______________________________
A poll done by Pew Research Center showed how certain religious groups tend to side with one party over the other. Data like this leads us to suspect that our religious affiliation could determine whom we vote for. Yet, opposing evidence suggests otherwise. The ultimate question is how our faith may just as well influence who wins the American Presidential election this year. In their findings, they compared which religious groups identified with either the Republican or Democratic Party for both 2008 and 2011. The results showed that there was an increase in Mormons leaning toward Republicans, along with Jews and Mainline Protestants.
The ideals that are within any religion are sacred and holy. Still, political commotion could get mixed in with devout congregations, as some talking points are shared between groups. For instance, take gay marriage, which many politicians have a stance on, whether it is acceptable or not, and even abortion. Both of these topics are debated on the campaign trail and within religious groups. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University explained to VOR, “Religion is a primary identification. It’s one of the things that we take on from a very early age, and it’s much more all-encompassing than politics is. I mean, religion and our religious commitments shape every aspect of our lives, from our family life, to our life in community, to the values that we bring to our work life, and politics is aspect of that”. Wilson went on to say that he gathers that it’s right to see religion as a more primary attachment, allegiance, and value-set, and politics is kind of a secondary one that might stem from that. Despite religion acting as a stronger base for Americans, in a Gallup survey conducted in 2012, 18 percent of Americans say that they wouldn’t vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, that’s nearly one in five.
Debbie Hines trial lawyer, former prosecutor, and legal/political commentator, told VOR, “I don’t accept the premise that religion alone is what affects an overall decision on a vote”. Hines isn’t alone in this opinion. A poll that came out in July of this year stated that 66 percent of Americans believe religion is losing its influence in their life. Some think it’s good that religion isn’t as compelling as it used to be, but only a small proportion accepts this ideology. Hines, who wrote an article on church and politics on the Huffington Post website, said, “The world’s just so much more complicated universally now than what it was earlier, and I think that that ties into religion not having as much as an impact, combined with other factors that have an impact on politics”.
Nobody tells the religion overpowering politics story better than the people themselves. On the Minnesota Public Radio website, they asked their followers if religious beliefs affect the way they vote. Comments on this poll poured in about why they choose the answer they did. Joel said, “The specific religion of a candidate doesn’t impact my voting, but how they engage in their religion does”. Another viewer named Greg posted that religion strongly affects his voting; if he senses that a candidate has strong religious beliefs, he’s inclined not to vote for them. Others contributors said that religion has no power over which politician they select.
As with every social debate over whether or not our faith predicts our future decisions in the voting booth, there always seems to be an exception to this rule. On the Pew Forum, a different report released in September 2012 revealed that the Democratic Party still holds a strong advantage over Republicans with Black Protestants. SMU Professor Wilson clarified, “Race triumphs over religion, race triumphs over economics, African-Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic, have been for 40 years. That holds pretty much, no matter what other allegiances they may hold”. Wilson wrote From Pews to Polling Places, and he’ll be coming out with another book in 2013, on the topic of religion and politics. Even though the percentage is undeniably high amongst this demographic, Hines sees it from a different viewpoint. She said that when it’s all said and done, African-Americans are no different from white Evangelicals, in the sense that they base their voting on their values, on what’s important to them.
Election Day will be here before we know it. Dozens of policies including gay marriage and abortion will cross our minds before we finally pick. A deep influence in that very decision may be the God factor. Nevertheless, definitely, our decision shouldn’t one based solely on religion, but we should ground it in the ideals that are close to our hearts, and which line up with our own moral values.
28 September 2012
Sarah Neary
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_09_28/Religion-and-politics-why-faith-flourishes-this-presidential-election/
Voices from Russia 
Religion and Politics: Why Faith Flourishes This Presidential Election
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Democratic Party, Democratic Party (United States), Mainline Protestant, Matthew Wilson, Minnesota Public Radio, Pew Research Center, political commentary, politics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Republican Party (United States), Southern Methodist University, United States, USA
______________________________
A poll done by Pew Research Center showed how certain religious groups tend to side with one party over the other. Data like this leads us to suspect that our religious affiliation could determine whom we vote for. Yet, opposing evidence suggests otherwise. The ultimate question is how our faith may just as well influence who wins the American Presidential election this year. In their findings, they compared which religious groups identified with either the Republican or Democratic Party for both 2008 and 2011. The results showed that there was an increase in Mormons leaning toward Republicans, along with Jews and Mainline Protestants.
The ideals that are within any religion are sacred and holy. Still, political commotion could get mixed in with devout congregations, as some talking points are shared between groups. For instance, take gay marriage, which many politicians have a stance on, whether it is acceptable or not, and even abortion. Both of these topics are debated on the campaign trail and within religious groups. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University explained to VOR, “Religion is a primary identification. It’s one of the things that we take on from a very early age, and it’s much more all-encompassing than politics is. I mean, religion and our religious commitments shape every aspect of our lives, from our family life, to our life in community, to the values that we bring to our work life, and politics is aspect of that”. Wilson went on to say that he gathers that it’s right to see religion as a more primary attachment, allegiance, and value-set, and politics is kind of a secondary one that might stem from that. Despite religion acting as a stronger base for Americans, in a Gallup survey conducted in 2012, 18 percent of Americans say that they wouldn’t vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, that’s nearly one in five.
Debbie Hines trial lawyer, former prosecutor, and legal/political commentator, told VOR, “I don’t accept the premise that religion alone is what affects an overall decision on a vote”. Hines isn’t alone in this opinion. A poll that came out in July of this year stated that 66 percent of Americans believe religion is losing its influence in their life. Some think it’s good that religion isn’t as compelling as it used to be, but only a small proportion accepts this ideology. Hines, who wrote an article on church and politics on the Huffington Post website, said, “The world’s just so much more complicated universally now than what it was earlier, and I think that that ties into religion not having as much as an impact, combined with other factors that have an impact on politics”.
Nobody tells the religion overpowering politics story better than the people themselves. On the Minnesota Public Radio website, they asked their followers if religious beliefs affect the way they vote. Comments on this poll poured in about why they choose the answer they did. Joel said, “The specific religion of a candidate doesn’t impact my voting, but how they engage in their religion does”. Another viewer named Greg posted that religion strongly affects his voting; if he senses that a candidate has strong religious beliefs, he’s inclined not to vote for them. Others contributors said that religion has no power over which politician they select.
As with every social debate over whether or not our faith predicts our future decisions in the voting booth, there always seems to be an exception to this rule. On the Pew Forum, a different report released in September 2012 revealed that the Democratic Party still holds a strong advantage over Republicans with Black Protestants. SMU Professor Wilson clarified, “Race triumphs over religion, race triumphs over economics, African-Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic, have been for 40 years. That holds pretty much, no matter what other allegiances they may hold”. Wilson wrote From Pews to Polling Places, and he’ll be coming out with another book in 2013, on the topic of religion and politics. Even though the percentage is undeniably high amongst this demographic, Hines sees it from a different viewpoint. She said that when it’s all said and done, African-Americans are no different from white Evangelicals, in the sense that they base their voting on their values, on what’s important to them.
Election Day will be here before we know it. Dozens of policies including gay marriage and abortion will cross our minds before we finally pick. A deep influence in that very decision may be the God factor. Nevertheless, definitely, our decision shouldn’t one based solely on religion, but we should ground it in the ideals that are close to our hearts, and which line up with our own moral values.
28 September 2012
Sarah Neary
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_09_28/Religion-and-politics-why-faith-flourishes-this-presidential-election/