Posted on 01/22/2005 7:07:27 PM PST by nypokerface
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Church-going Americans have grown increasingly intolerant in the past four years of politicians making compromises on such hot issues as abortion and gay rights, according to a survey released on Saturday.
At the same time, those polled said they were growing bolder about pushing their beliefs on others -- even at the risk of offending someone.
The trends could indicate that religion has become "more prominent in American discourse ... more salient," according to Ruth Wooden, president of Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization which released the survey.
It could also indicate "more polarized political thinking. There do not seem to be very many voices arguing for compromise today," she said in an interview. "It could be that more religious voices feel under siege, pinned against the wall by cultural developments. They may feel more emboldened as a result."
The November U.S. election saw voters in a number of states back gay marriage bans, and President Bush won re-election with heavy support from fellow religious conservatives.
The findings came from a telephone survey of 1,507 adults made in 2000 and a second similar survey of 1,004 adults done during the summer of 2004 that tracked the same issues. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Those surveyed were nearly all Christians, not by design but because the sample reflected the makeup of the population, the group said. A 2002 Pew Research Council survey found that 82 percent of the U.S. populace considered itself to be Christian, while 10 percent identified with no religious group.
On the question of whether elected officials should set their convictions aside to get results in government, 84 percent agreed in 2000. However, four years later that had dropped to 74 percent. There was a sharper decline on the same question among weekly church-goers from 82 percent in the first survey to 63 percent in the second.
About 40 percent of Americans claim to be weekly church-goers, according to Corwin Smidt, director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College in Michigan. Some surveys have placed the figure at 25 percent.
In the survey, 32 percent of those who attended church once a week said they were willing to compromise on abortion issues -- a 19-point drop in four years. Among the same group the question of compromising beliefs on gay rights was acceptable to only 39 percent, down 18 points from 2000.
The poll also found that 37 percent overall felt that deeply religious people should be careful not to offend anyone when they "spread the word of God," a decline from 46 percent four years earlier.
The number of those who felt that committed faithful should spread the word "whenever they can" rose to 41 percent, up 6 points.
On another issue, the survey found little change in opinion on whether the U.S. political system can handle greater interaction between religion and politics. Asked if there was a threat if religious leaders and groups got a lot more involved in politics, 63 percent in 2000 and 61 percent in 2004 said the system could "easily handle" it. But the remainder continue to believe the system would be threatened.
Good. Let us dare to be intolerant of that which is wrong, as we should be, as is the right and responsibility of good men everywhere.
Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well-wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution never to violate in the least particular the laws of the country, and never to tolerate their violation by others.” ~ Abraham Lincoln Speech, January 27, 1837.
Geez, Reuters would be totally worthless if their "reporters" weren't providing the Israelis with Hamas targeting information.
Ruth Wooden mentioned in the article isn't exactly Non-Partisan.
According to This Site, one of the founders of Public Agenda is Daniel Yankelovich, who is also been pretty busy donating to Democratic campaigns such as John Kerry.
Open secrets on Daniel Yankelovich.
The other founder is Cyrus Vance, who i couldnt find on Open Secrets but he was Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter.
Is it too much to ask to identify a liberal organization as LIBERAL???
Kettle>>Black>>Pot
Pleez!Can we Talk?
"The findings came from a telephone survey of 1,507 adults made in 2000 and a second similar survey of 1,004 adults done during the summer of 2004 that tracked the same issues. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points."
Calling all statisticians:
How does a survey of 1,507 in 2000 and then 1,004 in 2004 square as equal surveys? The 2004 survey polls 33% less people than the 2000 poll.
(In)quiring minds need to know.
"It could be that more religious voices feel under siege, pinned against the wall by cultural developments. They may feel more emboldened as a result."
Paraphase- Christians are being persecuted by pop, political and judicial pressure. In historical fashion, when persecution strikes Faith deepens. We Hold ground, martial our resources, strengthen our Faith, and prepare to counter the oppressors. In some countries this literally means lives are lost to stand for the gospel. In our country it means we risk mockery and ridicule. It means we elect leaders respectful of our rights. It means we defend the right to worship as we please even in the public arena. It means we defend the Pledge, defend the Ten Commandments, Defend Christmas, Defend the Presidential Oath's inclusion of God. It means we deny the right of judges to determine whether abortion or Homosexual marriage are allowed. That is a right for the people to decide, not the unelected robed minority.
The intolerance of the Left is directly responsible for the re-engagement of Christians in society.
Atheists and humanists have chosen abortion and homosexuality as their poster child -- precisely because they are the two most anti-God anti Christian issues they could find. And their unbending stance on these two issues is a thousand times more adamant that the beleivers they seek to remove from all aspects of society with these two issues.
The Goal is like what was created in Canada this past summer with a single pro gay pro abortion anti-hate piece of legislation they were able to make the bible into hate literature and make the expousing of Christianity a crime. in a short time they will begin enforcement and adding teeth to the law and then we will see beleivers de-citizenized (Kewl word I just made it up) and punitively stripped of holdings and possessions for their crims against humanity of beleiving God's word and daring to confess his words in public.
hate legislation trumps freedom of speech. hate legislation trumps freedom of the press, hate legislation will trump the power of people to run fo office and vote. (If you douby that just watch ted kennedy and Company in a confirm and consent hearing vio;ate candidates freedom of speech and press with anything they have published.)
We will see in canada in the not so distant future a campaign to remove any people with christian sentiments from being able to be elected -- wait on it -- it will come.
"Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions"
If one sits for everything one stands for nothing.
Less tolerant of what
Got that right, and my hope at least is...........They ain't see NOTHING yet!!!
What does this title mean? It makes me think of racially or religiously intolerant. Once I read the first part, it was obvious this article was very different than what the title suggests. That is a flagrant display of their lack of any objectivity.
When communism took over in Russia, the persecution of the church began in the press. It will be no different here.
Sure there are. The left is talking all about the Christian/Right compromising its principles all the time. We're just tired of it and not gonna take it anymore.
That's different. The left are smart and "enlightened" and Christians are just stupid, backwards, biblethumping hicks. </disgusted sarcasm>
Remember, the motto of the left is "intolerance shall not be tolerated".
There do not seem to be very many voices arguing for compromise today,"
There is no compromise with these people!! And we aren't the ones who need to, we tried that, they pushed it way too far. They HAD tolerance for years, it wasn't enough.
We will not compromise on Gods word, it isn't our place to do so!!
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