Religion in politics

This is an interesting report on some poll numbers from the last election.

John Kerry managed the best showing in decades for a Democratic presidential candidate among mainline Protestants, but his failure to capture a majority of Roman Catholics — people of his own faith — gave President Bush an important advantage in last November's election, according to a new survey.

Catholics, as an institution, are pretty conservative people (meaning they want to live in the past). There were 4 issues that came into play; Iraq, abortion, the death penalty, and gay rights. Isn't it really interesting how Catholics weighted those 4 issues? The Catholic church has the liberal point of view on 2 of those causes, but American Catholics ranked abortion and gay rights as more important than the war and the death penalty.

Think about that. Most American Catholics think it's more important that the government control a woman's body, and that gay people are not allowed to be treated equally. American Catholics don't find the quagmire in Iraq, or executing prisoners, to be as serious an issue.

The scholars said Bush's religious constituency included Christian traditionalists in all categories, Mormons, Hispanic Protestants and religious centrists among Catholics and mainline Protestants.

Kerry's support came from black Protestants and secular Americans, followed by "modernists" among Catholics and mainline Protestants. Jews and Latino Catholics remained loyally Democratic.

Very very interesting. Kerry's support came from secular Americans.. meaning, those who viewed the issues, uncolored by religious dogma, found Kerry to have the better plans. Meaning.. those who actually thought through it, saw Kerry as the better leader.

This truly was a victory for the socially regressive.

But, while I bag on the Catholic institution, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the modernist Catholics.

Other questions focused on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, which were thought to be crucial when Nov. 2 exit polls showed "moral values" were more important to voters than Iraq, terrorism or the economy.

And that, boys and girls, is America in a nutshell (pun intended). It is simply incredible, and very depressing.

More American's thought it was more important to control women, and hate gay people, than the mess in Iraq and the money in our pocket. That's why I have an extremely low opinion of those American's right now. Idiots - pure and simple.