Young Evangelicals Abandoning GOP Over Iraq, Economy

Seattle Times:

Michael Dudley is the son of a preacher man.

He's a born-again Christian with two family members in the military. He grew up in the Bible Belt, where almost everyone he knew was Republican. But this fall, he's breaking a handful of stereotypes: He plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

"I think a lot of Christians are having trouble getting behind everything the Republicans stand for," said Dudley, 20, a sophomore at Seattle Pacific University.

Dudley's disenchantment with the GOP isn't unique among young, devoutly Christian voters. According to a September 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 15 percent of white evangelicals between 18 and 29, a group traditionally a shoo-in for the GOP, say they no longer identify with the Republican Party. Older evangelicals are also questioning their traditional allegiance, but not at the same rate.

Read the whole story: Seattle Times

Comments

[dartagnan]

By posturing against abortion and gays and mouthing pietistic platitudes, the Greedy Old Perverts managed to convince the evangelicals they were God's Own Party and that voting for a Democrat was tantamount to voting for Satan. But it's increasingly tough to maintain that fiction in the wake of all the scandals, sexual and otherwise, that have engulfed the Greedy Old Pervert party. Also, while they may not be completely rational about social issues, the evangelicals see themselves getting screwed by Greedy Old Pervert economic policies just as all other working-class and middle-class Americans are.

[Uriah43]

As a Christian evangelical I've had some misgivings about the GOP for many years. When I was younger I was a staunch Republican. But I could never quite reconcile things about the right-wing of the GOP and Christianity. For instance, I could understand how some Christians could oppose abortion. Although I never considered a tissue mass as being the same thing as a baby and that destroying it was akin to murder, I tried to understand their line of reasoning. A child is a gift from God and destroying a baby was wrong. But a tissue mass? Hmmm. That said, however, how does being a Christian evangelical accept the sale of handguns (which kill people) without even a background check? Take WIC and Welfare as another example. If a person is sooooo against abortion then you would think he or she would be very much in favor of helping a single mother raise a child (instead of aborting it). Yet it's the GOP who try every trick in the book to minimize or even cancel these programs. Jesus was in favor of helping the poor. So I have no problem with scholarships for the poor, food stamps or any number of other programs to help the poor and sick. Yet the GOP sure does. In short, there are a number of issues that the GOP supports that I oppose and vice-versa.

So, as an Independent how will I vote this November? Straight Democratic...

[Kache]

Warning Uriah43 - mixing your heart and your head can be injurous to your well being!

Just kidding :-) You sound like you'd be an interesting person to know. Thanks for your comments!

[transendentilist]

Good for you Uriah! I wish many more Christians would come to this realization.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

The younger generation is a lot more smarter than the idiot baby boomers.

[Actionmac]

Baby boomer here and I am no idiot, just as many boomers... because you see many problems created of late by some boomers does not say we all are cut from the same cloth. BTW, Obama is a boomer... idiot, he is not... yodish

[LeaveArtieAlone]

Dude! Cut that out!

[jubo]

Bust, baby, bust.

[Eoin45]

At the risk of getting kicked off: FO greatgig. I'm a boomer too. At the very least my generation was smart enough to stop a war. What did yours do? And there isn't one of my boomer friends who doesn't have more brains in one of their little fingers than you've got in your whole body.

[Kache]

Amen Eoin45. When we were their age we drove two successive Presidents from the White House. The first declined to run again, shamed by his war. The second one we goaded into a fit of paranoia so deep it consumed him and his presidency. That's how we ended a war that killed 2 million civilians and 1.4 million soldiers.

And what are these sorry self-obsessed little rascals doing? Oh, look at them. They're afraid the price of admission to heaven might actually be in a currency other than the one they've been hoarding. Now it's that SPECIAL!

[ema]

I iz more smarter

[transendentilist]

No z you ain't I is.

