Posted on 11/07/2012 3:27:11 PM PST by NYer
President Barack Obama won a slim majority of votes from self-identified Catholics, according to exit polls conduct by CNN.
The polls shows that 50% of voters who identified themselves as Catholics voted for Obama, and 48% for Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The CNN poll did not distinguish between active and lapsed Catholics.
Protestant voters swung heavily toward Romney, the CNN polls showed, with 57% choosing the Republican and only 42% voting to re-elect Obama. The initial reports on the CNN exit polls did not distinguish among the different Protestant denominations.
Among voters who said they had no religious affiliation, Obama was the overwhelming favorite, with a commanding 70-26% edge.
The CNN exit polls showed a clear preference for Romney (59- 39%) among voters who attended church services weekly, and an even more pronounced tilt toward Obama (62-34%) among those who never attended services.
As I posted to a previous thread, those who were baptized into the Catholic Church but do not follow, much less practice the Catholic faith, still identify themselves as catholics. In so doing, they skew poll numbers.
Not surprised. When the nation’s church goers vote for Satan, ya know the country is toast.
Do they honestly think that Catholic hospitals, schools, charities won’t be closed, sold, etc.....rather than comply with the mandate to violate the moral law?
Now THAT is hard to believe. What does this say about Catholics?
Yep....but I honestly think we are going to begin to see some big changes during this Year of Faith...The sheep and the goats are going to begin separating.
We must pray for the new evangelization of those nominal Catholics. ;-)
I think it mostly says that Obama got 75% of the hispanic vote.
Yep
Next year they will be screaming when Sebelius's edicts put the Catholic hospitals on the spot. (For now, offer abortifacient pills...next step: provide abortion services or be ineligible for any federal money.) This year, when it could have made a difference, they were pretty quiet for the most part.
These Catholics should be ashamed. Here’s what I posted to facebook:
“A: Liberty, the Constitution, self-reliance, individualism, free enterprise, a prosperous private sector, spending within one’s means, energy independence, limited government, private charity, civil society beyond government, an affordable means tested safety net that doesn’t disincentivize work, rational and not business-destroying regulation, equality of opportunity, content of character instead of color of one’s skin, harmony of races, classes, ethnic groups and religions, the dignity of human life, freedom of speech, religion and conscience, respect for religious values, moral decency in family life and sexual relations.
Q: What apparently do a majority of Americans not give a toss about?
It’s sad what my country has become. Farewell, America — it’s been a good two hundred years’ run. I hope you girls are able to find jobs when you get out of school. In any event, we have no abiding homeland here below. I think I’ll go radio silent for a while. Time to focus on one’s daily work and reaching one’s heavenly homeland.”
Thanks Catholics. /s
Another thought from the Anchoress, which I rather like:
“It is interesting that while exit polls cited the economy and jobs as the most pressing concerns of voters, they decided to stick with a president who has been at times hostile toward business and demonstrably remiss in attending to matters of job-creation, rather than go with the businessman.
From what I can tell, many people bought into the false “war on women” tropes and easy demonizations and their willingness to do so signals a furtherance of secularism and “the politics of the personal.” It means the Church is going to have to gird its loins and prepare for challenges that will require genuine sacrifice, because the society is not terribly interested, at this moment, in our very real concerns about threats to religious liberty, and those who are even aware of that threat still see it as a strictly “Catholic” issue that will not touch them.
Someone tweeted me last night that the Obama win was “too bad for you Catholics” and I thought, “and there is a big part of the problem, right there, the notion that only Catholics are being challenged.” People do not see a diminishment of liberties in one area as the beginning of diminishment in all areas.
[...] Relativism, with a dose of narcissistic self-actualization, has been redefined as a “tolerance” that will tolerate anything but intolerance, and those religious groups who insist on teaching the faith to an age rather than teaching a passing age to the faith are seen as too-intolerant-to-be-tolerated by the secular triune godhead of state, media and academia.
The challenges are only going to get worse because the society is in a habit, now, of dissolution and this election feels to me – and I emphasize feels, because this is just instinct talking – like a willful choice toward the here-and-now rather than [toward] eternity. It’s a choice fueled by feelings being given primacy over reason, a general lack of imagination, and a poor understanding of supernatural realities that – I am sorry to say – is partly due to the deplorable job the Church has done, for far too long, of teaching its members how joyful, affirming and fulfilling is the life lived in Christ, and in obedience to his Bride.
We have for too long allowed our Church to be interpreted and filtered through media outlets whose members are sometimes hostile, sometimes ignorant, sometimes both. We have permitted a sacred continuum to be perceived as out-of-touch rather than wise, and we’re paying for that – and the payments are about to increase.
