Maybe Less Government Led to Less Religion



Someday, pundits will look back at the election of Donald Trump and provide an
 explanation that makes sense as to how this strange character became President. These days there is a constant stream of analysis though I'm not sure anyone can quite get their arms around all of it.

One thing to note is that religious participation is falling fastest among lower income Americans. Lower income white Americans voted for Trump in big percentages. Does this mean less religion drove political numbers to him?

While we are doing arm chair speculation, it is fun to move back up the food chain. While government dollars and employees have been rising, government programs and regulations have been declining. A Presidential aspirant mentioned the other day we should return to an 80% tax on the highest incomes.

I can recall a time when the tax rate on income over a high level was taxed at 90%. At that time, welfare programs were easier to obtain. Farm subsidies were larger. There were many more regulations. Airline routes and fares, for example, were completely regulated by the federal government.

This was part of the reason income distribution at that time was much more even than it is today. Church attendance and belief in God was much higher as well. Ironically, evangelical leaders  have since endorsed less government and lower taxes. Their livelihood, church attendance and belief have fallen.

That a decline in belief and less equal income distribution happened at the same time may not mean one caused the other. But surely we can say increasingly unequal income distribution has not helped religion.

In summary, we can say with certainty conservative politics and the election of Trump, both endorsed by conservative Christianity, did not help the Christian faith. The sands of time may show a strong connection.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/was-trumps-rise-driven-by-church-decline.html

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