My comments in italics
Most Democrats and Republicans Know Biden Is Catholic, but They Differ Sharply About How Religious He Is
Republicans and Democrats have vastly different views about how religious Biden is and whether he talks about his religious faith too much, too little or the right amount. This political divide extends even to Biden’s fellow Catholics, who are deeply split along party lines over whether Biden’s views about abortion should disqualify him from receiving Communion.
While majorities in both parties know that Biden is Catholic, they disagree profoundly about the role of religion in his private and public life. Nearly nine-in-ten Democrats say that Biden is at least “somewhat” religious, including 45% who say they think he is a “very” religious person. By contrast, almost two-thirds of people who identify with or lean toward the GOP (63%) say that Biden is “not too” or “not at all” religious.
On the whole, the share of Americans who say Biden is a “very” or “somewhat” religious person has risen from 55% in February 2020 to 64% today. Over that period, there has been a particularly pronounced increase in the share of Americans who say Biden is “very” religious (from 9% in February 2020 to 27% today) . But virtually all of this increase has happened among Democrats; among members of Biden’s own party, 13% described him as very religious early last year, compared with 45% today.
The survey finds, furthermore, that a slim majority of Catholic Republicans (55%) think that Biden’s views about abortion should disqualify him from receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. But nearly nine-in-ten Catholic Democrats (87%) come down on the other side of this question, saying that Biden should be allowed to receive the Eucharist.
In addition to asking about whether Biden should be allowed to receive Communion, the survey also asked Catholics whether, in general, Catholic politicians who disagree with the church’s teachings about a variety of issues should be allowed to go to Communion.
Overall, three-in-ten Catholics say that Catholic political figures who disagree with church teaching about abortion should be barred from Communion.1 But fewer say this should be the case for those who disagree with the church over homosexuality (19%) or the death penalty (18%), and just one-in-ten say Catholic politicians who disagree with the church’s teachings on immigration should be disqualified from receiving the Eucharist.
Combining these questions shows that seven-in-ten Catholic Democrats don’t think disagreeing with the church about any of the four issues raised by the survey should disqualify Catholic politicians from receiving Communion.
My conclusion is that American Catholics historically have seen worship, i.e. going to Mass, as the defining characteristic of being Catholic, and have seen moral behavior and church teaching as distant indicators of being Catholic. After all most Catholic practice birth control.
By contrast, most Republicans say they think it should be disqualifying if a Catholic politician disagrees with the church on at least one of these issues. This includes 18% of Catholic Republicans who think abortion is the sole issue of those presented by the survey that should be a litmus test for receiving Communion, along with 17% of Republicans who name both abortion and one other issue (usually homosexuality). An additional 14% of Catholic Republicans say that three or four of these issues should be grounds for disqualifying Catholic politicians from receiving Communion in the event of a disagreement with the church.
I think Republican Catholics led by Republican bishops are attempting to redefine Catholicism more in terms of morality and church teaching as on a equal par with worship. Catholic Democrats have not made the environment, immigration, and the death penalty as important as worship.
Most U.S. adults do not know Vice President Harris’ religion
Six-in-ten U.S. adults know Biden is Catholic
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say Biden is at least somewhat religious; fewer say the same about Harris
Across a variety of religious groups, sizable majorities say they think Biden is at least somewhat religious, ranging from 60% of White Protestants who are not evangelical to 87% among Black Protestants. There is just one exception to this pattern: Only one-third of White evangelical Protestants (35%) say they think Biden is a religious person, while almost two-thirds (63%) say he is “not too” or “not at all” religious.
Fewer people in most religious groups say they think Harris is a “very” or “somewhat” religious person. Here again, the view that Harris is a religious person is most common among Black Protestants (78%) and least common among White evangelical Protestants (20%).
These differences among religious groups are in line with patterns of partisanship: Black Protestants are among the most strongly and consistently Democratic constituencies in U.S. politics, while White evangelical Protestants are among the most reliably Republican groups.
I think the attempt to redefine Catholicism in terms of morality and beliefs rather than worship is due to the bad sectarian influence of Evangelical Protestantism upon Catholicism including some Catholic bishops, i.e. the attempt to define some religious people as more religious than others..
Six-in-ten say Biden talks about his faith ‘about the right amount’
Four-in-ten weekly Mass attenders say Biden, other politicians who disagree with the Catholic Church about abortion should not be allowed to go to Communion.
