I know quite a few people that have 'switched' religions, or factions within a religion, to be with a partner. I can't think of one of them that I truly believe was religious to begin with - I do not believe that any of them believed in the deities that they were singing/dancing/making offerings to at religious ceremonies, but that they were bought up by religious parents and carried that religion through to their adolescent and adult life as an extension of their cultural heritage. I think if I pressed my friends on the matter that the vast majority would admit to not truly believing that there is a flute playing elephant, a monkey nor a many headed many in control of their fate, but rather that being hindu was something that was passed down to them - their cultural festivals are part of their heritage, and their cultural festivals have their base in religion. Family gatherings centre around these festivals and this is where their claim to faith comes from.
I remember speaking to one of my friends when we were younger, and her stance was that there may or may not be something out there, she didn't know - she didn't believe in Ganesh, Hanuman and the like, she saw them more as fairytales. She didn't pray except at festivals when everyone was called to worship, but, mostly, she liked the food and dancing.
I think this is why some people find it so easy to switch - religion is often more of a cultural thing than an actual belief. It is more of a system of morals than an actual belief in a deity, or deities. This is why, I believe, my best friend found it so easy to suddenly announce herself as a Catholic after she ran away from her hindu family to marry a catholic man. She doesn't believe that, either, but she lives in ireland now and, you know, it's just easier to fit in. She may be 'catholic' insomuch as that is the culture she has now immersed herself in, but that seems to be about the extent of it.
I have no problem with this woman switching to maintain the extremely improbable chance that whoever this guy is will ever see the throne, though, frankly, I think all religion is nonsense. There seems to be a fear of public figures saying so, though.
Wasn't there recently a poll in America to find out the likelihood of people electing a president according to different criteria such as race and religion? Yes,
here it is
Code:
The poll finds Americans most likely to believe that the country is ready for a female president. Sixty-one percent say
Americans are ready to elect a woman, while 38% disagree. A majority also believes the country is ready to elect an
African American or black (58%) or a Jewish (55%) president.
On the other hand, fewer than half of Americans think the country would be willing to elect presidents with other
background characteristics, including a Hispanic (41%), Asian (33%), Latter-Day Saint or Mormon (29%), Atheist
(14%), or gay or lesbian (7%).
Sorry, I am sidetracking.