[sandtats]

And apparently it's not only the flock who are abandoning the GOP, but the shepherds as well. You can't make this stuff up. How's this for a bit of delicious irony. George W's "spiritual adviser," the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of the Windsor Village Methodist (mega) Church; the Rev. who just married his daughter Jenna yesterday, also endorsed Barack for president.

Jenna says, "I do," Reverend says, "Yes We Can!" hehe

"The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston officiated. Back in January, the influential Houston minister, a longtime spiritual adviser to the president, said he had decided to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Kirbyjon introduced Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention and gave the benediction at both of his inaugurations."

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8306785

[Kache]

Kirbyjon's interview at beliefnet is priceless. We will see a lot more of this thoughtful man during the GE.
'
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/232/story_23282_1.html

[DRaymond]

This is a broader issue in the evangelical movement as a whole. The old school evangelicals...Robertson, Dobson, etc. felt that a focus on a very narrow set of isues: abortion, gays, creationism, would be their route to keep the pews filled and get themselves political power. The Republicans neatly lined up behind those issues. The newer group of evangelicals are looking at issues of social justice, evnironmental stewardship, compassion, and not seeing the Republicans in line with them.

[Kache]

The Republican Party is facing 8 out-of-power years of wandering in the wilderness doing a generation of soul searching. Mike Huckabee remained in the race long after his candidacy was no longer viable to position himself to take that old school's place during the coming reformation.

Huckabee would be a Christian Socialist in most European countries. His economics begins with the belief that we are our brother's keepers. I'm certainly not a Christian, nor a Republican, but I sincerely wish Huckabee well in his next calling. He has an honest vision of his gosple.

[eurydice]

Who would Jesus endorse?

[DesertLight]

I'm venturing a guess it would not be Pontius Pilate.

[jubo]

Orpheus rocks.

[RaraAvis17]

Over the past 8 years I have come to realize that if you call yourself a Christian and god loving person - that it gives you the right to be the most evilest person and no one questions it. Strange, but true. It's nice to see people are waking up to the fact.

[heal57]

It sure is. The same with the catholics. How many priests were abusing children while the bishops and even the pope protected them. Lets all think for ourselves and keep religion the hell out of politics. That means everybody. We need to come together as Americans.


Independent fopr Obama '08

[jubo]

There are impostors in religion and in politics. Hard to give a First Prize.

[dartagnan]

Once you convince yourself that you are doing The Will o' Gawd you can commit any crime with a clear conscience. "If I can make you believe absurdities, I can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire

[jubo]

Gawd. In the purest Voltarian cynicism may I suggest... Gaud?

[BearsGrl8]

Yes, some people use their faith as a justification for evil, but not all of us. I am a Christian and try every day to follow Christ's life of love and servitude. Please do not assume that everyone who claims to be a Christian is just like the rest of us. Such assumptions are no different than assuming that every American is like Bush, or every Muslim is like bin Laden, or every German is like Hitler: it's wrong.

[heal57]

Good for the young 'evangelicals'. I'm a non-practicing catholic, 12 years of all girl catholic school. I don't go to church, I don't follow the pope. I have a mind of my own. I'm against the Iraq war, the economy is disgusting and the fascists have been running our country. Oh, I'm over 60, white and female and Barack has my vote too. Let's all come together. I want my kids and grandkids to have a better life.


Independent for Obama '08

[EspritDeVoltaire]

This is not an isolated phenomenon, I've been pointing to this for months. George Barna, one of the most knowledgeable pollsters about the Christian community, has been writing about it also. I've been following The Barna Group's reports for almost 10 years to help me understand these groups as voters.

Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates
February 4, 2008

(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=291

[transendentilist]

I used to go to Greatful Dead shows in Ventura. It was a blast.

[OlongapoEd]

One swallow does not a summer make. One "disenchanted" "evangelical" does not constitute anything resembling a movement. I have yet to see any real evidence that Militant Reactionoary Christians in general will not vote overwhelmingly for God's Own Party when push comes to shove.

