Posted on 01/06/2015 4:13:32 PM PST by NYer
Yesterday, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released some statistics on the religious composition of the new 114th Congress, which includes more Catholics (with 164) than any Congress in history. That’s about 31% of Congress that identifies as Catholics, compared with about 22% of American adults. Sadly, while the number of Catholics in Congress reaches an all-time high, pro-life Democrats in Congress are on the verge of extinction.
But first, some good news for Catholic Democrats.
Given the large margin by which Republicans control the new Congress (301-234, counting both houses) and the fact that the incoming class in a Republican wave-year has a higher percentage of Catholics (35%) than Congress at large (31%), you might think that there are more Catholic Republicans than Catholic Democrats in Congress.
But that’s not the case: Even with a GOP majority in the Senate and a huge Republican majority in the House, there are still more Catholic Democrats in Congress than Catholic Republicans, both as a percentage and in absolute numbers. Of the 234 Democrats in Congress, 83 (about 36%) identify as Catholic. Catholic representation among Republicans is lower: of the 301 seats the GOP holds in the House and Senate, only 81 congressional Republicans (27%) identify as Catholic.
Catholic Republicans do outnumber Catholics Democrats in the House (70-68), but Democrats more than make up the difference in the Senate, where Catholic Dems outnumber their GOP counterparts, 15-11.
Catholics (and Christians, generally) are overrepresented in Congress; almost 93% of Congress identifies as Christian of one stripe or another, compared with 73% of Americans. Meanwhile, the oft-discussed “unaffiliated” Americans or “Nones” are underrepresented. A few years back, Pew reported that 1 in 5 Americans identified as “Atheist,” “Agnostic,” or “Nothing in particular.” According to Pew, only one member of the 114th Congress actually identifies as “unaffiliated.” If you count all the non-responses (“Don’t know/refused”) as “unaffiliated,” the total still only comes to 10 members, or less than 2% of Congress.
Of course, the fact that politicians in a majority-Christian country identify as religious—in one form or another—at much higher rates than the population at large is not exactly a surprise. But the numbers do seem to suggest, at the very least, that our politicians know that being seen to be religious is a very important thing. As long as Americans prefer their political leaders to be religiously inclined, you can expect American politicians will continue (at least outwardly) to oblige.
While a religiously unaffiliated politician may still be a rare bird, there is another species on Capitol Hill that is even more endangered: the pro-life Democrat.
How rare are pro-life Democrats in Congress? Well, Democrats for Life of America (DFLA)—“the preeminent national organization for pro-life Democrats”—has endorsed just five of the 234 Democrats in the new Congress.
That’s it. Just five men—Sen. Bob Casey (PA), Sen. Joe Manchin (WV), Sen. Joe Donnelly (IN), Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-3), and Rep. Collin Peterson (MN-7)—are sufficiently pro-life to earn an endorsement from their own party’s pro-life wing. For those who care about the defense of human life—regardless of party—this is very bad news.
Following heavy Democratic losses in November’s midterms, DFLA issued a scathing press release in which they insisted that Democrats are not only wrong about abortion, but that the Democratic Party’s unwavering fealty to the abortion license is politically disastrous. This grim chart from DFLA says it all:
Ping!
“Catholics (and Christians, generally)”
I’ve seen or heard this so many rimes.
It makes no sense. Catholics are Christians.
The statement “Catholics and Christians” makes no sense unless Catholics are not Christian.
The proper way to say this is Catholics and Protestants.
Thank you, Gov. Cuomo, for providing cover for Catholic politicians to support abortion while still saying they are Catholic. (sarc/off)
A Baptist friend said I wasn't Christian...it took me a LONG time to stop LAUGHING!!!
Pro-Choice Catholics? They must hang with the atheist Catholics Jewish Catholics, Agnostic Catholics, Unitarian Catholics etc. when did heresy get removed from the dictionary?
Pro life Democrats are better known by another name: Liars. Those Democrats who call themselves Catholic, aren’t.
Liars or CINOs
No such thing as a pro-life dimocrat. When have they ever voted against a pro-murder judge? or legislation for that matter.
Why should they believe in it? As Mario was buried at a high mass , with all the Roman trimmings...and the son that ordered Gay marriage be legal, and favors late term abortion and lives in a fornicating relationship spoke at the funeral..and most likely went to communion. It is clear even Rome does not take any of this seriously ..it is all about political connections...
My brother-in-law is a rabid catholic. Yet they always vote democrat, because as his wife explains, Republicans don't do enough to oppose abortion. I kid you not. California liberals who drank way too much Kool-Aid.
My family voted for Democrats for 100 years after the Civil War because the Republicans ran Reconstruction, and at least 50 years after the Democrats began to act against their best interests. Some habits die hard.
There are so many different Protestant denominations that I wonder if "Protestants" protest don't care for this assignation.
However, I AGREE with your definition.
Not all Californians are like your brother-in-law. He's just nuts, sans any Kool-Aid.
Perhaps he's spent too much time in the sun.
I saw what you did.
I’m Protestant and not protesting.
Catholics (and Christians, generally)
I didn’t read it that way. The article was specifically referring to Catholics who are Democrats, and then the author added the part about Christians, in general. It wasn’t a slam against Catholics in my humble opinion.
Your opinion is worthy of consideration. I prefer YOUR opinion today, thank you.
Of course you aren't. What is there to protest about any more? In essence, "Protestant" seems to be just a rhetorical name.
The more accurate DENOMINATIONAL name, perhaps, is more illustrative of beliefs and traditions.
Not uncommon. What would the voter expect the republicans to do if elected President in 2016? Bush had a GOP Legislature and a GOP supreme court and Roe remained.
I’ve seen or heard this so many rimes.
It makes no sense. Catholics are Christians.
The statement “Catholics and Christians” makes no sense unless Catholics are not Christian.
The proper way to say this is Catholics and Protestants.
Actually, it should be catholic and Christian.
There is a difference between the two. Don't believe me, check out the threads between catholics and Christians.
Catholics rarely refer to themselves as Christians from what I've seen. They have more of an allegience to the catholic church, Mary and the pope.
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