Faith on the Hill: The Religious Diversity of the 113th Congress – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

In God we trust?  Who’s God?  The Pew foundation provides analysis and statistics describing religious diversity in Congress.  A second term “Black President” and a national government that is increasingly representative of a nation that reflects the ongoing dream of Lady Liberty…

The accomplishment include:

 

Congress’ First Hindu and Other Firsts

The New, 113th Congress  is the most diverse ever

 

The Pew analysis includes:

 

Differences by Chamber

Differences by Party Affiliation

First-Time Members

Looking Back

“The newly elected, 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as “none,” continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three-quarters of the members belonged to Protestant denominations.”

More via Faith on the Hill: The Religious Diversity of the 113th Congress – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, Congressional Activity, Culture Think, Election 2012, ethnicity in politics, faith-based, News, Religious freedom, Vote, Congress and religious groups, Religion and Politics, Religion on the Hill

2012 Exit Polls: How the Faithful Voted – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Pew Foundation website gives us a nice overview of Religion and the 2012 election … Read the story or navigate the entire report at:

 

Navigate this report:

Vote Choice by Religion and Race

Vote Choice by Religious Attendance

Religious Composition of the 2012 Electorate

In his re-election victory, Democrat Barack Obama narrowly defeated Republican Mitt Romney in the national popular vote (50% to 48%)1. Obama’s margin of victory was much smaller than in 2008 when he defeated John McCain by a 53% to 46% margin, and he lost ground among white evangelical Protestants and white Catholics. But the basic religious contours of the 2012 electorate resemble recent elections – traditionally Republican groups such as white evangelicals and weekly churchgoers strongly backed Romney, while traditionally Democratic groups such as black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated backed Obama by large margins.

via 2012 Exit Polls: How the Faithful Voted – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, faith-based, Religious freedom, Religion and Politics

The Catholic “Swing” Vote – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Catholics are often identified as a major “swing” voting group in American politics.1 In recent presidential elections Catholics have made up roughly a quarter of the electorate, and, indeed, they have been closely divided between the two parties.

 

But a new analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that most subgroups of American Catholics have reliably voted either Republican or Democratic. White Catholics who identify themselves as politically conservative have consistently voted for Republican candidates in recent elections. And white Catholics who identify themselves as political liberals have consistently voted for Democrats, as have Hispanic Catholics and other Catholic minorities.

The only group of Catholics that has been divided in recent elections is white Catholics who identify as moderates; they were closely divided in both 2000 and 2004 before swinging strongly in the Democratic direction in 2008. So far in 2012, there has been little drop-off in support for the Democrats among this group. In Pew Research Center polling conducted so far this year, about half of white Catholic moderates identify themselves as Democrats or say they lean toward the Democratic Party (51%), while 39% prefer the GOP.

via The Catholic “Swing” Vote – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Abortion, Blogosphere, Culture Think, Election 2012, faith-based, News, Public Policy, Religious freedom, Catholics, Religion and Politics, The Catholic vote, The Pope; Catholicism; world leadership; peace;

Candidate Preferences by Religious Group – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Polling conducted in May and early June by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that Mitt Romney continues to hold a commanding lead over Barack Obama among white evangelical voters. But Obama leads Romney by large margins among black Protestants and religiously unaffiliated voters.

The poll was conducted May 9-June 3 among 3,003 adults (including 2,338 registered voters). It was largely completed before the release of a weaker-than-expected federal jobs report on June 1 and recent declines in financial markets. The complete report, which includes general election preference by religion (PDF), is available on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press’ website.

via Candidate Preferences by Religious Group – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Abortion, Election 2012, ethnicity in politics, faith-based, Vote, Religion and Politics

One in Four Voice Concern Over Mormon Presidency – WSJ.com

More than one in four Americans say having a Mormon as president would cause concern for themselves or someone in their family, neighborhood or office, presenting a challenge for …

MORE via One in Four Voice Concern Over Mormon Presidency – WSJ.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, Culture Think, Discrimination, ethnicity in politics, faith-based, ideology, Intolerance, News, Public Policy, Vote, WeSeeReason, atheists; religious conflict; religion; beliefs; discrimination, Mitt Romney, Mormonism, Religion and Politics, Romney leading; Mormon bias; Can a mormon become President of USA?:

More See “Too Much” Religious Talk by Politicians – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A new survey finds signs of public uneasiness with the mixing of religion and politics. The number of people who say there has been too much religious talk by political leaders stands at an all-time high since the Pew Research Center began asking the question more than a decade ago. And most Americans continue to say that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of politics.