Again I see this as part of the sectarian trends within Catholicism to set up an category of Catholics who are more Catholic than the other Catholics. Some even volunteered in this survey that Catholics like Biden are "fake Catholics."
Biden isn't a religious leader. He's a civil one. Whether or not he goes to Communion is between himself and God. The first amendment provides for no religious test, that was the wish of the writers of the Constitution. The armchair Pharisees need to get over themselves and live their own lives. Again, my pet peeve of people wanting to weaponize the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteWe have now reached a tipping point of a majority of Americans not claiming a religious affiliation; fastest growing group is the "nones". This kind of stuff isn't evangelization, it's just a turn-off to to the disaffiliated.
DeleteAs far as I know, it's not just Catholics and Evangelicals that consider abortion a wrong. Hindus can't even eat a chicken egg. I once had a devout Hindu co-worker that gave this reasoning as to why he couldn't have anything to do with abortion. Without a specific hierarchical structure and organization, I doubt they could be "excommunicated" for dissenting on abortion or implicated in one. I suppose they figure karma is supposed to take of that eventually. We live in a society in which a large portion believe women have absolute right over their own body. Anyone who wants to preside over this society will have to consider that. Any Catholic who wants to play the game and not be a totalitarian will have to compromise his beliefs on abortion. I don't think I personally could do it, utter the pieties about an absolute right to abort. Luckily I have no talent for or desire to participate in politics.
ReplyDelete" We live in a society in which a large portion believe women have absolute right over their own body." Stanley, yeah. That's the problem in a nutshell. You can legislate morality if there is a consensus. But in the absence of one, it's doomed to failure.
Delete"a slim majority of Catholic Republicans (55%) think that Biden’s views about abortion should disqualify him from receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. But nearly nine-in-ten Catholic Democrats (87%) come down on the other side of this question, saying that Biden should be allowed to receive the Eucharist."
ReplyDeleteI assume that 55% of Republican Catholics feel this way because they are allowing themselves to be exposed to right-wing media outlets which promote this view.
To some extent, I think this is a bipartisan sport (e.g. there are some Catholics, if relatively few, who get similarly exercised about Catholic officials participating in the administration of the death penalty), but the right-wing media complex has more sway over its acolytes than whatever the progressive equivalent would be.
Another consideration may well be that the membership which the Catholic Church has been leaking for decades now isn't balanced in a bipartisan fashion - we're leaking progressives. The remnant becomes progressively more weighted toward politically conservative members.
"I assume that 55% of Republican Catholics feel this way because they are allowing themselves to be exposed to right-wing media outlets which promote this view."
DeleteYes this is certainly where people are getting most of their information. However some of the media are Catholic outlets such as EWTN which people assume give the official view of the Church. That is not helped by the Republican bishops who espouse this view, too.
What we need across the official church (bishops and clergy) is the reminder that we should not judge anyone's conscience. That in no way prevents anyone (clergy or laity) from articulating Christian principles and even suggesting as to how they should be applied in particular situations. When it comes to individuals and their particular situations we all need to have the attitude "who am I to judge." Jesus was very critical of the religious authorities in his own time who were judgmental.
"Another consideration may well be that the membership which the Catholic Church has been leaking for decades now isn't balanced in a bipartisan fashion - we're leaking progressives."
We have been leaking progressives because until Francis there has been no criticism from top church leadership of those in the church both clergy and laity who want to make the Church into a Republican club.
While Francis has often reiterated church teaching on abortion, he has also said (unlike some American bishops) that the church's teaching on abortion is well understood and that we need to move onto other issues such as the environment and immigration where church teaching is not so well understood (a move which has not be followed by many American bishops).
In my view Catholicism is mainly about liturgy and sacraments which is something we all share as Catholics. Catholicism is also a call to holiness but the Catholic view of holiness is not a one size fits all. In fact each of us is called to follow Jesus and live the Gospel in our own unique circumstances. I am very happy that many Catholics witness to the value of human life whether it be in the womb, or among the poor, or among the elderly or those facing execution. I spent my own life witnessing to the value of the lives of people with severe mental illness. However when we begin to think our own vocations must be shared by everyone else and thought important by everyone else, then we are on the road to spiritual pride not to sanctity. We don't hear much about the sin of spiritual pride except from Francis.
