Are We Seeing The End Of The Religious Right In America?

[Initech]

Are we facing down the end of the conservative death grip on religion in America? It's true that religious progressives have always been a part of the conversation—it's not just Republican politicians who pay fealty to God in their public speeches and appearances—but by and large, when faith is discussed in public forums, it's almost always religious conservatives using it as a cudgel to attack women's rights, gay rights, and secularism. That may be changing, however, as the numbers of religious progressives are on the rise, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. In fact, for people ages 18-33, religious progressives outnumber religious conservatives. ThinkProgress reports:

According to the survey, 23 percent of people aged 18 to 33 are religious progressives, while 22 percent are nonreligious and 17 percent are religious conservatives. By contrast, only 12 percent of those aged 66 to 88 are religious progressives, whereas 47 percent are said to be religious conservatives.

This demographic shift might go a long way to explaining why anti-choice politicians have chosen now to be the time to drastically dial up the number of attacks on reproductive rights. Abortion has been legal for 40 years, and until recently, anti-choicers mostly chipped away at access quietly and without much notice from the press. Lately, however, anti-choicers have turned up the volume, attacking abortion access—and contraception—with a frenzy that seems as if they think this is the last chance they'll ever get. Numbers like the ones produced by this survey suggest that they aren't wrong to think they're running out of time.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/07/22/religious_progressives_outnumber_religious_conservatives_ages_18_33_does.html

Can't come soon enough if you ask me!

[byeya]

1. The magazine Free Inquiry has been making this point for a number of years but in spite

of what you've posted, we've yet to see the political clout those numbers should bring.

[cbayer]

8. Moral Mondays is a good start, imo.

Also, progressive religious groups have been instrumental in many of the gains in the area of GLBT equality.

[Scootaloo]

27. Thing is, just by being liberal, these people believe in separation of church and state

The religious right is defined by an opposition to that very idea. So you're always going to see religion in politics in a right-wing light

[zentrum]

28. They have disportionate power

...because they are useful to the forces of financial power.

They get media cover and air time and cash beyond what their numbers deserve, because the religious right's agenda supports the ideology of the 1%: Destroy Obamacare, don't fight global warming, have a warlike foreign policy, destroy any education that leads to critical thinking. And on and on.

The progressive left doesn't have that kind of support. I'm always amazed when we win an election because of the misinformation and disinformation in all our MSM outlets.

[zeemike]

31. You are absolutly right about that

And I saw it grow over the years...it was a one hand washing the other with right wing preachers getting rich and the rich getting what they wanted from them.
I saw the beginnings of it in the early 70s

[Warpy]

2. The Reagan coalition has been showing cracks for years

and those cracks are turning into chasms. The party will go the way of the Whigs if they don't find a way to get the Reagan base of religious wingnuts to leave. Abandoning the antiabortion plank in the party platform would do that nicely.

However, they'll more likely remain in a dance of death, the plutocracy and the ignorant mass of religious zealots, each side strangling the other slowly but neither willing to let go of an alliance that brought them so much power disproportionate to their numbers.

Millennium Fever has fled, the Rapture didn't happen, and prosperity theology is showing itself to be a scam for everybody but the preacher. They're not getting the tither butts in the pews like they used to and the young have outright abandoned them.

I'm looking forward to the 2016 convention. I just wonder if the fistfights will be televised.

[cbayer]

9. Good analysis of this.

I think the issue of religion is going to tear them up right down the middle.

[Brigid]

12. Most excellent.

Now bring on those fist fights you speak of.

[Dawson Leery]

24. The Nixon/Reagan coalition fractured in 92' with Buchannan's race speech.

Clinton brought the affluent/educated suburbs into the Democratic column.

[zappaman]

3. I pray we are! n/t

[MANative]

6. Yup

+1000

[RebelOne]

11. Ditto. n/t

[NoPasaran]

4. Speaking from the Great State of Texas: No

[Wednesdays]

7. In Bible Belt states like here in OK and in TX, they'll stay in power for a while longer

But their days as a national power are long gone.

[AmBlue]

5. The Great GOP Smackdown of 2014 should make it painfully evident.

At least I certainly hope so. Because the smackdown they got in 2012 wasn't quite enough.

Let's make it happen!

[Iliyah]

10. The gopers have basically ignored 2012

and are moving forward to 2014 - praying to their gawd that they don't lose too much if any in the house and win in the senate (although I don't think they will).

