Do Politics Determine our Religious Views



There is not enough, maybe never will be enough, understanding of the interaction between politics and religion. Conventional wisdom is that we are religious first and then pick our political parties based on that. A long detailed study shows that just the opposite is often the case. We pick our political views and they guide us toward the religious beliefs we then adopt. We gravitate toward churches that hold our political views and we then adopt the religious views of that church.

They study questioned a group of young people. It then followed them through several years and tracked their religious and political views.

I can't help but compare the link with what I read about religious people and President Trump. A broad sweep of religious people lampooned President Obama's church. It was in the United Church of Christ denomination on the liberal end of the church political spectrum. Obama was not a real Christian, it was said, and thus should not be President.

Since President Trump does not seem to have any religious inclinations the old conventional wisdom would tell us he would be criticized just as Obama was. That is, he is not a Christian and thus should not be President.

Trump's politics, however, appeal to a large cross section of religious people. Just as the link predicts, politics prevails over religion. The religious views that a President should be a Christian is no longer a theological principle.

From a sociological perspective both politics and religion slide along the same track as society's values. As society changes so does politics and its bed fellow, religion.


www.freethinkerjon.blogspot.com

Comments

  1. Retired MajorJuly 18, 2018 at 5:12 AM

    Unfortunate, but it certainly appears true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenJuly 18, 2018 at 6:42 AM

      Thanks Major. Seems to me politics and religion come from the same place.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJuly 18, 2018 at 1:18 PM

      I found that people who attend church, gravitate to the left. And get more testy if they are challenged. All the right minded people have do is just voice just a bit of an opinion and the left become more defensive than is necessary. Kind of like killing a fly with a shot gun when a fly swatter would have worked.

      Delete

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