papajack@stic.net (Papa Jack) wrote in
news:6f9e1b49.0312181408.437649cc@posting.google.com:

On Dec 17, 2003, an Op/Ed column by David M.
Shribman titled: "POLITICAL HOME FOR RELIGIOUS
VOTERS HAS SHIFTED" was posted. Go to:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclicktext/20031218/cm_u
cds/politicalhomeforreligiousvotershasshifted
_______________________________________________________________________
_________ Excerpts:

"This country is divided along lines over how we
live, love, tax, vote -- and pray. And now that
we're about to enter a political year in which we
will help decide how we will live, love and tax,
there's increasing attention on how we pray.

"Three years ago, when the country was divided
narrowly over whether to elect Gov. George W.
Bush of Texas or Vice President Albert Gore Jr.
of Tennessee, one of the biggest gaps was over
religion. In the 2000 election, Bush swept more
religiously observant voters by large percent-
ages -- and in the case of white evangelical
Protestants, by a margin of more than 5-to-1.
[...]

"Today 81 percent of Americans agree to some
extent that prayer is an important part of
their daily lives, an increase of 5 percent-
age points in the past 16 years, according
to a national survey undertaken by the Pew
Research Center. But a more important find-
ing may be that 51 percent COMPLETELY agree
that prayer is an important part of their
daily lives -- an increase of 10 percentage
points in that period. Some 87 percent of
the public says it never doubts the exis-
tence of God.

"This has critical social and cultural impli-
cations. In the past decade and a half, poli-
tical and religious viewpoints have become
increasingly interconnected and increasingly
important. Indeed, the connections between
political conservatism and religiosity have
grown ever more robust in recent years. A
telling finding: The Democrats had an 18
percentage-point advantage among white
Catholics who said in the late 1980s they
attended Mass daily; today the Republicans
have a 2-point advantage over voters who say
the same thing.

"The flight of white evangelical Protestants
and religious Catholics from the Democrats to
the Republicans is one of the signal political
events of our time, but it is not occurring in
a vacuum. Supreme Court decisions on issues
such as school prayer and abortion contributed
to the politicization of religion, helping to
transform the role religious Americans play in
American politics.
[...]

"Now we approach a national election in which the
issue of gay marriage is almost certain to be a
major issue. The Democratic front-runner, former
Gov. Howard Dean, signed into law Vermont's sta-
tute recognizing civil unions. This is an issue
that gay activists and religious conservatives
alike are eager to engage, though for different
reasons.

[...]
_______________________________________________________________________
_________ Papa Jack comments:
Abortion will also be one of the "flashpoints" of
this election. -- particularly when it becomes
common knowledge Dean worked in a Planned Parent-
hood facility during his internship.

Thanks. That's just another good reason to vote for him.

Happy holidays.

it's not surprising that his approval rating has skyrocketed. even
former democrats now support him!

the reason is because there is finally a line drawn in the sand--Thank
God.

on the democrat side, you have a compromise to anything traditional.
everything is acceptable, and they make sure that no one is offended.

on the republican (GOP) side you have the same morality and traditions
that our great great grandparents lived by.