Gopers have the monies and the resources, i.e. print newspapers, corporate internet news sites and of course corporate media and although lying is against most religions the gopers truly believe that lying, cheating and stealing is GAWD's will. They are insane.

[davidn3600]

16. Many gopers think they lost because they are "not conservatve enough."

[Scootaloo]

29. That's been their focus for several cycles now

Every time they lose a seat, or even have a narrow race, they tell themselves it's because their candidate wasn't conservative enough. They've concocted this mythology where most of the nation is not only conservative, but also hates liberals as much as they do. Since in hteir head no one would ever vote for a democrat (except for gays and blacks and muslims and whoever else they hate at the moment) they assume losses and close contests are the result of hardcore conservatives casting protest votes against the "RINO" on the ticket.

So they respond by getting even crazier. of course crazy doesn't win elections, which is why they're doing all their vote-rigging and shit.

[AmBlue]

33. They ignore 2012 at their peril.

How many hundreds of millions of corporate $$$$ was spent in 2012??? Yet, with all that, they could NOT buy our votes and they lost BIG. They got spanked. I really don't see how they've won hearts and minds since then either. Quite to the contrary.

The only way I see that they could *win* 2014 is if they flat out steal it, and I wouldn't put it past them. We all need to devote time and efforts to election protection and turning back the suppression of voting rights (such as in NC) right NOW, as much or more than we do for GOTV efforts.

[Gus Lammas]

13. Hoping so

But doubting it.

[trof]

14. From your mouth to God's ear.

[BrainMann1]

15. Religion never had a right in politics

no pun intended. What needs to be said is that some know little about a religion and condemn it for what it states. Always remember Christ said render what is Caesar to Caesar and to God that of God. I will not be condemned for my beliefs as long as I follow Gods law and comply to the law of the land. If the law says gay marriage is the law then that's fine. I'll follow the law of man. It does not mean I have to like it. Nuff said.

[surrealAmerican]

17. I'll believe it when I see it.

Just because a person is in a category now doesn't mean they will stay in that category as they age.

[on point]

18. One can only pray this is true! (;-)

[BornLooser]

19. With respect, take out "The Religious right in" and...........THERE is the question.

[Arugula Latte]

20. To reuse a cliche of the Bush era:

drip ... drip ... drip ...

[William769]

21. Kick & recommended.

[blackspade]

22. Tragically it won't happen.

There are just too many nuts out there.

[randome]

23. Gay rights and birth control are like garlic to a vampire!

They will either not recover from these twin 'disasters' or they will remake themselves into a force for the 21st century, thereby weakening their very reason for existence.

Game over!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[LeftyMom]

25. it depends on whether the reformed theology trend really takes hold.

The younger evangelicals tend to be less hateful than their parents, but the younger reformed sorts out-crazy their parents.

The good news is that they're generally too divided over seemingly tiny theological differences to form effective coalitions.

[Myrina]

26. I think we're just seeing the end of the GOP using them

.... the Koch & ALEC GOP has infiltrated all levels of gov't so thoroughly that they don't need the Religious fundamental votes anymore. They can be tossed overboard.

I always said Reagan/Bush GOP didn't give a shit about the social/religious issues, it was all about makin' dat cash. They only embraced the Moral Majority folks as a means to win elections & kill regulations that kept them from looting and pillaging.

[Dawson Leery]

30. Bush Jr. was the real deal for the fundies.

Shrub was a born again kook. Unlike Nixon and Reagan, Dubya believed all that nonsense about talking directly to Jesus and the end times.

[Va Lefty]

32. Not until tax exempt status is taken from these POLITICAL "churches"

[smirkymonkey]

34. God, I hope so.

It might just make me start believing in god.

[Scurrilous]

35. K & R

[Douglas Carpenter]

36. I think it has largely run its course and is probably going out of style even on the far right

That's not to say it is not still a force - but greatly diminished. To an extent they are coming to the conclusion that on the more radical elements of their social agenda - they have lost. Even a Sarah Palin has to say, "Well I have gay friends." Thirty-five years ago - even most liberals where unaware that they had gay friends. Of course thirty-five years ago - fundamentalist brands of Protestant Christianity were by far the fastest growing religious denominations and they were starting to flex their political muscles. Now these sort of churches are loosing their numbers and even many Evangelicals are softening their positions.

[alfredo]

37. The RR rebranded. They are now the Tea Party.