Francis really spends a lot to time on the form of spiritual pride, i.e. clericalism, which abounds in his backyard. Sure he also recognizes the many priests and religious who give humble service. But most of all he lifts up the lives of many of the poor and humble which is a great antidote to spiritual pride and self-righteousness.
I like the notion that we need to help people fully appreciate the primacy of conscience.
DeleteIf I may be blunt: I think there is a level of distrust when it comes to Catholic politicians, abortion and conscience. Pro-life voters don't believe a politician who claims to support a popular position (widespread availability of legalized abortion is quite popular in some places) out of conscience considerations.
Regarding what Catholicism is about: if I had to choose one word or phrase that encapsulates it, it would be discipleship. I think that encompasses worship, holiness, service, forgiveness, social justice, and all the other aspects of our faith. (Not to mention humility, the voluntary embrace of poverty, courage, and other personal qualities which seem to be in short supply in our contemporary society!)
Years ago, non-believer celebrity scientist Carl Sagan proposed a demarcation line for abortion, 14 weeks of gestation. At this point, neural electrical activity appears. Anyway, it tells me that there once was a time when compromise was possible. I don't think most prolife people would compromise away from fertilization.
ReplyDeleteAnd pro-choice won't compromise away from having no restrictions, any time, ever. Not much room for meeting somewhere in the middle.
DeleteI believe that many/most European countries have worked out compromises which fall short of the license granted in the US. We know it is possible. We just need to find a way to get there.
DeleteSince I am a non-active Catholic, I don't judge any Catholic who is still an active Catholic. I am one of the progressives who have "leaked" out of the church.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that any President should be expected (or allowed) to impose his/her religion's beliefs on the entire country, no matter what that religion might be. There can - and should - be a wall between his/her personal religious beliefs and his/her role as President of ALL Americans.
The wall that separates church from state in the US needs to be strengthened at this point, not weakened.
I went from being an absolutist, not seeing a smidgen of gray, it's completely black-and-white, pro-life supporter to a sad and reluctant supporter of the pro-choice stance. This is for a few reasons. First, I became aware that most Americans do NOT consider an embryo or fetus in the first 8-12 weeks to be a human being. They consider that this stage of development represents potential - but not full personhood. I came to believe that it is wrong to impose particular religious views - that a single or double-celled fertilized egg is a "person" - on the majority of Americans who do not believe that the first-trimester fetus is a "person" - yet.
More than 77% of abortions are completed by 8 weeks (when the developing embryo is the size of a kidney bean. About 40% occur by 6 weeks - when the embryo is the size of a lentil. The designation fetus replaces "embryo" at 8 weeks. More than 92% of abortions are done by the 12th week. By the 13rh week, the fetus is fully formed and the brain and nervous system are in place. The cut-off for non-emergency abortion in many European countries is week 12.
It should be possible to effect this compromise at some point - as long as BOTH sides will give a little.
Expanding the social safety net for mothers, babies, families works to reduce the demand for abortion. This works in Europe and other developed countries (which accept the 12 week cutoff) and the pro-life community should become activists working for this. That is if they really want to reduce the numbers of abortions.
Stanley, abortion is legal in India, but is trickier to obtain than in the US. There is concern in India that a lot of couples are choosing to abort female fetuses, especially in the poorer families, because of the expense of raising children in general, and the additional expense of a dowry for girls.
" We live in a society in which a large portion believe women have absolute right over their own body."
It's not just control over her own body that is of concern to women. It's control over her entire life. A man impregnates a woman and essentially can just walk away. Often the men don't even pay court-ordered child support. They move on, living their lives as they want, without the concerns or responsibilities that generally fall to the mother.
The pro-lifers tend to abandon tangible support for women who give birth when facing a challenging pregnancy, after a few weeks or months. A few boxes of diapers, some formula, maybe some baby equipment. But the needs of the child will continue to adulthood - and beyond, as those of us who have adult children know.
Where will the money come for these mothers? Money to pay doctor bills, dentists, shoes; money for food, money for clothing, money for childcare, money for everything.
The need does not end when the baby is 3 months old.
I hate that women seek abortion. But I also think that those who fight the right to choice need to look deep into their own consciences and ask themselves what they are doing to help women in need. More than 2/3 of abortions are sought by women who live in poverty.