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New Research: White Evangelical Christians Have Widely Embraced Trump's Conspiracy Theories

Feb 13
2 min

New Research: White Evangelical Christians Have Widely Embraced Trump's Conspiracy Theories

No demographic group in America has aligned itself more closely to Donald Trump than white evangelical Christians, who make up about 20-25% of the electorate and a big chunk of the Republican "base." 75% of them supported Trump in November, down a bit from 2016, but not by much. We have joined many other commentators in noting that it's an odd relationship considering the former President's rather sorted history, but no revelations about his past marital indiscretions, proof

The Unholy Alliance: Donald Trump & "Christian Nationalism"

Dec 28, 2020
3 min

The Unholy Alliance: Donald Trump & "Christian Nationalism"

There is quite a bit of research now concerning Americans who identify as "Christian Nationalists," generally those that believe that the United States is a white Christian nation that should be governed under a "reactionary" [think old testament] understanding of Christian values. They argue that Christianity and "American exceptionalism" are under attack from those that support LGBT rights, abortion, immigration, the secularization of our laws, and their rather ill-defined

Oct 23, 2020
2 min

Pope Francis Shows How Rigid & Ugly Amy Coney Barrett's Brand of Christianity Is

This week Pope Francis revealed his support for gay civil unions, breaking with Catholic tradition. Catholic conservatives were shocked, of course, but the Pope's message simply acknowledges that the Church's long-held position on the issue didn't reflect today's scientific consensus on human sexuality and wasn't particularly "Christian." The Hill: "Pope Francis’s comments occurred in a documentary about his life titled “Francesco,” which premiered in Rome. In the film, the p

Pope Francis Gets Very Close to Endorsing Biden in New Encyclical Titled "Brothers All"

Oct 5, 2020
3 min

Pope Francis Gets Very Close to Endorsing Biden in New Encyclical Titled "Brothers All"

Popes generally don't endorse political candidates, but Francis came quite close yesterday to endorsing Joe Biden in a new encyclical titled "Fratelli Tutti." In many ways it echoes the themes of Biden's candidacy on a broad array of issues such as social justice, access to health care, racism, immigration, the environment, poverty, and international cooperation. In part, Pope Francis released his encyclical letter, “Fratelli Tutti [Brothers All],” to chastise the “myopic, e

Trump's Feigned Piety Demeans Christianity

Aug 8, 2020
2 min

Trump's Feigned Piety Demeans Christianity

I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb when I say that Donald Trump is about as pious as my golden retriever. I suspect his prayers have been limited to asking god to keep the IRS away from his doorstep. However, the President's pollsters have certainly informed him that what remains of his tattered base consists of white evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics, like his Attorney General, William Barr, concerned about growing secularism in America. So, Trump

"Christianity Today" Editorial Warns Evangelicals About the Devil's Bargain They Made With Trump

Dec 20, 2019
2 min

"Christianity Today" Editorial Warns Evangelicals About the Devil's Bargain They Made With Trump

Evangelicals break with Trump. The magazine that Billy Graham founded, Christianity Today, published an editorial yesterday calling for Donald Trump's impeachment and removal from office. The publication is not representative of all evangelicals, far from it, but it may suggest that there are cracks forming in Trump's conservative Christian base. The editorial is scathing, and entirely accurate. And it's meant as a wake-up call to evangelicals to reject short-term political e

Rick Perry, Who Once Called Trump a "Cancer,"Now Says He is the "Chosen One"

Nov 26, 2019
2 min

Rick Perry, Who Once Called Trump a "Cancer,"Now Says He is the "Chosen One"

Energy Secretary and former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry told Fox & Friends that he believes President Trump is the “chosen one.” That is quite a change of heart. In 2015 Perry offered this rather sagacious appraisal of "Trumpism:" Perry: "He offers a barking carnival act that can be best described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued." "Let no one be mistaken – Donald Trump’s cand

The Number of Non-religious Individuals is Growing in America, Especially Among the Young

Oct 20, 2019
1 min

The Number of Non-religious Individuals is Growing in America, Especially Among the Young

