How religion widens the partisan divide

zephcom

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Here is the link to the article:

The religious roots of today's partisan divide - CNNPolitics

There are lots and lots of stats in the article. The take-away as I see it, is that American Christianity has largely hitched its wagon to the Republican party and its agenda. And it appears that the Republican agenda is losing favor with Americans. And as the Republican agenda is losing favor in America, so is Christianity.

I suppose it isn't surprising that when a religion chooses to become closely aligned with a particular political agenda the religion's popularity will rise or fall with the popularity of the political agenda it supports.
 

Sanoy

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It's more complicated than that imo. I see politics deepening the religious divide. In my experience it is the political divide that is leading ones perception of Biblical values. More and more, one incorporates the Bible into their political paradigm rather than the other way around. Politics deepens the religious divide, and the religious divide deepens the political divide.
 
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zephcom

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It's more complicated than that imo. I see politics deepening the religious divide. In my experience it is the political divide that is leading ones perception of Biblical values. More and more, one incorporates the Bible into their political paradigm rather than the other way around. Politics deepens the religious divide, and the religious divide deepens the political divide.
So it is a circular destruction of both?
 
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zephcom

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This is what happens when a political party allows its agenda to be set by a religion.
Or is it the other way around? This is what happens when a religion allows its agenda to be set by a political party?
 
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carp614

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Statistics are notoriously easy to manipulate.

I don't think anyone should be even remotely surprised that CNN is publishing articles suggesting that religion is the source of all of our political troubles. The goal of the fringe they pander to is to tear down every scrap of traditional thinking until nothing remains but whatever cause de jour they see fit to feed the masses.

This is not anything I would take seriously...
 
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Sanoy

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So it is a circular destruction of both?
Yep. And it's even worse because it's not just Christians whipping it around. Everyone is imo. No matter where you derive your morality from I think it is being incorporated into the paradigm of ones political party, and in some cases, in a very large way, it is being derived from the parties themselves. Social media has become a major informant of moral values, and it revolves around political parties.
 
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zephcom

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Statistics are notoriously easy to manipulate.

I don't think anyone should be even remotely surprised that CNN is publishing articles suggesting that religion is the source of all of our political troubles. The goal of the fringe they pander to is to tear down every scrap of traditional thinking until nothing remains but whatever cause de jour they see fit to feed the masses.

This is not anything I would take seriously...
Killing the messenger is one way to avoid having to deal with the message.

"Traditional thinking" should not be considered sacred. If it is hampering moving forward, it should be gotten rid of.
 
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Speedwell

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Statistics are notoriously easy to manipulate.

I don't think anyone should be even remotely surprised that CNN is publishing articles suggesting that religion is the source of all of our political troubles.
I would be. Certainly that article didn't suggest it.
 
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zephcom

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Yep. And it's even worse because it's not just Christians whipping it around. Everyone is imo. No matter where you derive your morality from I think it is being incorporated into the paradigm of ones political party, and in some cases, in a very large way, it is being derived from the parties themselves. Social media has become a major informant of moral values, and it revolves around political parties.

Certainly in America, political parties have a role in how moral values are encoded into law. But moral values are something that transcend law. Basic moral values...such as not murdering....are easy to put in law. A moral value such as not cheating on a test is far more difficult to put in a law.

I would think that a religion would be able to avoid being drawn into the political bickering over the more gross moral values and remain viable for all people regardless of political parties.
 
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Jamsie

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Statistics are notoriously easy to manipulate.

I don't think anyone should be even remotely surprised that CNN is publishing articles suggesting that religion is the source of all of our political troubles. The goal of the fringe they pander to is to tear down every scrap of traditional thinking until nothing remains but whatever cause de jour they see fit to feed the masses.

This is not anything I would take seriously...

I believe it should taken quite seriously. Can you show where exactly the stats are manipulated? It would seem to me that on this very forum trump is upheld by many in spite of what seems obvious as to his antithetical rhetoric and behavior of Christian values.

