Interesting -- the fact that the US is physically large may thus have contributed to religiosity: people could more easily choose to raise their children "free"

Interesting -- the fact that the US is physically large may thus have contributed to religiosity: people could more easily choose to raise their children "free" from the nefarious influences of people who were different. (c.f. "group polarization" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization )