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Poll: Public uneasy with faith in politics

E-mail|Link|Comments (4) Posted by Michael Paulson August 22, 2008 02:55 PM

Conservatives are increasingly leery of the role of religion in U.S. politics, joining liberals and moderates in forming a narrow majority of Americans who want churches to stay out of politics.

That is among the key findings of the annual summer survey on religion and politics released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Some excerpts from the Pew announcement:

"Four years ago, just 30% of conservatives believed that churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics. Today, 50% of conservatives express this view. The new survey finds that conservatives’ views on this issue are much more in line with the views of moderates and liberals than was previously the case. Similarly, the sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats that previously existed on this issue have disappeared."
"There are other signs in the new poll about a potential change in the climate of opinion about mixing religion and politics. First, the survey finds a small but significant increase since 2004 in the percentage of respondents saying that they are uncomfortable when they hear politicians talk about how religious they are – from 40% to 46%. While the Republican Party is most often seen as the party friendly toward religion, the Democratic Party has made gains in this area. Nearly four-in-ten (38%) now say the Democratic Party is generally friendly toward religion, up from just 26% two years ago. Nevertheless, considerably more people (52%) continue to view the GOP as friendly toward religion."

"Similarly, the survey finds increasing numbers of Americans believing that religiously defined ideological groups have too much control over the parties themselves. Nearly half (48%) say religious conservatives have too much influence over the Republican Party, up from 43% in August 2007. At the same time, more people say that liberals who are not religious have too much sway over the Democrats than did so last year (43% today vs. 37% then)."

The survey finds McCain leading Obama among conservatives and white evangelicals, while Catholics are evenly split. Full results here.

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4 comments so far...

Politics would be better served by an informed public about the issues of governing in a democracy, rather than using a group based on any one religion(christianity).

Religion requires blind faith in the absence of any real proof, politics requires faith in the government based on provable truth as the public discerns it.

The issues of politics and the rights of everyone in THIS democracy are made manifest in our participation with real people and believing in the rights of every citiizen despite faith of any kind.

Posted by Dave Welch August 22, 08 06:23 PM

What has sadly been demonstrated in the last eight years is that in politics, the people wieldly power are simply wieldly power. Talk is constant about religion. But in a shabby skulking way by calling it "Faith Based" instead of religious. It gets off to a bad start, and goes down hill from there.

Everyone wants a religious person wielding power, We want them to care for us as their religion requires. To be honest to us, to do the right thing and make things better. We all want that. We get a lot of talk, but religion only exists in the real world of action, not talk. Talk alone is pharaseeism (pardon the spelling) Nobody want that, but that is all we get.

TV evelangelists state the desire for the assination of a man they do not like on live TV. What kind of an example is that? It is the example of power. No religion at all.

In short, religion in politics is no religion at all, simply a long bleating lie interferring with the real practice of real religion. Not real belief, not real faith. Not true belief, not true faith. Faith and belief are upto the individual, because it is the individual who are alive and must come to terms with death. That is the ultimate and final fact of any and all religious beliefs and faiths. Everyone dies, and everyone dies alone no matter how many people are with you or not with you.
For everyone it is unique and inescapable.

Posted by W. Peregrine August 23, 08 06:51 AM

The beautiful paradox of the our country is that it was founded by mostly devoutly spiritual people, for whom the concept that no person should ever be owned nor controled by the State was arrived at through a strong faith....but they knew from experience that having the State intervene in matters of faith was dangerous.

The phrase "seperation of church and state" exists no where in the Decleration of Independance, Constitution,nor Bill of Rights. What they do clearly state is the founding premise that modern democracy as a concept was born from the notion that every human inherits a freedom which is devinely established, and so, no State can take it away. Today it is uncool to include that in remembering or teaching our history, unfortunately.

The constitution first guarantees the freedom of expression of anyone's faith, and secondarily prevents the State from establishing any governmental church or faith requirement. Judging from the above referenced article, when remembered accurately, most people would be pretty cool with that approach, and paranthetically would actually understand why we are who we are as a country.

Posted by Mike Curren August 23, 08 07:50 AM

Is it unpatriotic to not have faith or a belief of a creator?

Posted by Dave Welch August 23, 08 11:05 AM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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