Nearly four-in-ten Americans (38%) now say there has been too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders, while 30% say there has been too little. In 2010, more said there was too little than too much religious expression from politicians (37% vs. 29%). The percentage saying there is too much expression of religious faith by politicians has increased across party lines, but this view remains far more widespread among Democrats than Republicans.

via More See “Too Much” Religious Talk by Politicians – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, Education Policy, Election 2012, faith-based, Religious freedom, Religion and Politics

Faith on the Move – Pew Research Center

An estimated 214 million people — about 3% of the world’s population — have migrated across international borders as of 2010. While the percentage may seem small, if the migrants were counted as one nation, they would constitute the fifth most populous country in the world, just behind Indonesia and ahead of Brazil.

Nearly half of these migrants (49%) are Christians, and the top country of origin has been Mexico, followed by Russia and the Ukraine where borders changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The second-largest group of migrants are Muslims (27%), among whom the largest share has come from the Palestinian territories, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

MORE via Faith on the Move – Pew Research Center.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Culture Think, faith-based, Immigration, News, Religious freedom, WeSeeReason, immigration policy; human cargo; trafficking in people; US borders; Mexico's poor; Mexican economic woes; US magnet of opportunity;, Religion and Politics

Chain of Avoidable Errors Cited in Koran Burning – NYTimes.com

American and Afghan officials investigating the Koran-burning episode that has brought relations between the countries to a new low say that the destruction could have been headed off at several …

MORE via Chain of Avoidable Errors Cited in Koran Burning – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Changing Media Paradigm, Civic Engagement, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Culture Think, Death and Dying, Discrimination, Election 2012, ethnicity in politics, faith-based, geopolitical, ideology, International Relations, Intolerance, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Middle East Freedom, News, Oil and Gas, political plots, Political Violence, Religious freedom, social protests, symbolic uses of politics, symbols as swords, waging war, WeSeeReason, atheists; religious conflict; religion; beliefs; discrimination, Holy book, islamophobia, Koran, Religion and Politics

Barack Obama, Catholics and contraceptives: The accommodation | The Economist

IT IS not every day that Republicans can seize on an issue that encapsulates everything they hate about Barack Obama. The recent scandal over contraception comes close. Mr Obama had ordered that all employer-sponsored health insurance cover …

MORE via Barack Obama, Catholics and contraceptives: The accommodation | The Economist.

Filed under: Abortion, access to education, Blogosphere, consumers, Health Literacy, Health Policy, WeSeeReason, contraception, family planning, Religion and Politics

Religion and the Presidential Campaign: January Update – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The latest polling by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that Mitt Romney maintains a substantial lead nationally in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. The survey, conducted Jan. 11-16, finds few differences among GOP voters from various religious groups in terms of the candidate they would most like to see get their party’s nomination.

MORE via Religion and the Presidential Campaign: January Update – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, consumers, Culture Think, Election 2012, faith-based, News, Public Policy, come together; interfaith; faith dialogue; religious tolerance; discrimination; cooperation and collaboration; stakeholders and reason;, Religion and Politics

Daily Number: Romney’s Mormon Faith Likely a Factor in Primaries, Not General Election – Pew Research Center

About half of all voters, and 60% of evangelical Republicans, know that Mitt Romney is a Mormon. The former Massachusetts governor’s religion has implications for his nomination run but not for the general election, should he be nominated as his party’s standard bearer.

White evangelical Protestants — a key element of the GOP electoral base — are more inclined than the public as a whole to view Mormonism as a non-Christian faith. More than half (53%) of white evangelical Protestants say that the Mormon religion is not a Christian faith. About half of all Americans consider Mormonism as a Christian faith. This view is linked to opinions about Romney: Republicans who say Mormonism is not a Christian religion are less likely to support Romney for the GOP nomination and offer a less favorable assessment of him generally.

MORE via Daily Number: Romney’s Mormon Faith Likely a Factor in Primaries, Not General Election – Pew Research Center.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, Discrimination, Election 2012, faith-based, ideology, Intolerance, News, Religious freedom, WeSeeReason, American politics; American political imagination; US politics; US political culture; US political mood; US two party system; US Elections 2012, Mormonism, Religion and Politics, Romney leading; Mormon bias; Can a mormon become President of USA?:

Mormons in America – Pew Research Center

With a Mormon candidate among the front-runners for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, a musical about Mormons playing on Broadway and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (LDS) running television ads about ordinary Mormons, America is in the midst of what some media accounts have dubbed a “Mormon moment.”

MORE via Mormons in America – Pew Research Center.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Culture Think, Election 2012, faith-based, News, symbolic uses of politics, Vote, WeSeeReason, Mitt Romney, Mormonism, Religion and Politics, Romney leading; Mormon bias; Can a mormon become President of USA?: