Posted on 07/16/2014 8:23:00 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Good news for Obama, I guess. The group he actually secretly belongs to is slightly more popular than the group his harshest critics accuse him of secretly belonging to.
Jews, Catholics and evangelical Christians are viewed warmly by the American public. When asked to rate each group on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 to 100 – where 0 reflects the coldest, most negative possible rating and 100 the warmest, most positive rating – all three groups receive an average rating of 60 or higher (63 for Jews, 62 for Catholics and 61 for evangelical Christians). And 44% of the public rates all three groups in the warmest part of the scale (67 or higher).
Buddhists, Hindus and Mormons receive neutral ratings on average, ranging from 48 for Mormons to 53 for Buddhists. The public views atheists and Muslims more coldly; atheists receive an average rating of 41, and Muslims an average rating of 40. Fully 41% of the public rates Muslims in the coldest part of the thermometer (33 or below), and 40% rate atheists in the coldest part.
Not only are Jews the most liked religious group, but per the table below, they’re the only group to draw a “warm” rating from every other major religious group. That’s quite a contrast to recent news from Europe, needless to say. The Atlantic wonders whether it’s a function of (a) Jewish participation in popular culture, (b) the fact that many members of other religious minorities are first- or second-generation whereas the Jewish population is well established in America, or (c) religion-infused politics, with America’s large evangelical population strongly pro-Jewish because of their solidarity with Israel and veneration of Biblical teachings about the “chosen people.”
If the answer is (c), it seems the love is not requited, alas:
White evangelicals view Jews “warmly” with a rating of 69; Jews, meanwhile, give evangelicals a rating of … 34, which is a point lower than their rating of Muslims. Could be that evangelicals, when asked about Jews, instinctively think of Israel and foreign policy whereas Jews, most of whom lean Democratic, think mainly of domestic policy when asked about evangelical Christians. Go figure that a socially liberal, solidly Democratic group would look skeptically at the GOP’s conservative base. When you ask Jews about a Christian group that’s not closely identified with either party, i.e. Catholics, the rating shoots up to 58, the second highest number (behind Buddhists) that Jews gave to any other group. That’s the proof, I think, that the numbers here are to some extent a proxy for politics rather than a gauge of religion.
The same thing’s apparent in the atheist ratings. Atheists give evangelical Christians a rating of just 28, more than 10 points lower than their rating for any other group. That’s not because they see them as significantly more “radical” than, say, Muslims, I suspect; it’s because evangelicals, as an engine of the GOP, have real political muscle and therefore seem threatening to socially liberal nonbelievers. (Evangelicals, meanwhile, gave atheists a rating of 25, the lowest number on the board. Maybe that’s a reaction to perceived political power too, although I tend to think it’s more an expression of pure disdain for the godless.) In fact, look again at the ratings given by atheists and you’ll see a trend — while the two major Christian denominations, which includes most of the public, fail to break 50, several small religious minorities do (Jews, Buddhists, Hindus). It’s not that atheists view all religious believers dimly, in other words, so much as they view the dominant religion as a threat politically.
Exit question: We can’t do better than a 48 for Mormons, America? I know their beliefs are considered “out there” by other religious groups, but they’re very solid citizens and the polygamy thing is ancient history. C’mon.
See; we wouldn't blow you up!
Well...
if YOU were trying to attain THIS...
1–6, Exaltation is gained through the new and everlasting covenant; 7–14, The terms and conditions of that covenant are set forth; 15–20, Celestial marriage and a continuation of the family unit enable men to become gods; 21–25, The strait and narrow way leads to eternal lives; 26–27, The law is given relative to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; 28–39, Promises of eternal increase and exaltation are made to prophets and Saints in all ages; 40–47, Joseph Smith is given the power to bind and seal on earth and in heaven; 48–50, The Lord seals upon him his exaltation; 51–57, Emma Smith is counseled to be faithful and true; 58–66, Laws governing the plurality of wives are set forth.
16Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in amarriage; but are appointed angels in bheaven, which angels are ministering cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are aangels of God forever and ever.
18And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.
19And again, verily I say unto you, if a man amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and beverlasting covenant, and it is csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit fthrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s gBook of Life, that he shall commit no hmurder whereby to shed innocent iblood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their jexaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the kseeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be bgods, because they have call power, and the angels are subject unto them.
21Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my alaw ye cannot attain to this glory.
22For astrait is the gate, and narrow the bway that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the clives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.
23But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that awhere I am ye shall be also.
24This is aeternal lives—to bknow the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath csent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.
25aBroad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the bdeaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they creceive me not, neither do they abide in my law.
“The CATHOLICS kinda “soured the waters” for Evangelicals from their long history of killing Jews!”
What???? Are you referring to the Inquisition, or what are you referring to?
One could infer that Lutherans killed 6 million Jews - if one wants to stretch concepts and be dishonest. After all Hitler took over “Prussian” Germany which had a very long history of being anti-Catholic. Making such broad statements is always a foolish thing to do. Hitler and his GeStaPo were Nazis who were more agnostic &/or into occultish practices. In no way were the Lutherans or any other Christian group to blame for killing 6 million Jews.
It is getting very old to hear such ridiculous, throw-back, anti-Catholic statements here on FR.
“Both Peter and the late Christopher Hitchens are atheists...” ???
I think Peter Hitchens is a Cstholic. I could be wrong, but I seem to remember reading about these brothers, and Christopher rejected religious faith, while Peter did not reject his faith. Peter is a well-known Conservative writer.
From Wikipedia:
“A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems,and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.”
So while it’s true atheism and theism are opposites with respect to formal belief in one or more deities, it is not correct to conflate that with religion per se. They are overlapping but different conceptual domains. You have religion if you have any beliefs at all about the purpose and nature of existence.
Furthermore, as Daniel says, these beliefs will condition your choice-making process. They will define you. They are therefore as all-encompassing as any other identifiable religious system. I hear tell some atheists are even starting their own “churches.” That is a telling development.
Even then, my problem is with militant Islam, not with Abdul down the street who just wants to live like any other American except he goes to mosque instead of church.
Peter Hitchens was once an atheist like his late brother Christopher Hitchens,[52] but he became a member of the Church of England and an advocate of moral virtues founded on Christian faith and institutions such as marriage,[53] which he argues have since the 1960s been undermined by social liberals and cultural Marxists.[a] Hitchens defends the use of the Church of England's 1662 Book of Common Prayer and King James Bible. Of the latter, he has written "it is not simply a translation, but a poetic translation, written to be read out loud... to lodge in the mind and to disturb the temporal with the haunting sound of the eternal".[54]
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