Recent studies show that America is becoming less religious. The number of Americans who report that they aren't religious continues to grow rather quickly. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 65% of us describe ourselves as Christians, still a majority, but down 12 points over the past decade. Some among the other 35% follow other religions, but 26% say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular, an increase of 9% from 2009.” This decline in religi

Leader of Conversion Therapy Movement Now Says He's Gay & Admits He's Done A Lot of Harm

Sep 4, 2019
1 min

Leader of Conversion Therapy Movement Now Says He's Gay & Admits He's Done A Lot of Harm

McKrae Game is gay, but for years he led "Hope for Wholeness", a faith-based conversion therapy ministry in South Carolina. Conversion therapy is now outlawed in 18 states and condemned by the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association. Game and other conversion therapists claimed that they could change or suppress a person’s LGBTQ identity through counseling and prayer. Game is now coming to terms with the immense harm he did to so many during hi

40 Percent of Americans & 55 Percent of Republicans Still Believe in Young Earth Creationism

Aug 9, 2019
3 min

40 Percent of Americans & 55 Percent of Republicans Still Believe in Young Earth Creationism

I was stuck on a flight from Houston to San Diego with a "young earth creationist [YEC]" several years back and it was the longest flight I have ever endured. After we got buckled in, he turned to me and said, "you don't believe in evolution do you?" I winced, noticeably I'm sure, because after moving to the South in the late 1990s, I had met quite a few folks who had tried to convince me that God had created the earth, including humans in their present form, within the last

New Research Suggests that Women Served as Priests in the Early Catholic Church

Jul 18, 2019
2 min

New Research Suggests that Women Served as Priests in the Early Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has long resisted ordaining women priests based, in part, on the argument that they had never served that role in the Church. There is no definitive basis in the bible for their stance; it has just been their position that priests and bishops must be men because of Church tradition and because Christ and his disciples were men. However, there is research suggesting that women were ordained in the early Catholic Church and that their exclusion today has lit

For the First Time More People Claim No Religion Than Any Specific Religious Affiliation

Apr 14, 2019
1 min

For the First Time More People Claim No Religion Than Any Specific Religious Affiliation

In a survey of over 2,000 people conducted by Professor Ryan Burge, of Eastern Illinois University, more people claim to have no religion than claimed to be Catholic or evangelical Christian. "No Religion" tallied 23.1%, while Catholics came in at 23.0%, and evangelicals totaled 22.5%. It's the first time "No Religion" has led in a survey of American religious identity, Nonbelievers make up a growing proportion of America, but it's still politically risky to admit that you ar

Results From Comprehensive Study of Religion Globally; Religious Observance Tied to Education and In

Jun 22, 2018
2 min

Results From Comprehensive Study of Religion Globally; Religious Observance Tied to Education and In

According to a study on religion by the Pew Research Center, religious observance is higher in the developing world, in nations with low levels of education and high levels of income inequality and poverty such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and India. Religious adherence is dropping quickly in Europe, Japan, Australia, and North America, although less swiftly in the United States. Overall however, because populations are growing much faster in

Recent Research Shows That Religious Individuals Are No More Moral Than Atheists

New Study Shows that Religious Fundamentalists and Those That are Delusional or Dogmatic are More Li

May 18, 2018
1 min

New Study Shows that Religious Fundamentalists and Those That are Delusional or Dogmatic are More Li

According to a working paper from Yale’s Michael Bronstein, Gordon Pennycook, Adam Bear, Tyrone Cannon, and David Rand, people who are delusional, dogmatic, or religious fundamentalists are more likely to be taken in by fake news stories like the ones Russians used during the last election. From the Study: Two studies with over 1,000 participants suggested that individuals who endorse delusion-like ideas (e.g., thinking that people can communicate telepathically), as well as

New Research Shows That There is a Backlash Against the Work of Far Right Religious Groups

May 4, 2018
1 min

New Research Shows That There is a Backlash Against the Work of Far Right Religious Groups

Conservative religious organizations may be fueling the growing trend away from religion in America. A new study has found that in states [generally "Red" states] where far-right religious groups have conducted high profile campaigns like ballot measures to prohibit gay marriage, there is a backlash against organized religion, especially among millennials. The research was conducted by Professors Paul A. Djupe, Jacob R. Neiheisel, and Kimberly H. Conger and was published this

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