Is Santorum benefiting from a case of "mistaken religious identity"?

Rick Santorum’s political good fortune in the Republican presidential primaries has come about in large part because of his appeal to evangelicals. A Roman Catholic, he is a beneficiary of more than two decades of cooperation between conservative Protestants and Catholics who set aside theological differences for the common cause of the culture war…

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The high regard extends to Santorum’s personal life. His seven children have been home-schooled, a practice much more common among conservative American Protestants than Catholics, who have a network of parochial schools built over centuries. His concerns – opposing gay marriage and abortion, promoting traditional roles for women – contribute to that appeal. The Christian Post, an evangelical media outlet, published an article this week called “Catholic Politicians You Thought Were Evangelical,” with a short list of the most-often misidentified, led by Santorum…

Bill Portier, a Catholic theologian and historian at the University of Dayton in Ohio, said many in the United States have come to identify conservative religion only with evangelicalism. A growing number are describing themselves as “spiritual, not religious” and aren’t affiliating as closely with a particular denomination.

Portier said his students at the Catholic university are often shocked to learn about a Catholic teaching on a social or moral issue that differs from a conservative Protestant view.

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