Believers do not vote religiously
The second reading this Sunday encourages early Christians to “adhere to the faith” but also to “show no partiality” among believers. Contemporary Christians appear to be taking that counsel to heart, with a large number of evangelicals willing to support a Republican presidential ticket . . .
The second reading this Sunday encourages early Christians to “adhere to the faith” but also to “show no partiality” among believers. Contemporary Christians appear to be taking that counsel to heart, with a large number of evangelicals willing to support a Republican presidential ticket headed by a Mormon and a Catholic. Voters care more about issues such as social justice or gay marriage than they do about denominational brands, commentators say.
"If you had told Jerry Falwell back in 1980 that by 2012 that there would not be a white Protestant on the ticket—he would have died right there," said Shaun Casey, professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. But the same dynamic doesn't bother David French of Columbia, Tennessee, blogger for an evangelical website that supports Romney. He wants a candidate who shares his values, not his theology. "The real questions are: Is this person pro-life? Are they pro-marriage? Is this person really conservative?" French said.
Americans in general no longer worry about denominational labels, said French, who grew up attending a Church of Christ and now attends a conservative Presbyterian church. A Pew Forum study in 2008 found that 44 percent of Americans have changed faiths at least once. "We are moving well past being obsessed with religious affiliation or denominational labels," he said.
Bill D'Antonio, a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, looked at roll call votes on abortion from 1977 to 2010. Before 1980, the votes followed denominational lines. But after 1980, the pattern changed. Most Democrats became supportive of abortion rights, and most Republicans became anti-abortion. "Party now trumps religion," D'Antonio said.
Casey, however, who worked on religious outreach for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, said the prospect of voting for a Mormon candidate may keep some evangelicals at home. "I am not looking for a record evangelical turnout this time," said Casey, who wrote a book about the anti-Catholicism in 1960 that nearly kept John F. Kennedy out of the White House.
Not all evangelicals vote Republican in any case. According to 2008 exit polls, a quarter of evangelicals voted for Obama, who joined a United Church of Christ congregation in his 20s. Among them was John Lamb, a Southern Baptist from Nashville who plans to support Obama again. His main concern is immigration reform. "I am dismayed at the lack of concern for the poor and for disenfranchised immigrants in this country," he said.
In recent years, in fact, Democrats have tried to woo evangelical voters on the issue of social justice. That makes sense to Marcia Pally, author of The New Evangelicals: Expanding the Vision of the Common Good. "When the ordinary person in the pew starts working in a prison ministry program or food pantry, or goes to Haiti or Uganda and works to prevent malaria or build houses—their priorities change," she said.
"If you had told Jerry Falwell back in 1980 that by 2012 that there would not be a white Protestant on the ticket—he would have died right there," said Shaun Casey, professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. But the same dynamic doesn't bother David French of Columbia, Tennessee, blogger for an evangelical website that supports Romney. He wants a candidate who shares his values, not his theology. "The real questions are: Is this person pro-life? Are they pro-marriage? Is this person really conservative?" French said.
Americans in general no longer worry about denominational labels, said French, who grew up attending a Church of Christ and now attends a conservative Presbyterian church. A Pew Forum study in 2008 found that 44 percent of Americans have changed faiths at least once. "We are moving well past being obsessed with religious affiliation or denominational labels," he said.
Bill D'Antonio, a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, looked at roll call votes on abortion from 1977 to 2010. Before 1980, the votes followed denominational lines. But after 1980, the pattern changed. Most Democrats became supportive of abortion rights, and most Republicans became anti-abortion. "Party now trumps religion," D'Antonio said.
Casey, however, who worked on religious outreach for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, said the prospect of voting for a Mormon candidate may keep some evangelicals at home. "I am not looking for a record evangelical turnout this time," said Casey, who wrote a book about the anti-Catholicism in 1960 that nearly kept John F. Kennedy out of the White House.
Not all evangelicals vote Republican in any case. According to 2008 exit polls, a quarter of evangelicals voted for Obama, who joined a United Church of Christ congregation in his 20s. Among them was John Lamb, a Southern Baptist from Nashville who plans to support Obama again. His main concern is immigration reform. "I am dismayed at the lack of concern for the poor and for disenfranchised immigrants in this country," he said.
In recent years, in fact, Democrats have tried to woo evangelical voters on the issue of social justice. That makes sense to Marcia Pally, author of The New Evangelicals: Expanding the Vision of the Common Good. "When the ordinary person in the pew starts working in a prison ministry program or food pantry, or goes to Haiti or Uganda and works to prevent malaria or build houses—their priorities change," she said.
Source: An article by Bob Smietana for USA TODAY