Ann’s wrong if she thinks a smart path for the well-being of the GOP is to pit science and faith in confrontation.

dedalus on December 14, 2007 at 9:59 PM

You think? Even though 80% of the American population BELIEVES IN GOD? The reason the GOP is suffering is BECAUSE they’re listening to people who share your incorrect belief that Americans shy away from religion. The ONLY reason Huckabee is doing so well at the moment is BECAUSE he’s played that card.

When are atheists going to stop believing that 80% of the human race is wrong while THEY are right?

Sure, confrontation is Ann’s long suit but science is an area were one can be upstaged by facts.

Facts? I wasn’t aware there were any “facts” associated with the “theory” of evolution.

Gregor on December 15, 2007 at 12:17 AM

Many biologists also believe in God, and of the 80% of the American population you cite most believe in empirical science.

dedalus on December 15, 2007 at 12:37 AM

Let me correct my numbers.

March 30, 2007 – A belief in God and an identification with an organized religion are widespread throughout the country, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Nine in 10 (91 percent) of American adults say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the country, with 82 percent of the poll’s respondents identifying themselves as such. Another 5 percent say they follow a non-Christian faith, such as Judaism or Islam. Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34 percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. Seventy-three percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agree with that view.

Although one in ten (10 percent) of Americans identify themselves as having “no religion,” only six percent said they don’t believe in a God at all. Just 3 percent of the public self-identifies as atheist, suggesting that the term may carry some stigma.

Here’s the real interesting part:

Still, it is unlikely that a political candidate would serve him or herself well by declaring their atheism. Six in ten (62 percent) registered voters say they would not vote for a candidate who is an atheist. Majorities of each major party — 78 percent of Repulicans and 60 percent of Democrats — rule out such an option. Just under half (45 percent) of registered independents would not vote for an atheist. Still more than a third (36 percent) of Americans think the influence of organized religion on American politics has increased in recent years. But the public is still split over whether religion has too much (32 percent) or too little (31 percent) influence on American politics. Democrats tend to fall in the “too much” camp (42 percent of them, as opposed to 29 percent who see too little influence) as Republicans take the opposite view (42 percent too little; 14 percent too much).

I’d say that as far as Republican candidates go … you’re incorrect to believe voters don’t want their candidate to campaign on their Christian faith. It’s exactly what they want.

Gregor on December 15, 2007 at 4:12 AM