But there is an opportunity, here. Last night I monitored reactions from people on social media and I saw many “people of faith” – Catholics and Evangelicals – being completely roiled by the returns and I kept thinking of Peter’s first Letter: “There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears.” (1 Peter. 1:6-7)
There is a great deal of genuine Christian feeling and desire out there, but it is immature – American Christians have for the most part lived comfortably the life of faith. I believe we’re being given a chance, now, to become mature in our faith – if we are willing to be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
That is a big “if”. American Christians have not gone completely untouched by the influences of secularism and the selfishness and self-regard it foments. “Thy will be done” still spins our heads because our training insists, “but what about what I want?” We don’t realize that what God wants for us is always better than anything we can want for ourselves. The Church has a lot of work to do; much to teach; voices to find. But I believe the Holy Spirit is bringing them forward. Welcome to interesting times.”
If those numbers were reversed; Romney probably wins.
How many Catholic votes was Cardinal Dolan’s invite of Obama to the Al Smith Dinner worth?
The bishops are doing it right now. They waited too late to start telling people that voting for someone who fosters abortion and gay marriage is wrong. It will affect the next election more if they stick with it.
...either that Catholics don’t go to “regular” churches (Catholic churches are larger than regular churches and things are for sale in the vestibule) ... Or they don’t go to church regularly (they go to mass regularly).
I’m just guessin’
I’m shocked!
Not even close. Obama won by 2.5 million votes. There would have had to be over 125 million voting Catholics for it to have made a difference. That is more than the total number of votes cast. The actual number of Catholic voters was probably less than 25 million.
The Catholic lady next door voted dem, as usual, because dems are *for the poor*.
And she was telling me how all her friends voted dem as well, because of all the handouts, all the entitlements that the government just hands out, national healthcare being the biggie.
Depends on the states they’re in. If enough Catholics in certain states didn’t vote dem, it could very well have swung the election because of the electoral college.
NYS comes to mind, with it’s HUGE Catholic population.
Nice try, but that boat don’t float.
The actively practicing CATHOLIC old lady next door voted dem, as she has her whole life.
It's disingenuous to pretend that practicing Catholics do not vote dem.
If you are Catholic you should be aware that excommunication is most often automatic the moment an action for which canon law imposes that penalty (Latae Setentiae). Excommunication is not a punishment, but rather a medicinal penalty intended to invite the person to change behavior or attitude, repent, and return to full communion. Everyone who formally or materially supports a grave evil has been excommunicated, this includes those Catholics who voted for Obama and other pro-abortion candidates.
Peace be with you
Read post #2.
That is fair, but it is also disingenuous to believe that Catholic teaching is or should be identical to the GOP platform or conform to the secular definition of conservatism, nor should it.
We Catholics have allowed the American political system to effectively divide the Church against itself. Although the Democratic Party has increasingly aligned itself with positions that are in direct conflict with Catholic teaching, the Republican Party does not represent a strong moral alternative. The Republican Party stands only timidly for life and the traditional family while demonizing social justice and the plight of the poorest. On the other hand the Democrat Party preaches social justice and anti-poverty while bathed in the blood of the unborn and benefiting from the demise of the family. It forces every Catholic into a conundrum which has no good answer. It means that if either party wants the Catholic vote they will have to radically alter their platforms and identity.
Peace be with you.
Wow, a lot of finger pointers. Face it, Catholics voted as the nation voted. Those who identify themselves Catholic, but don’t attend Mass, etc. shouldn’t count.
The heart of the matter is simple. We are living in a time of moral decay, egoism, and a general lack of personal accountability.
Instead of pointing fingers at the Church, we should recognize the roll each of us plays in spreading the Gospel. Preach the Gospel everyday, use words if you must.
**Flame Alert*** Perhaps much of this current decline can be traced to acceptance of contraception, both by the state and mainline Protestant churches. The Episcopalians, in the 1930 Lambeth Conference (http://www.lambethconference.org/resolutions/1930/1930-15.cfm) were the first to allow it.
What we continue to see is the separation of procreation from marriage. We have lost the beauty of our participation in the Divine plan of life. When we focus on our own desires and use barriers to fertility, we create a barrier between us and God.
How quickly we have gone from condoms to abortion. How fully selfish we have become in putting ourselves first.
We are not living our physical and spiritual lives in accordance to Divine law and are now reaping the reward.
May we focus on repentance, humility, and stand as witnesses to the Truth.
Well said.
Unfortunately, people of faith in this country are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of society: the divorce rate is nearly identical, the crime rate is similar, drunkeness and drug use are similar, the incidence of loan defaults is almost the same, etc.
So, for one to say they are a Catholic or Christian has almost no meaning.
THAT is the reason 0bama won and that is why we are facing God's judgement.
are you Catholic?
What Catholic church do you to that sells stuff in vestibule?
Like the old saying goes; figures don't lie, but liars can figure. Let's get beyond the speculative hate opportunity and do the math. Obama won New York by 1.6 million votes, that is three times the difference between the number of Catholics that voted for Obama and those that voted for Romney. So it is pretty safe to say that the elderly lady next door isn't the reason Obama got reelected.
Peace be with you.
Baptized Catholic, always Catholic.
Or so we’ve been told here on FR over and over again.
