More American voters than ever say they are not religious, making the religiously unaffiliated the nation's biggest voting bloc by faith for the first time in a presidential election year. This marks a dramatic shift from just eight years ago, when the non-religious were roundly outnumbered by Catholics, white mainline Protestants and white evangelical Protestants.
These numbers come from a new Pew Research Center survey, which finds that "religious 'nones,' who have been growing rapidly as a share of the U.S. population, now constitute one-fifth of all registered voters and more than a quarter of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters." That represents a 50 percent increase in the proportion of non-religious voters compared with eight years ago, when they made up just 14 percent of the overall electorate.
"In 2008, religious 'nones' were outnumbered or at parity with white mainline Protestants and white Catholics," the survey's lead researcher, Greg Smith, said in an interview. "Today, 'nones' outnumber both of those groups."
The growth of the non-religious -- about 54 percent of whom are Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 23 percent at least leaning Republican -- could provide a political counterweight to white evangelical Protestants, a historically powerful voting bloc for Republicans. In 2016, 35 percent of Republican voters identify as white evangelicals, while 28 percent of Democratic voters say they have no religion at all.
Of course as the article goes on to point out the Achilles heel for the non-religious politically is that most of us are non-joiners.
That means we do not have a group around which to organize, unlike religious groups which have "Get out the vote" or "Souls to the Polls" programs in place.
Which raises the question, how do we mobilize a voting demographic that are predisposed to resist being directed to do anything, by anyone?
But just imagine all that we could accomplish if we could answer that question.
OT: LOL TP flushed down the crapper.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/logofail-trumppence-campaign-scrubs-screw-you-branding-after-one-day-of-massive-ridicule/
bwahahahaha!
DeleteWTF were they thinking in the first place?
Done by midnight? Sounds about right for dRumpf's tiny winny fucking a trumPENCE. Short and ruff.
DeleteOT:SHAMEFUL GOP "“Lets talk about the gun issues, poverty, children in America not having food when they get home for school. Calling porn a public health crisis is disgusting,”
ReplyDelete"Instead of wasting money on the impossible task of eliminating online porn, why not create a curriculum on it?
GOOD QUESTION!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/16/porn-industry-blame-the-gop-for-the-public-health-crisis-not-us.html
I wonder if this includes people who have faith, but don't want to have anything to do with organized religion.
ReplyDeleteSerious question here, not snark.
DeleteWhat kind of "faith" can you have if it is not associated with a particular religion? Faith in a god, an afterlife, what?
Are you serious 7:54? I'm not the other poster but I would imagine the faith would be an individual thing. Lots of people have been turned off by organized religion but still have their own sense of spirituality.
Delete9:01
DeleteYes, I am serious.
Faith in WHAT is what I asked. If it is something fueled by an organized religion, which one do you choose? Whatever you WANT to believe? If so, that is NOT Spirituality.
7:54
I sense sometimes all the atoms in my being and everything around me is vibrating in a ecstatic dance. Faith in a higher power? The only higher power I was expected to believe in as a child was a vengeful manlike-god creature. Why would I find any reason to have faith in such a thing, let alone hope or comfort? The lord/god/man construct is insanity. Nothing about “faith" appeals to me.
DeleteAs a "practicing" Christian, all it takes is a look at their life versus their words to discredit anything they say concerning God and, quite frankly, it would be better not to mention His name at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, $arah and Bristol, I am boring holes into YOU among others. Talk about a laundry list!
Anon 7:08 AM: The Palins are what the Bible refers to as the anti Christ, people who claim to be Christians but, do not follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
DeleteWhat's really sad is that Trump's bff pastor; Robert Jeffrees, said that if it was between Jesus, and Trump, he would vote for Trump because Jesus was weak. Really? Jesus was tortured, and died for our sins, and he calls him weak? Sad part is, Trump never chastised him for saying it. Heck, even Sarah; the fake Christian, didn't say a word about it. Remember when the Palinbots thought that Sarah was going to lead them through the Rapture? These clowns aren't going anywhere.
OT Graphs:
ReplyDeletehttp://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/07/14/3798069/alaska-record-high-temperature-sea-ice-melt/
"Donald Trump feels entitled to the presidency, and he wants the American people to hand him the White House on a silver platter."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2016/07/16/trump-ditches-pence-announcement-refusing-campaign.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politicus+USA+%29
GOP Rules: "Though Cuccinelli was always dramatically outnumbered on the Rules Committee by forces loyal to the RNC and Trump, the RNC agreed to talks to avoid the appearance that grassroots conservatives were getting steamrolled.
ReplyDeleteNow Cuccinelli is threatening to disrupt Monday’s convention proceedings by encouraging delegates to vote down the rules passed by the committee, when they come up for a final vote. That would throw the convention into chaos on the day delegates are expected to formally nominate Trump."
TELLING!
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/rnc-2016-donald-trump-delegates-225651#ixzz4EaS54f00
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook
Rule of Law vs Morality:
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/762592150466931/photos/a.768415996551213.1073741828.762592150466931/1145668008826008/?type=3&theater
*The revised rule requires that candidates receive support from five state delegations in order to be nominated — down from the eight-state threshold pushed by Romney allies.
DeleteCuccinelli is one of the most RABID of the fanatical right CHristian Taliban, who work every day to make American into a Christian Theocracy.
DeleteThat guy thinks that ANY birth control is of Satan. He's about the most viciously ignorant bastard on women's rights I've heard of.
He thinks all abortions, even to save the mother's life should be punishable by law.
He believes divorce should be outlawed.
Quotes from the "Cooch"
Medicare Is ‘Despicable, Dishonest, and Worthy of Condemnation
Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid and Food Stamps Are Deliberate Attacks On Americans’ Freedom
Antitrust Law Is Unconstitutional
George Washington Did Not Understand The Constitution
Pregnant Women And Women With Breast Cancer Should Lose Health Care
Global Warming Is A Conspiracy Among Climate Researchers To Trick People Into Giving Them Money
Net Neutrality Is Like Stealing Someone’s Land
o/t Gryphen, do you get the feeling Sarah is threatening you in her latest FB post?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that dawned on me.
DeleteHowever I am not breaking any laws and I am certainly not hacking anybody.
So that would be a swing and a miss.
That was my first thought, too.
DeleteOdd that her "big news" didn't pass the smell test for internet YUGE sharing, no? She's done, pure and simple.
Gryphen, is there anyway that you could collect funds for Levi, since the vindictive fake ass Christian , would not be able to have you account seized?
DeleteA whole lot of people are afraid to declare themselves non-religious. They'd rather see themselves as non-practicing religilists.
ReplyDeleteYes. Americans like to be in the tribe (herd) yet "a little bit different"...so being non-religious would get them kicked out. Frightening for sheep.
DeleteThe two major political parties hate nothing more than people who think for themselves. Why do you think that Bernie received so much support? (even though technically he was running as a Dem)
ReplyDeleteHopefully given this new trend of independent thinkers, candidates such as Bernie will be able to run as Independent and not feel they have to ally with one of the major parties.
I suggest that the Republicans (over the past 8 years especially) are responsible for a large portion of people not wanting to be affiliated with a religion.
ReplyDeleteIf the 'Nones' need a slogan to get them to the polls, how about:
ReplyDeleteOnly You Can Prevent Theocracy--VOTE!!
As a practicing non prophet, there's nothing anyone can say or do to convince me to join organized religion. Keep the Faith, I mean it, Keep it I want nothing to do with it.
ReplyDelete