That he has by all accounts overwhelming support among Christians speaks volumes as to the nature of virtue and character, Christian or otherwise. One need only look to various social media platforms to see Christians called for hypocrisy and the jettisoning of Christ's teaching...usually by unbelievers.
 
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Sanoy

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I would think that a religion would be able to avoid being drawn into the political bickering over the more gross moral values and remain viable for all people regardless of political parties.
QFT
 
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A Realist

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Or is it the other way around? This is what happens when a religion allows its agenda to be set by a political party?
Nope, religion - right wing evangelicals and fundamentalists - is setting a good bit of the agenda for the party, even though they don't represent the majority of Christianity.

All The Presidents' Men And Women: Members Of President Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board Are Hard At Work Changing Public Policy - But They'd Rather You Not Know About It
 
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hislegacy

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Here is the link to the article:

The religious roots of today's partisan divide - CNNPolitics

There are lots and lots of stats in the article. The take-away as I see it, is that American Christianity has largely hitched its wagon to the Republican party and its agenda. And it appears that the Republican agenda is losing favor with Americans. And as the Republican agenda is losing favor in America, so is Christianity.

I suppose it isn't surprising that when a religion chooses to become closely aligned with a particular political agenda the religion's popularity will rise or fall with the popularity of the political agenda it supports.

All the Democratic Party has to do is have values that will attract moderate Christians?

What exactly does the Democratic Party offer a Christian to woo them to vote Democrat?
 
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zephcom

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All the Democratic Party has to do is have values that will attract moderate Christians?

What exactly does the Democratic Party offer a Christian to woo them to vote Democrat?


I think your question is better asked as, "What exactly does the Democratic Party offer White Christians to woo them to the vote Democrat?" According to the article Minority Christians are already largely voting Democrat. It is only the White Christians who shun the Democratic Party.

And, again from the article, a rather large amount of younger white people are not only avoiding being Republican but also avoiding being Christian.

As the article pointed out, Republicans are maintaining their ability to win elections only by motivating a larger percentage of their supporters to vote. But because their supporters are already a minority, at some point they will get a hundred percent of their supporters to vote and still lose elections.

Long term, the Republican strategy is a strategy of failure. White Christianity in America hitched its wagon to a losing strategy and it is sinking along with the Republicans.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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Here is the link to the article:

The religious roots of today's partisan divide - CNNPolitics

There are lots and lots of stats in the article. The take-away as I see it, is that American Christianity has largely hitched its wagon to the Republican party and its agenda. And it appears that the Republican agenda is losing favor with Americans. And as the Republican agenda is losing favor in America, so is Christianity.

I suppose it isn't surprising that when a religion chooses to become closely aligned with a particular political agenda the religion's popularity will rise or fall with the popularity of the political agenda it supports.
It is unfortunate that Dominionism has seeped through the fabric of the Body of Christ. Christians should equip themselves by researching this franchise in order to understand that it is a deception. Dominion theology is a Christian political ideology that seeks to institute a nation governed by Christians based on their understandings of biblical law. This is NOT what Jesus Christ of Nazareth commanded us to do. Pray for these people for they are on the wide road at the moment.
Blessings
 
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Jamsie

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What exactly does the Democratic Party offer a Christian to woo them to vote Democrat?

Simply...trump is the leader of the "republican" party...actually the trumplican party but they seem to have merged, so that "by their fruit you will know them" speaks volumes as to the hypocrisy of character and virtue contained within the party.
 
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durangodawood

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....The take-away as I see it, is that American Christianity has largely hitched its wagon to the Republican party and its agenda....
I've said it a few times here:

American Christianity exists to serve the Repub party. That how it looks anyway.
 
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zephcom

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I've said it a few times here:

American Christianity exists to serve the Repub party. That how it looks anyway.

At least the White version of it does.

In a much more general sense, however, I think it is worth mentioning that since the Fourth Century, Christianity has pursued a course of serving government in return for protection of competition from other religions.

That White Christianity seeks protection from the Republican Party is pretty much business as usual for the religion.
 
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