My mother has the same RC friends who all vote Dem. YMCA buddies in NE Ohio where the Catholic Dems predominately work/worked for unions. The unions ALWAYS trump religion. And yes, they all are practicing Catholics.
My mother has the same RC friends who all vote Dem. YMCA buddies in NE Ohio where the Catholic Dems predominately work/worked for unions. The unions ALWAYS trump religion. And yes, they all are practicing Catholics.
But nobody tells them they are...they are just supposed to "know" it? Tell me again what earthly good that does.
It's not about earthly good.
Now tell me how you reconcile the opposing notions that Catholics are told what to think under penalty of damnation while complaining about a lack of punitive procedures and doctrinal discipline.
I disagree. What you are saying is the standard party line propaganda of the Liberals against the Republicans and it obviously works if 50+% of Catholics vote for them.
The GOP has a strong pro-life plank in the platform versus the DNC which is strongly pro-abortion. They strongly favor traditional marriage and family values while the Dems want to make homosexual marriage the law of the land - hardly what I would call "timidity" on the GOP's part. And let's not forget that it was the DNC this year at that convention that strongly objected to the word "God" even being mentioned in their platform! As far as "social justice" let's not forget that it was the Republican party that championed antislavery measures and the Civil Rights Act - something conveniently forgotten by those who have been brainwashed into thinking ONLY the Democrats "care" about minorities and the poor. Welfare reform was a good thing to happen in this country because it sought to phase out the generational dependency on the government for life's basic needs instead of personal responsibility - something Scripture heartily condones.
I do not see this "conundrum" you speak of for Catholics. Where ALL Christians should look is to how the Bible tells us to treat our neighbors and that entails each of us looking our for one another, not giving the sole responsibility to government to do it for us. There will never be a platform of a secular party that meets the requirements of singular religious dictates. We must look to those that are closest to our values and ensure those we send to serve share those values. At this time, I think the GOP far outshines the DNC on nearly every point.
This isn't just a question of liberal vs. conservative Catholics. It's also a question of observant vs. lapsed Catholics and cross cutting demographics. For starters, we know that Romney got a substantial majority of regular churchgoers, so I would wager that he got a majority of the Catholics who are actually in the pews. Obama got a topheavy majority of those who rarely or never attend church, so the CINOs presumably went dem, along with a lot of the C&E Christians and liberal Jews whose real god is leftism.
It would be interesting to see how the Catholic vote split by age. Older Catholics, like older voters in all demographics, probably pulled the lever out of habit. Middle aged, churchgoing Catholics are the ones who have moved right in recent elections. The young people are the future; how did the next generation of Catholics split? As for the hispanics, I would wager again that Romney got a solid majority of the non-hispanic Catholic vote.
So has anyone seen the numbers?
Should have said the C&E Christians of all denominations. Didn’t mean to set that sentence up as Catholics vs. Christians.
hey, none of us freeper Catholics voted for 0 and 48% of self-identified Catholics didn’t... so take your sarcasm to the DU front where the “liberal Catholics” aka “Yeah I’m Catholic but abort, am gay etc. etc. and don’t care for Church teachings and haven’t attended mass in a decade or more” haunt.
and what did you tell her? did you tell her that she voted for govt sponsored abortion? your posts keep telling us to talk to these deluded folks but did you?
8 out of 10 white Protestants voted for Romney...95% of black Protestants voted for Obama...
6 out of 10 White Catholics voted for Romney...75% of Mexican Catholics voted for Obama...
The abortion issue came up in a previous conversation.
She believes that a woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body and the government has no right to tell her.
She also supports homosexual marriage.
Did I tell her she’s supporting government sponsored abortion?
I should HAVE to point that out to her with the Catholic church’s position on it? This lady is no spring chicken and is very bright. She KNOWS better. She knows the Church’s position.
And my Evangelical co-workers and I DID do that with our practicing Catholic co-workers, and it didn’t faze them. When asked straight out, *How can you vote Democrat when they support abortion?* All we got was, yeah, but *the democrats are for the poor*. Being for the poor trumps murdering babies.
I don’t get it either. I have no idea what kind of mentality can justify it, and these were not stupid people.
Thank you for the post and ping. Those statistics provide a more definitive understanding of both the catholic and protestant votes, especially given what we heard about voter demographics.
Heard it on a Christian radio channel...I’m guessing the main street media doesn’t want those little details to get out...
If this lady supports gay marriage and abortion, then God have mercy on her soul
What she supports is not only against Christian Catholic believes but overall Christian beliefs
When asked straight out, *How can you vote Democrat when they support abortion?* All we got was, yeah, but *the democrats are for the poor*. Being for the poor trumps murdering babies. -- thank you for trying at least.
poor doesn't trump murder
I fail to see how one can claim to be for the downtrodden and then take advantage of the most defenseless of all.
Inconceivable how it can be justified.
Ironically, it seems that it’s the babies of the poor that abortion goes after the most, judging by where most of the PP clinics are.
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