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Does religion make a difference in how you vote?

03:51 / 17.09.04

If you didn’t know what a presidential candidates religous veiws were, would it matter to you? Would you want to know before you voted?

In my POLI Science class, we discussed this today. I for one said it would make no difference. He then asked, how would you feel tomorrow if the headline of time magazine read, KERRY A SATINIST? I argued that the question was ridiculous. The professor then pulls out statistics, I wish I would have had the stones to questioned his sources, 70 percent of Americans say they would never vote for a Jew, and 73 say they would never vote for a Mormon. And Catholics were way down there.

Never thought much about religion in politics. Kinda sad though.

Does religion make a difference to you? Why, or why not?

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

03:59 / 17.09.04

Just my opinion, but as an outsider, it REALLY seems like the Fundamentalists Christians have completely usurped the Republican Party to the point where Democrats are considered the party of the Godless.

I find it VERY weird, since until the mid to late 50's, the Republican Party was the party of business leaders, people in the NorthEast and Roman Catholics.

09:53 / 17.09.04

I think the 2000 results sort of kill those statistics as the majority of Americans voted for a Jewish vice-president.... and you can probably assume that over 40% this year will vote for Kerry (Catholic). And there was Kennedy of course...

I've heard the statistic that x% (75-85%?) of Americans wouldn't vote for a candidate who didn't believe in God. Which God it is I don't think matters, but people want their leader to believe in something...

12:27 / 17.09.04

Personally, all else being equal, I'd be inclined to vote against a candidate whose religious views are a matter of record. I'm deeply uncomfortable with Blair's rather creepy Christianity.

flufeemunk effluvia

23:29 / 17.09.04

There are certainly some iffy beliefs that would scare me, like Mormonism and most heavily orthodox religions. Thats just my inner knee-jerk liberal, though.