment or fire and brimstone sermons. It was mostly exploring the genuine teachings of Jesus, and a place for social gathering in the community. Even as my spirituality evolved considerably, I never had much problem with my early teachers. They were a bit narrow, but generally good people who meant well. I still have no problem with the teachings of Jesus, although I now understand they have been distorted to a large degree in the Bible.

Then you have the Baptists. These folks and families do tend to be more judgmental, and engage in a lot of local politics and witch-hunts. There is more fear in this religion. This tends to be prevalent in the south and midwest. It varies by area - some are more tolerant than others. In some areas, you find yourself literally surrounded by Baptist churches. Mostly they are nice people, unless you find yourself in a group they have labelled bad - then they will attack you. They tend to view themselves as the moral authority of the community (and not just of the Baptists in the community, but of everyone).

The Catholics are interesting - many of them don't take their religion all that seriously, and disobey it wildly. But when pressed against the wall they'll confess their faith and even judge others who don't, particularly in front of family. Most of them seem to have a lot of fear in regard to religion, but a lot of them avoid religion in their personal lives because they don't find it all that pleasant or helpful. They view it as a scary joke.

Then you have the Ned Flanders - the more fundamentalist, born-again christians that want to change the world, and are quite politically active. They get a lot of attention because they are noisy, but their actual numbers are not huge. They are the more radical element in the culture. Many view them as nut jobs. Even these people tend to be pretty nice and mean well, but again if you fall into a group they despise, they will attack you and discriminate against you. They tend to be very hard-headed - they know it all, and aren't exactly open-minded. This group has adherents and converts from teenagers right into the senior citizen crowd.

You also have the new-agers, who don't get as much press in corporate media but it's a large and growing segment in many areas, evidenced by book sales and the growth of organic food. They tend to be quite serious about their spirituality, but it varies a lot, and doesn't adhere to religion much. (I put myself in this group overall.)

Then you have a lot of little religions (little in the US) - buddhists, muslims, jews, etc. They more or less keep to themselves and aren't typically out for blood or converts.

Atheists are somewhat common, but don't usually go out of the way to announce themselves as atheist.

So overall I don't see the US as particularly religious. It is prominent in politics, but this is mostly BS - part of an image politicians try to create. As they see themselves as people of authority, they co-opt religion since it is a source of authority. Religion appears more in corporate media than in daily life in the US. The actual daily culture and activities in the US are actually pretty soulless - there is a lack not just of religion but of spirituality in general. It revolves around material wealth, possessions, and activities with little focus on spirituality. The exception is some popular music - that is probably the closest to a new religion. The corporate world has largely succeeded in dumbing down the American population, and this includes spirituality.

I view the people in US culture as being somewhere between religion and spirituality. They have abandoned religion in many ways and for many reasons - they just don't believe in it. But they haven't yet found its replacement - spirituality. As a result there is much depression, particularly in the youth. A lack of purpose and meaning to their lives, and a lack of sense of belonging to anything. It is a generation of wayfarers. They won't be going back to the old religions.

Feel free to disagree with me - these are just my impressions.