Pew Report Finding More Americans Unaffiliated With Religion Is Bad News for GOP - Daily Beast [ournewsa.blogspot.com]
Here is a bit of good news for liberals still sunk in despair after last week’s debate. The outcome of the 2012 election may have just become excruciatingly uncertain, but we now have yet more evidence that in the long term, not even God can save the American right.
Supporters Mitt Romney listen to him speak at a recent rally on an Iowa farm. (Steve Pope / Getty Images)
Of course, we already knew that demographic trends bode ill for the GOP. The party is hugely dependent on white voters, who make up an ever-declining share of the electorate. But it also relies on religious voters at a time when, according to a fascinating new report from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans has reached an all-time high.Â
Perhaps the most important finding in the report, “‘
Politically, this is a big deal, because the religiously unaffiliated are as reliably Democratic as white evangelicals are Republican. In 2004
That’s not to say that all of those who reject religious labels are strict rationalists. The report uses the clunky term “religiously unaffiliated†in order to cover the diversity of views among the cohort it’s describing. Only 29 percent of them say they’re atheist or agnostic; the rest describe their religion as “nothing in particular.†Most say that religion isn’t particularly important in their lives, but they’re likely to believe in God, and many describe themselves as “spiritual.â€
Still, these are largely secular people, not people who’ve abandoned Christianity for Eastern mysticism or new-age magic. “[T]he unaffiliated are about as likely as Christians to believe in reincarnation, astrology, or the evil eye,†the report says. There are exceptionsâ€"30 percent of the unaffiliated believe in “[s]piritual energy located in physical things such as mountains, trees, and crystals,†compared with 23 percent of Christians. But overall, this is a group that rejects supernaturalism.
For 30 years, Republicans have deployed an aggressive, bombastic piety to their advantage. Now a changing population is turning the party’s social conservatism into a burden.
The growth of this bloc puts Republicans in a bind. Some theorists believe young people are rejecting religious labels precisely they’ve become intertwined with reactionary social policies. The report quotes Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell’s
It’s the same dynamic that’s happening with white voters. Republican Party leaders understand that, eventually, they’ll have to reach out to
So too with the culture wars. For 30 years, Republicans have deployed an aggressive, bombastic piety to their advantage. Now a changing population is turning the party’s social conservatism into a burden it can’t shake. You don’t have to believe in God to see the cosmic justice in that.
Find More Pew Report Finding More Americans Unaffiliated With Religion Is Bad News for GOP - Daily Beast Issues Question by Kaydell: Poll: What Do You Think of Renaming "Columbus Day" to "America Day"? The holiday called "Columbus Day" seems to emphasize the European contribution to the Americas. Do you think that you'd feel OK about changing the name of "Columbus Day" to "America Day" to recognize the contribution of non-europeans (including Native Americans), in the Americas? Best answer for Poll: What Do You Think of Renaming "Columbus Day" to "America Day"?:
Answer by ctizz184
That would defeat the purpose of celebrating the day Columbus arrived in the Americas...
Answer by ditsei
Christopher Columbus really isn’t that much different than the “Skipper†of the U.S.S. Minnow, from “Gilligan’s Island.†Columbus landed on an uncharted island. The difference? The island was occupied by indigenous people, native people. Now as an indigenous, native person, I’m speaking as an individual, and my answer doesn’t represent all 500+ nations. It is in my opinion to eliminate the whole idea of “Columbus Day.†Columbus, along with Cortez, the other Spanish War Lords, the Catholics, the French Jesuits, the Protestants hedonists who were seeking religous freedom, Mormons, the Portuguese, Russians, French, British, and a lot more… all committed genocide of Native People. Why do we need a day to honor "Indian Killers?" Tribally Enrolled
Answer by robe
I am for jettisoning anything related to Columbus, and once and for all, REQUIRING people to teach the truth, rather than perpetuating this myth of what actually happened. The TRUTH will set you FREE.
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