A belief in god affects USA politics

[InsaneApache]

As the thread title said:

Nearly a third of Americans, 31.4 per cent, believe in an Authoritarian God, angry at earthly sin and willing to inflict divine retribution — including tsunamis and hurricanes.

People who see God this way are religiously and politically the most conservative. They are more likely to be less educated and have lower incomes, come from the South and be white evangelicals or black Protestants.

At the other end of the scale is the Distant God, seen by 24.4 per cent as a faceless, cosmic force that launched the world but leaves it alone. This is seen more by liberals, moral relativists and those who don’t attend church. This God has most believers on the West Coast.

The Benevolent God, popular in America’s Midwest among mainstream Protestants, Catholics and Jews, is one that sets absolute standards for man, but is also forgiving — engaged but not so angry. Caring for the sick is high on the list of priorities for these 23 per cent of believers.

The Critical God, at 16 per cent, is viewed as the classic bearded old man, judgmental but not going to intervene or punish, and is popular on the East Coast.

Link

Very interesting research.

I have to say I'm not surprised that ones belief system effects ones political views. But should it? Discuss.

[macsen rufus]

It's hardly news is it? We've known for ages you get nowhere in US politics without God on your side.

The fact in the article that did surprise me (as much as anything in that country surprises me) was this one:

Nearly 54 per cent of Authoritarians believe that Saddam Hussein was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks

Couple self-righteousness with ignorance and the world's most powerful military and it gets very scary.

As for your final question - if your religious belief does NOT affect your politics then just how sincere and fundamental is it? Unless it's a wishy-washy, Sunday-best, CofE type religion, of course, which we all know shouldn't be allowed to interfere with the important business of social climbing, coffee mornings and sneering at people who choose the wrong colour curtains.

[Sjakihata]

"If you think Christianity is something you can handle between 10am and 11am on a sunday, you better not bother with it." Kierkegaard

[Ice]

"If you think Christianity is something you can handle between 10am and 11am on a sunday, you better not bother with it." Kierkegaard

People who see God this way are religiously and politically the most conservative. They are more likely to be less educated and have lower incomes, come from the South and be white evangelicals or black Protestants.

Is this really surprising?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

It's hardly news is it? We've known for ages you get nowhere in US politics without God on your side.

Prior to our Civil War, the "reliance on God" component was so integral to the culture that it was assumed. Those President's who were not openly religious were low-kay about it.

Between our Civil War and the 1970's, the emphasis on religion was less pronounced. Many still assumed it, as before, and President's either fit that mold or chose not to flaunt that they didn't. However, it would be hard to describe Taft, Harding, F. Roosevelt, Johnson, or Kennedy as "reliant on God" in their tone, manner, etc. The only "big" religious impacts were the anti-Catholic sentiments that contributed to Smith's defeat in 1928 and were effectively torpedoed by Kennedy in 1960.

Interestly, Carter's openly religious stance helped usher in an era for renewed politcal influence from religion. Certainly it is from this era that the active political efforts of many Protestants (and some Catholics) within the Republican party renewed -- to the point where Pat Roberts was briefly viewed as a front-runner early in one primary season. That influence has peaked, but is still a prevalent component of electoral politics on the GOP side.

The fact in the article that did surprise me (as much as anything in that country surprises me) was this one:

<<54% Auth religious connecting Saddam with 9-11>>

Couple self-righteousness with ignorance and the world's most powerful military and it gets very scary.

Religion -- even for those viewing God as an involved authoritation, "Old Testament" style -- is not solely about self-righteousness. That aside, I emphatically agree that the achilles heel of US culture is our propensity for self-inflicted ignorance. A typical broadcast network evening programming list is instructive in this:

6-6:30 = local news, about 40% of which is sports/weather
6:30-7 = network news, about 25% of which is devoted to "human interest" pieces, not "hard" news
7-7:30 = Entertainment Tonight, 100% devoted to celebs and their doings
7:30-8 = Access Hollywood, 100% devoted to celebs and their doings
8-11 = Sit-coms, reality programs, sports (Presidential addresses a few times a year, usually with moderate ratings).
11-11:30 = local news, same percentages as above.

Not chastising the networks here, they have to sell ads and this is what the public will watch. Many are turning to alternative media, but boat-loads of these alternatives are no more connected than the mainstream -- unless you seek out information to avoid ignorance.

As for your final question - if your religious belief does NOT affect your politics then just how sincere and fundamental is it? Unless it's a wishy-washy, Sunday-best, CofE type religion, of course, which we all know shouldn't be allowed to interfere with the important business of social climbing, coffee mornings and sneering at people who choose the wrong colour curtains.

Have to agree here fully.

[yesdachi]

We (are suppose to at least) have a representative government, and as such the government should be representative of its people. If the people are religious then the government should represent that and does in most cases. There is of course a separation of church and state but religion still plays a large part in the election process but I am not sure if it plays much of a part once a politician gets into office, aside from doting to special interest groups, most politicians don’t seem to… walk the walk when it comes to the teachings of the good book.


Edit: Well said Seamus Fermanagh.

[macsen rufus]

@seamus - frightening tv schedule, but I don't honestly think it's a great deal better here, any more. I've managed to survive quite happily without TV for a couple of years now and feel no less informed, thanks to all the alternative news media now available - but of course you have to look for it, rather than wait to be spoon-fed. And compare the choice between "celebs and their doings" and reality TV (non-entities and their doings, maybe?) on one hand, or conquering the MTW world on the other, well, guess where the better entertainment lies

The other interesting thing that came out of the original article was how people varied according to their "style" of God, rather than their denomination. Makes it all seem so much more... subjective when people are governed more by their personal biases rather than the specific creed they purport to adhere to.

I still get a very strong feeling that so much expressed religion is just flag-waving, or hogging the moral high ground, without any genuine spiritual awareness or aspiration beneath it. Maybe I'm a cynic, but I've seen too many TV evangelists now, too many molesting ministers, too many twenty-car gurus, to take seriously many of the "loud in praise" types. And politicians with a "hotline to the Lord"? Yeah, right.....