[olivia]

I am disappointed that more Christians did not speak out against the terrible deeds of the neocons. So much suffering was caused by the neocons, and Christians just sat by and watched.

[jubo]

Yup. How long will they 'not know what they're doing' ?

[poco767]

It wasn't just Christians sadly. Bush and company suckered, scared and coerced a lot of good and well meaning Americans. He was able to win a second term, in spite of glaring incompetence and corruption, enough people voted to allow him to claim the presidency, twice.

[hypnotoad72]

When they say they have trouble standing for what the Republicans stand for, do they say what they think Republicans stand for?

That's probably a rhetorical question, but I thought I'd ask it anyway.

[olivia]

It's about time they saw through the neocons and how they have USED evangelicals without giving them a single thing.

Is McCain going to throw the wedge issues of gay marriage and choice into the mix? Will the evangelicals fall for it AGAIN and believe the neocons will waste one cent of political capital on those issues?

[BADEN]

Learning the value of Free Will?

Priceless.

[transendentilist]

Egggsa lent!!

[Spiriteddona]

I am heartened fundementalists are looking beyond basic morals to the war question. the story was unfair. a lot of fudementalists would pick Hillary!
"Pantsuit Vixens for Hillary!"
email it
yahoo search or
the vid no. http://video.com/watch/2559101/76720833
trib to Tina Fey!
Humor

[karmafriend]

i remember reading a report last year that said something like only 14% of the kids raised in evangelical churches stay with the churches once they reach 18.

but i'm sure the evangelical churches keep the names on the rolls, just as the catholic church counts everyone who was ever baptized -- unless they were officially excommunicated. both groups need to be seen as bigger than they really are.

[transendentilist]

The scary thing is "Jesus Camp."

[KarateKid]

40 years ago, Marshall McLuhan wrote a book entitled The Medium Is The Massage, which predicted the explosion of information in the years to come. It was pretty forward looking considering the digital age was still at least a generation away.

The bottom line is that it is much easier to disseminate information, and therefore much more difficult to deceive people unless you isolate them, like some of these cults do. Young evangelicals are becoming more involved in thinking for themselves since they can see what is going on in the world. They can see that over 4000 brave soldiers have been killed in an immoral war; they pay $4 a gallon for gas at the pumps; and they can see the hypocrisy of politics as usual as practiced by their parents' generation.

They see, in Barack Obama, a different kind of politician, a different family background, and are attracted to his way of viewing the world. I'm not sure they embrace the Democrats in the same way, but they are definitely a part of Obama's coalition.

[CarlyCorday]

Good post, KarateKid, yours always are...just don't forget what generation Marshal McLuhan comes from. It's an old one.

You may not be realizing how many pro-Obama Huffposters are over 50--even WAY over 50. The only people I've met yet who "don't see" what you describe above are some in "the greatest generation" (many of whom never fought in the Big War). Having one of them compare Saddam and the Iraq war with Hitler and World War II is beyond frustrating. I've had to walk out of a room trembling, hearing that. Especially when my kid was over there.

One other group I know of is vapidly content with the old ways, and that group is 21-36, male, white, repulsively pro-war, vicious defenders of Bushco and, of course, not about to get up out of their soft computer desk chairs and go visit the Recruiter. Many of them hang out at HuffPost, just full of banter to share with us. The new last refuge of the Coward: cruising the progressive blogs typing, "Libtard!"

Someday, when the war crimes trials begin, I hope these young American men will be correcly called "collaborators" and judged accordingly.

Obama '08

[Kache]

"even WAY over 50"

Shhhhh, you don't want scare the children now do you.....

[Mikesacola]

The comment by one young Christian in the article "abortion is nonnegotiable" sort of sums up their inability to think critically. Abortion NO!! But toddlercide by the thousands, as foreign (read: heathen) families are caught in the middle of Georgie The GOPerv's war is JUST FINE and of course, just.