Posted on 02/03/2005 6:56:41 AM PST by ZGuy
John Kerry managed the best showing since in decades for a Democratic presidential candidate among mainline Protestants, but his failure to capture a majority of Roman Catholics — people of his own faith — gave President Bush an important advantage in last November's election, according to a new survey.
Bush's showing also improved dramatically among Hispanic Protestants, 63 percent of whom supported him in 2004 — a 31 percent gain over 2000.
The postelection phone survey of 2,730 people, conducted by the University of Akron and sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, is a close study of voting behavior and religious faith.
Among non-Hispanic Catholics, Kerry won the support of 69 percent with those with liberal or "modernist" beliefs, while 72 percent of "traditionalists" favored Bush. But importantly, 55 percent of the key swing group of "centrists" picked Bush over Kerry, who was criticized by bishops for his support of abortion rights.
The upshot: A one-time Democratic mainstay, Catholics gave Bush an overall edge of 53 percent to Kerry's 47 percent.
Overall, the mainline Protestant vote split evenly, the poll found, with a Bush decline of 10 percent from 2000 and the best showing for a Democrat since the 1960s; results before then are unclear.
Divisions between religious liberals and conservatives were even more stark than they were four years ago.
"The American religious landscape was strongly polarized in the 2004 presidential vote and more so than in 2000," concluded the team of four political scientists, led by Akron's John C. Green.
The scholars said Bush's religious constituency included Christian traditionalists in all categories, Mormons, Hispanic Protestants and religious centrists among Catholics and mainline Protestants.
Kerry's support came from black Protestants and secular Americans, followed by "modernists" among Catholics and mainline Protestants. Jews and Latino Catholics remained loyally Democratic.
Other questions focused on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, which were thought to be crucial when Nov. 2 exit polls showed "moral values" were more important to voters than Iraq (news - web sites), terrorism or the economy.
The study concluded that "social issues were quite important to the Bush vote, but a secondary factor for the electorate as a whole."
The quadrennial Akron surveys are notable for careful interviewing on respondents' precise religious affiliations and religious views and activities. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
I've noticed a move by lotsa Catholic Parishes towards more conservatism, starting in the mid 1980s. We are slowly flushing away the PC, pro-commie, no-nukes crowd that dominated too many portions of the Church in the 1960s and 70s.
From your mouth to God's ears! As a book title has it, the main task is keeping the Church Catholic with Pope JP II!
Well... since he's likely to be in Heaven pretty soon, I guess that would be a good thing.
But I guess I get what you mean.
Or as the democrats call it, "Voter Fraud".
JP II is a) strong anti-commie, b) vociferously pro-life, and c) More tradition oriented than his immediate predecessors.
I like the man!
In my parish in DC at least 50% of the people are Bush supporters even though the city as a whole went 91% against him. It is getting more, and more acceptable to be an Irish Catholic and vote Republican. (Although my mom doesn't understand)
I think you're right, but it's too damn slow to suit me, speaking as a Catholic. We need more conservative Catholic bishops to speak out forcefully, especially in the liberal urban areas where there are large numbers of old-time traditionally Democratic Catholics. The phony "Catholic" politicians should all be put on notice that the game is over.
Lurch was "Catholic in name only", just like his Irish-sounding last name, he's not Irish, I think his grandfather came over from Czechoslovakia and changed it once her. Grandpa may have been Jewish.
He's a phony RC, especially w/ the abortion doubletalk.
The only things I'm sure about the weasel is that he's a traitor and a liar.
Kerry took "mainline" protestants because they have become liberal. Conservative Protestants have moved to Evangelical Churches. The new Religious Alliance in this country will be Conservative Catholics and traditional and contemporary Evangelicals Christians.
A Catholic's stance on war is a perfect litmus test of their true orthodoxy.
Good catch.
Thanks.
Yep, the old school crowd are dying off and retiring.
Amen
As a 41 year old catacumen who will accept the sacrament of confirmation this Easter, I intend to contribute to the rightward shift of American Catholics.
I converted a couple of years ago; bless you and good luck.
I saw this story in the Boston Globe's online edition. There is an accompanying link to the study. I am not sure if that link has been posted but here it is:
http://www.uakron.edu/bliss/research.php
Ah, yes Dr. Green. He's a moderate Rockefeller Republican, he was my Poli Sci professor in college. I wrote a term paper on how Reagan ended the cold war and was the one man most responsible for the fall of Communism.
I got an A.
As a lifelong, formerly lapsed but re-awakened Catholic, I welcome you heartily.
"I think you're right, but it's too damn slow to suit me, speaking as a Catholic. We need more conservative Catholic bishops to speak out forcefully, especially in the liberal urban areas where there are large numbers of old-time traditionally Democratic Catholics. The phony "Catholic" politicians should all be put on notice that the game is over."
It is not my place, as a Southern Baptist, to comment on Roman Catholic matters. Except to say that I admire your denominations move to cleanse itself. I sometimes wished it was possible for the SBC to rid itself of psuedo-baptists like Bill Clinton - they are a great embarrassment.
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