"Americans to religious organizations: Stay out of politics"

[Skwim]

..

"As Americans gear up for a long and bitterly contentious presidential election year, their message to religious leaders and institutions couldn’t be clearer: Keep out.

That’s the finding in the latest Pew Research poll, which found that 63% of Americans say churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics, and 76% said religious congregations should not make political endorsements.

source​

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

No, I wouldn't.

 

[sun rise]

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

No.

But of course in today's environment, preaching about integrity, honesty, compassion etc is indirectly making a political statement given the POTUS.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

Should Christians be disenfranchised?

Should Christians not be allowed to discuss politics with one another?

When Christians enter a Church, do they immediately remain silent about politics?

Christians are affected by the political make up of the country like anyone else. Why shouldn't they be allowed to voice their political persuasion?

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[Mindmaster]

..

"As Americans gear up for a long and bitterly contentious presidential election year, their message to religious leaders and institutions couldn’t be clearer: Keep out.

That’s the finding in the latest Pew Research poll, which found that 63% of Americans say churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics, and 76% said religious congregations should not make political endorsements.​

.

The godless liberals were the only ones that were polled as per the norm. But, for the rest of the planet generally religion will shape one's views and make the decision automatically. Often the pontiffs, preachers, and priests are just echoing the sentiment of who the lay person would have likely voted for anyway. It's not so much who the church leaders support as it is the only choice in the field of options.

Your religion dislikes abortion, transgenders, or whatever? OK, you aren't voting Democrat regardless of what candidate is available. Think the traditional family is a construct and doesn't exist? OK, you aren't voting for the people who would enforce that in government policy. It's not so much a decision is made, but that there is one or two options.

 

[HonestJoe]

Should Christians be disenfranchised?

The question was about religious organisations, not individual Christians.

 

[pearl]

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

Its a matter of single issue voting and the hell with the rest that is dangerous to our democracy. Ultra religious are unwilling to consider the larger picture with no consideration of rights of others. Many of my own moral principles are formed through my religion, one reason I could never have voted tor Trump. One must vote their conscience. My dad use to say 'live and let live' causing no harm to another. But I do believe that organized religion, with a fixed agenda supporting only their own religious views ought to stay out of politics, which will probably never happen.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

The godless liberals were the only ones that were polled as per the norm.

^ really, really silly

 

[Stevicus]

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

I don't have a problem with religious people expressing their political views. But when they openly support war, violence, greed, police brutality, corruption, exploitation, fraud, theft, consumerism, along with other forms of injustice and sin, it makes it appear that they're talking out their backsides. It makes their religion look bad, as if they're all bunch of hypocrites who refuse to practice what they preach.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

..

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

.

Of course

 

[Revoltingest]

..

"As Americans gear up for a long and bitterly contentious presidential election year, their message to religious leaders and institutions couldn’t be clearer: Keep out.

That’s the finding in the latest Pew Research poll, which found that 63% of Americans say churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics, and 76% said religious congregations should not make political endorsements.

source​

If you're religious, would you give a religion's stance on a secular political issue more credibility than usual because it's your religion?

.

I see no good reason that religious groups should be silent on politics.

 

[Jose Fly]

I see no good reason that religious groups should be silent on politics.

That's not really what the poll was about. If you look at the questions, they were specifically asking about the role churches and houses of worship should play in politics, not "religious groups".

When I read those questions my mind goes to a pastor behind the pulpit urging his congregation to vote for a specific candidate, rather than political activity by any religious group at all.

 

[metis]

The law reads that if a religious body wants to retain tax-exempt status as a charity, they must refrain from endorsing candidates or political parties. However, that provision is rarely if ever enforced in the modern day.

If any priest at a mass I attended ever endorsed a candidate or party, and none ever has in my 54 years of attending masses, he would be getting an earful, let me tell ya. And yet many of the Evangelical churches do this all the time from what I've heard and read over the years.

 

[Revoltingest]

That's not really what the poll was about. If you look at the questions, they were specifically asking about the role churches and houses of worship should play in politics, not "religious groups".

Please excuse my wording which created a false inference.
I see it as you stated it.

When I read those questions my mind goes to a pastor behind the pulpit urging his congregation to vote for a specific candidate, rather than political activity by any religious group at all.

I say they have the right to do exactly that.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

The question was about religious organisations, not individual Christians.

Well, why should Christians be able to vote?

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[HonestJoe]

Well, why should Christians be able to vote?

Why shouldn't they? Again, the topic of the thread is religious organisations, not religious individuals.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

Why shouldn't they? Again, the topic of the thread is religious organisations, not religious individuals.

Well, the Church is made up of individuals. Should they be silent about politics when talking to each other? Should they not be allowed to speak about politics when they enter the Church?

The topic of this thread is religion should stay out of politics, so Americans say. What that really translates into is 'Christians are to keep quiet concerning politics'.

So in silencing Christians, why not just disenfranchise them?

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[HonestJoe]

Well, the Church is made up of individuals.

Yes, but it isn’t just a random bunch of people, there is more to it than that, especially the highly structured international religious establishments we’re talking about here.

Should they be silent about politics when talking to each other? Should they not be allowed to speak about politics when they enter the Church?

Again, individuals are free to say whatever they want in whatever context. The point of the thread is them saying things on behalf of the organisation. After all, that would imply exactly the problem you’re talking about. If your church formally came out in support of a specific party or candidate, wouldn’t that be saying that members of that church wouldn’t be allowed to speak against that position, at least in the church.

The topic of this thread is religion should stay out of politics, so Americans say. What that really translates into is 'Christians are to keep quiet concerning politics'.

Rubbish. Most Americans, including most US politicians are (nominally) Christian. Nobody is saying Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics.

I personally don’t see it much different to any other large and influential organisations. I don’t think commercial companies should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise employees. I don’t think media organisations should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise journalists. I don’t think universities should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise students.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

Yes, but it isn’t just a random bunch of people, there is more to it than that, especially the highly structured international religious establishments we’re talking about here.

Again, individuals are free to say whatever they want in whatever context. The point of the thread is them saying things on behalf of the organisation. After all, that would imply exactly the problem you’re talking about. If your church formally came out in support of a specific party or candidate, wouldn’t that be saying that members of that church wouldn’t be allowed to speak against that position, at least in the church.

Rubbish. Most Americans, including most US politicians are (nominally) Christian. Nobody is saying Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics.

I personally don’t see it much different to any other large and influential organisations. I don’t think commercial companies should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise employees. I don’t think media organisations should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise journalists. I don’t think universities should be political but I’m not looking to disenfranchise students.

Large and influential organizations have skin in the game. Consider the NAACP. Should they be allowed to vocalize support of a political candidate? Oh, that's different.

How about the NRA? Should they be allowed to vocalize support of a political candidate?

The individual Christian and the Church in general is affected by politics, especially in today's atmosphere. You Christians don't speak up about who you are voting for but get ready to go to court if you refuse to bake a cake.

BS.

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[wellwisher]

The problem is the definition of religion is somewhat biased against the traditional religions, which is more slanted to the right. There are similar modern things that smell like a religion, but get a pass due to the self serving definition.

For example, the Russian collusion delusion was a type of mythology that was hard tested and found not to be based on reality. This was a modern type of hate based religion. I would define that as a religion, such that maybe the priests of fake news need to keep quiet. They continue to preach new mythologies.