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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat the election tells us about religion
Opinion by Jennifer Rubin
November 12, 2020 at 3:07 p.m. EST
... White evangelical Christians remain firmly in the Republican camp. Whether male or female, or from the North or the South, they remain in a party increasingly defined by cultural, racial and emotional factors. To them, it does not matter whether President Trump was incompetent at addressing covid-19 or was personally corrupt; he was their warrior against others (elites, urbanites, minorities, immigrants). Politics is not about problem-solving but rather about owning the libs" ...
While White evangelical Protestants have declined as a proportion of the population over the last decade, from 21 percent in 2008 to 15 percent in 2019, they have maintained an outsize presence at the ballot box, somewhere between one-fifth and one-quarter of voters, Jones said. He described this as a time machine, whereby the White evangelical Christians outsize vote has the effect of turning back the demographic clock by nearly a decade. In other words, were living in the demographic realities of 2020, but our elections are being conducted, demographically speaking, in 2012 America ...
... Catholics once a mainstay of the Democratic Party who, along with the Reagan Democrats, shifted to the GOP now seem to be turning back to Democrats. The Post reports: Catholics overall supported Biden who will be only the second Catholic president by 52 percent to 47 percent nationwide, a reversal from Trumps 50 percent-to-46 percent edge in 2016. Preliminary exit polls show the shift was concentrated among White Catholics, who had supported Trump by a 24-point margin in 2016 and backed Republican nominee Mitt Romney by 19 points in 2012. In the two exit poll surveys, Biden narrowed the gap with White Catholics to 12 to 13 points. The reason may have to do more with Biden than his own Catholicism ...
In sum, White evangelical Protestants are the backbone of the GOP, but their geographic concentration and population decline mean Republicans are living on borrowed time. Democrats who can appeal to non-evangelicals, non-White evangelicals and those who identify as none of the above stand to create an enduring coalition.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/12/what-election-tells-us-about-religion-america/
keithbvadu2
(36,804 posts)Vogon_Glory
(9,117 posts)Much had been made of LDS church members being disgusted by Donnies non-stop lying and amorality. I had expected a fraction of them to vote for Joe or, if the blind-mice pollsters sampling had proven right, to at least vote down-ballot and leave Donnie to his fate. But it looks like they went ahead and voted for Orange Julius anyway.
I guess morals and integrity only countif youre not a Republican. In which case anything goes.
Captain Zero
(6,805 posts)Had a friend try to get hired into an Arizona Sherrifs dept. That was was run by LDS. He had good credentials. A friend there laughed and told him, you're catholic, they are NEVER going to hire you.
Mariana
(14,857 posts)Was there ever any stories that suggested they represented Mormon voters as a whole?
There were a bunch of stories about white Evangelical Christians turning on him, too. Much was also made of these stories. If you actually read the stories, though, they were always about one person or a few individuals. The readers who convinced themselves that these stories were evidence of a shift in the voting pattern of white Evangelical Christians as a whole were engaging in wishful thinking. There was nothing to indicate that, and plenty of evidence to the contrary.
NameAlreadyTaken
(977 posts)Delphinus
(11,830 posts)the meaning of "faithist" is - could you explain? Thanks!
NameAlreadyTaken
(977 posts)specific faith or lack of faith?
Captain Zero
(6,805 posts)I should have put it after your post.
mdbl
(4,973 posts)Immoral, unethical, partial, childish, vulgar, adulterer, liar, narcissist. Isn't all that crap in the bible somewhere? Do they still read the bible? I am a heathen so I really don't care all the much other than to say that JESUS REALLY HATED hypocrites. I guess what he said wasn't that important to them.
Mariana
(14,857 posts)If you've ever read the Bible, you know that it's stuffed with stories about utterly depraved men whom God chose to put into positions of power over others, and showered with his favor and his blessings. It's not the least bit out of character for the Christian god to choose someone like Trump to put into the office of President of the United States. In fact, his Evangelical Christian supporters often compared Trump to these awful Biblical "heroes" to excuse his disgusting personality and behavior.
Locrian
(4,522 posts)I never got the question "why" they supported trump or other authoritarians.
Aside from a few touchy feely baby jesus parts - the bible is pretty much an instruction book for authoritarianism
qdouble
(891 posts)Nowhere in the Bible does it encourage people to cheer on immoral behavior. Especially not in the New Testament. Obeying authority and being an authoritarian arent the same thing.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)I grew up in that world, so I understand how authoritarian it is. How hypocritical. How covertly bigoted.
But I honestly expected the majority of them to come around to the the never Trumpers after his God awful behaviour and language. Separating children from mothers, and losing over 500 parents. And basically breaking all 10 commandments, lying daily, and of course his betrayal of looking out for the well being of the citizens he is supposed to be protecting. While Jesus went out of his way to heal the sick. Trump is.....for lack of a better term.....the Anti-Christ.
Mariana
(14,857 posts)Therefore, opposition to Trump equals opposition to God. Of course they're going to continue to support him.
TryLogic
(1,723 posts)I grew up deep in Southern Baptistism. I suggest that Religion is the art of pretending, which I suspect is helpful sometimes.
On edit: Hmm, I guess that is why Republicanism is all about winning.
Mariana
(14,857 posts)and they should oppose everything he does, every step of the way, just like they did with Obama.
TryLogic
(1,723 posts)Mariana
(14,857 posts)Plenty of white Evangelical Christians are highly racist.
bluestarone
(16,940 posts)BUT MY argument (to THEM) is If GOD hand picked RUMP, WHY the fuck did he LOSE? They are sooo fucking stupid that their beliefs are FALSE!!!!
Mariana
(14,857 posts)He won in a landslide. It only appears that he lost because the forces of Satan (read: Democrats) committed fraud in this election on a massive scale, just like Trump says.
/White Evangelical Christians
bluestarone
(16,940 posts)SO their belief is GOD lost to satan? (they are totally fucked up to believe THIS)
Mariana
(14,857 posts)/White Evangelical Christians
bluestarone
(16,940 posts)BUT i DO HEAR what you're saying!! Just can't fix THIS type thinking!!
Mariana
(14,857 posts)Revoke the tax-exempt status of churches that tell their congregations which candidates or political party to support. There are certainly a lot of them.
bluestarone
(16,940 posts)100000000000000000% agree!!
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)For example, Satan can tempt gods creations that are built in gods image (us) and win without god intervening. Satan can tempt the son of god and that son struggles against giving in. None of us know the real basis of our existence, NONE OF US, even ministers. Popes, Imams, Rabbis. The Bible and other religious tomes appear, to me, to be nothing more than attempts to explain the workings of Fate (which, IMO, has no biblical or otherwise basis).
bluestarone
(16,940 posts)Religion WILL be the destruction of our country! Just like the middle-east. You know we can't allow people to believe the way they want to believe. (THIS is how these crazy bastards think)
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)What is more likely to happen is people that wear religion on their sleeves will be ignored. A lot of religious people that simply practice their faith ignore the extremists. Societies historically become more secular in time, unless there is state forced religion, like in Iran. I dont see us going toward state forced religion.
TryLogic
(1,723 posts)that genius has some limits."
roamer65
(36,745 posts)Look at its history of death and destruction.
Jesus would be ashamed to see whats been perpetrated in his name.
Goodheart
(5,324 posts)Goodheart
(5,324 posts)Every last one of them is total nonsense.
Sadly, it will stick around as long as it helps control the masses.