Religions > Atheism > Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
18 Apr 2006 01:52:27 AM |
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Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests |
Oh Canada! Good for you!
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Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests
Janice Tibbetts
CanWest News Service
Monday, April 17, 2006
OTTAWA - Canadians are becoming increasingly uneasy about mixing
religion and politics and they'd be more likely to vote for a party lead
by an atheist or a Muslim than an evangelical Christian, suggests a new
poll.
The survey was conducted for CanWest News Service late last week, less
than three months after Canadians voted for a government led by Stephen
Harper, an evangelical Christian and one of the country's most openly
religious leaders in decades.
"There's an increasing discomfort with a mixture of religion and
politics, which is occurring at the same time as religion and politics
are becoming increasingly intertwined,'' said Andrew Grenville, a senior
vice-president of the polling firm Ipsos Reid.
The firm conducted its telephone survey with 814 Canadians and 768
Americans on April 11-12. The poll has a margin of error within 3.5
percentage points, 19 times in 20.
Only 63 per cent of Canadians said they'd vote for a party leader and
potential prime minister who is an evangelical Christian, even if they
liked the party and its views. That dropped from 80 per cent a decade
ago.
Canadians appear to be slightly more accepting of a potential prime
minister who is a Muslim or atheist.
Sixty-eight per cent said they would vote for a candidate in either of
those categories, a drop from 74 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively,
in 1996.
The poll also indicates support has slipped for traditional Christian
values playing a major role in politics.
Grenville speculated that nervousness about American politics -- more so
than the "Harper factor'' -- is responsible for Canadians shying away
from politics with religious overtones.
"One part of it is probably the Stephen Harper factor, but I don't think
he has been really wearing his religion on his sleeve, nor really
embraced strong moral stances that can be traced back to religious
belief,'' Grenville said. "It's the U.S. example that has really turned
people off.''
The so-called religious right in the United States is considered to be
largely responsible for sending President George W. Bush back to the
White House in 2004. Moreover, the invasion of Iraq, which Canada did
not support, was widely regarded to be infused with religious overtones.
"I wonder if we're being reactionary when we hear George Bush spouting
off Bible verses along with rhetoric around his war?'' said Richard
Ascough, a religious scholar at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
"I think there's a way we react in Canada by saying `we're not that.' We
tend to define ourselves by what we're not.''
Americans who were surveyed also appear to be less inclined than they
were a decade ago to vote for a leader who is an evangelical Christian,
even if they liked the party and its views. Only 64 per cent would do
so, compared with 78 per cent 10 years ago. The results also suggest
Americans would be more likely to vote for atheists or Muslims as
leaders than they would have been in 1996.
In Canada, there was also a slip in the belief Christians should get
into politics to protect their values, with only 39 per cent agreeing
with the idea, compared with 46 per cent a decade ago. There was also a
five per cent drop -- to 40 per cent from 45 per cent -- in the number
who believe it's essential for Christian values to play a major role.
Grenville said he believes there's been a bit of a backlash against the
divisive political debate in the last couple of years over same-sex
marriage.
"To me it suggests a growing divide in Canadian culture where religion
can become that wedge that pushes people apart,'' he said.
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http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=61a83d87-2b84-4344-9
671-ae3272cb9878&k=62108
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
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| User: "David Canzi -- non-mailable" |
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| Title: Re: Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests |
18 Apr 2006 11:17:17 AM |
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OTTAWA - Canadians are becoming increasingly uneasy about mixing
religion and politics
"Are you frightened?"
... 63 per cent of Canadians said they'd vote for a party leader and
potential prime minister who is an evangelical Christian ...
"Not nearly frightened enough."
--
David Canzi "Imminent death of dominant paradigm predicted -- film at 11."
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests |
19 Apr 2006 01:09:36 AM |
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In article <e233ed$g42$1@rumours.uwaterloo.ca>,
(David Canzi -- non-mailable) wrote:
OTTAWA - Canadians are becoming increasingly uneasy about mixing
religion and politics
"Are you frightened?"
... 63 per cent of Canadians said they'd vote for a party leader and
potential prime minister who is an evangelical Christian ...
"Not nearly frightened enough."
Better than the US. Also more than twice as many would vote for an
atheist than here.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests |
18 Apr 2006 01:57:17 AM |
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johac wrote:
Oh Canada! Good for you!
---
Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests
Janice Tibbetts
CanWest News Service
Monday, April 17, 2006
OTTAWA - Canadians are becoming increasingly uneasy about mixing
religion and politics and they'd be more likely to vote for a party lead
by an atheist or a Muslim than an evangelical Christian, suggests a new
poll.
Mixing politics and religion is a bad idea anywhere. It's just that the
Canadians are intelligent enough to know it. I wonder if that "Marry an
American" website is still up.. <g>
-Panama Floyd, Atl.
aa#2015, Member Knights of BAAWA!
EAC Martian Commander
"..the prayer cloth of one aeon is the doormat of the next."
-Mark Twain
Religious societies are *less* moral than secular ones:
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests |
19 Apr 2006 01:12:14 AM |
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In article <1145343437.508131.269800@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>,
wrote:
johac wrote:
Oh Canada! Good for you!
---
Mixing politics, religion bad idea in Canada, poll suggests
Janice Tibbetts
CanWest News Service
Monday, April 17, 2006
OTTAWA - Canadians are becoming increasingly uneasy about mixing
religion and politics and they'd be more likely to vote for a party lead
by an atheist or a Muslim than an evangelical Christian, suggests a new
poll.
Mixing politics and religion is a bad idea anywhere. It's just that the
Canadians are intelligent enough to know it. I wonder if that "Marry an
American" website is still up.. <g>
Really. The way things are going it won't be too long before Canada
considers putting up a fence on it's Southern border.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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