[tomder55]

Here is the breakdown of the religious vote in the 2004 Presidential debate :

Twelve Tribes Exit Polls Chart Election 2004 Electorate Percentage -- Beliefnet.com



I am intimate with the religious left having defected from it myself ,and having the Catholic Church in America in many ways being in the forefront of the "movement" ;especially in areas like illegal immigration restrictions.

On the positive side they generally do not like the "secular left " and their dominance in shaping the political debate. Jim Wallis'[editor of'Sojourners'magazine] book God's Politics Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It is probably the definitive book that explains it. His central theme is God belongs to no single political party and true faith transcends political categorization. Hard to argue with that. Basically this is a call to the left to embrace religion .The cynical among us might suggest that this is a call for a strategy that doesn't abandon the "moral vote" .

Jimmy Carter in Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis also explores this subject . He makes a much more vicious attack on fundamentalism (he lumps all of us right wingers as fundamentalists) .

The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right by Rabbi Michael Lerner [editor of 'Tikkun' magazine]also takes on the 'religious right' .He says the political left

"often sees religion not merely as mistaken but as fundamentally irrational, and it gives the impression that one of the most important elements in the lives of ordinary Americans is actually deserving of ridicule"

Faith and Feminism: A Holy Alliance by Helen Hunt explores it from a feminist viewpoint.

The thing they have in common with the' political right' is the view that religion should not be removed from the public square ;which represents their main difference with the secularist left. While both put fighting poverty high on the agenda ;the 'religious left 'frames it in evangelical terms. They agree ;as many of us here have argued that American history in general ,and the progressive movement [abolition ,women's suffrage, the fight for child labor laws and the civil rights movement]specifically has it's roots in religious activism.

They have been very active in the anti-Iraq war effort. From the start groups like the National Council of Churches, the Catholic Church, Faithful America have led the protest movement .It was members of the 'religious left 'who have stood as human shields in Bagdad and in Palestine. To their credit ,they have taken the lead in the public awareness of the holocaust in Darfur.

Ethnic groups like Latinos tend to be very religious and are generally liberal.

The Catholic church is split on the issues . But the left in the church generally agree with the right on issues like abortion and gay marriage .But on these issues they do not take a strong advocacy stand. They are often in opposition to church policies and attendance has declined as they exercise their protest. In the United States the socially liberal elements have infiltrated the church hierarchy so groups like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops pose a unique challenge to Rome .

[BABRAM]

Thanks Tom. I found the link helpful. It appears the Christian left is slightly more conservative. Now I am curious, if for example, as to when the liberal secular left and the proclaimed Christian left vote on issues if they are fairly consistent on voting the same? In other words, how are they are similar on issues and how are they different.


Bobby

[tomder55]

That breakdown is also provided on the same site

Twelve Tribes Exit Polls Chart Election 2004 Important Issues Moral Values -- Beliefnet.com

[BABRAM]

Tom- Thanks again. That's fairly close as I thought it might be. Secular and Religious Left run similar percentages on the issues per categories provided.

Bobby