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More Catholics leaning towards Democrats, poll reports
CNA ^ | June 25, 2008

Posted on 06/25/2008 1:38:23 PM PDT by NYer

Washington DC, Jun 25, 2008 / 01:23 am (CNA).- A new survey from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) indicates that Catholics may lean towards voting for the Democratic candidate for president in the 2008 election.

The CARA polling shows that only 21 percent of all Catholics are either strongly or weakly affiliated with the Republican Party in 2008, compared to 31 percent in 2004. Fewer Catholics identify themselves as Republicans than in any year since 2000.

Among all adult Catholics, 38 percent identify as a weak or strong Democrat, while 22 percent lean Democratic.

Republicans are found to be more numerous among the general electorate Catholic population, with 28 percent identifying themselves as Republicans and 17 percent saying they lean Republican. However, Catholics who attend Mass weekly are still more likely to be Democrats, with 37 percent self-identifying with the party and another 18 percent saying they lean Democrat.

“Overall, these shifting Catholic attitude trends, less support for the use of U.S. military force, more support for higher taxes for wealthy Americans, and increasing acceptance of immigration, may favor the Democrats and Obama,” said Mark Gray, the director of CARA Catholic polls.

Gray said that Democrats still must mobilize well to take advantage of their edge among Catholic voters. “In the past two presidential elections the Republicans have been noted to be more effective at mobilizing voters using religion and religious organizations—often using the issue of abortion,” Gray said.

The CARA poll results suggest a shift in Catholics’ views on several major issues. In 2002, before the Iraq war, 63 percent of adult Catholics agreed “somewhat” or “strongly” with the statement that “The U.S. should be willing to use military force to overthrow governments that support terrorism against the U.S., even if it mean losing lives of U.S. service members.” In 2006, only 43 percent agreed.

Catholic support for a tax on the wealthiest Americans has increased from 52 percent in 2002 to 65 percent in 2006. Catholics are also less likely to agree that the number of immigrants permitted entry into the U.S. should be decreased, with agreement down from 65 percent in 2002 to 54 percent in 2006.

According to the study, pro-abortion sentiment has slightly increased among adult Catholics. In 2002, 55 percent somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement “A woman should have the right to choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy.” In 2006, the percentage in agreement increased to 58 percent.


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: 2008; catholicvote; democrat; democrats; elections; nobama08; republican
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To: Jaded
Mexico is a socialist country
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It is communism that drives **all** socialists.

Communism **is** a religion. It is the invalid, irrational, and impossible belief that human and human society can be perfected on this earth.

Scratch a liberal and under his thin skin is a socialist. Dig a little deeper and you will soon find the Marxist nuclear fuel rod that drives everything he says and does!

Scratch a Mexican socialist and his thin “Catholic” skin quickly disintegrates. What **really** drives him is the religion of Marxism.

41 posted on 06/25/2008 3:05:52 PM PDT by wintertime (Quick find the RAID!)
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To: NYer
According to the study, pro-abortion sentiment has slightly increased among adult Catholics Poser wanna be Catholics. In 2002, 55 percent somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement “A woman should have the right to choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy.” In 2006, the percentage in agreement increased to 58 percent.

Fixed it

42 posted on 06/25/2008 3:17:50 PM PDT by verga (I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
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To: NYer

This begs the question: what is a Catholic? Is it an ethnicity? Or is it a religion? Because if it’s a religion....


43 posted on 06/25/2008 3:25:48 PM PDT by Stingray51
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To: wintertime
If you want your kid to be Catholic, **homeschool** give them a solid foundation and good Cathechesis !!!! This is your **best** bet for keeping them active in the faith.... or... ( second best) get them into a Catholic school that teaches Catholicism and **not** Marxist Liberation Theology!
44 posted on 06/25/2008 3:38:24 PM PDT by verga (I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
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To: SeanOGuano
More Catholics leaning towards Democrats, poll reports? Not this Catholic.

Add another.

45 posted on 06/25/2008 3:51:50 PM PDT by Digger (If RINO is your selection, then failure is your election)
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To: Petronski
What hath VII wrought?

I'm sorry but you can't keep laying the blame on the Council. Society, at large, was going through a major shakeup at the time the council was convened. That certain bishops were influenced by the culture may be true but the council, as a whole, cannot be taken to task.

Recall that upon his election as pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI stated that his mission would be to implement Vatican Council II. That is what we are now seeing.

46 posted on 06/25/2008 4:01:02 PM PDT by NYer ("Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St. Jerome)
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To: Tao Yin; Petronski
Seems the Catholic Church isn’t doing such a good job against the gates of hell after all...

Nonsense! Did God not imbue mankind with a free will? How people vote has no effect on the Catholic Church or its Divine foundation.

47 posted on 06/25/2008 4:05:54 PM PDT by NYer ("Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St. Jerome)
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To: wintertime

Exactly. And so many of them are clueless. Kept in the little enclaves fed more b/s by liberals who want to keep the lemmings in check.


48 posted on 06/25/2008 4:11:20 PM PDT by Jaded ("I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."- Joseph Ratzinger)
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To: Antoninus
That ANY church-going Catholic could support the party of abortion on demand and homosexual marriage is an absolute disgrace.

I know many of these Catholic Democrats, including my mother. They are 'attached' to the party through recollection of the good they did for 'their families' in the past. These are not free thinkers but followers. It is very challenging to persuade them to vote outside 'their' party.

49 posted on 06/25/2008 4:11:53 PM PDT by NYer ("Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St. Jerome)
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To: verga
give them a solid foundation and good Cathechesis ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And the **most** effective religious education is likely to occur in **homeschooling**:

Research by Dr. Brian Ray, founder of NHERI, found that 94% of all homeschooled children retained their faith into adulthood.

The second best place is in a faith based private school:

The Nehemiah Institute’s worldview testing shows that students in Christian schools reject moral relativism at a rate 500% higher than Christian children attending public schools.

So?....It is likely that there are parents who will willfully deny the research and facts. If so, I can sell them a bucket of sand for them to bury their heads.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:kY4WNVux_NIJ:www.exodusmandate.org/20070503-resolution/2007-letter-to-committee-members.doc+Barna+Shortt+Christian+high+school+88%25+faith+homeschool&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

50 posted on 06/25/2008 4:13:22 PM PDT by wintertime (Quick find the RAID!)
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To: paguch

Not the Rog and his followers.


51 posted on 06/25/2008 4:16:03 PM PDT by Jaded ("I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."- Joseph Ratzinger)
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To: AliVeritas

What specifically?


52 posted on 06/25/2008 4:18:29 PM PDT by Jaded ("I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."- Joseph Ratzinger)
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To: NYer

1) Define Catholic (practicing v. cultural)

2) Define Catholic (registered voter v. likely voter v. are they even registered at all)


53 posted on 06/25/2008 4:20:17 PM PDT by BlessedBeGod
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To: Jaded
Exactly. And so many of them are clueless. Kept in the little enclaves fed more b/s by liberals who want to keep the lemmings in check.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And,...The COMMMUNISTS ( I refuse to call them “liberals” any more) are doing the same to Catholic children in our government schools!

Please read posts #32, #39, and #50.

The research evidence is plain! If parents want believing Catholic children, get them OUT of the godless government schools!

Do this and our nation will have Catholics who vote against abortion supporting Democommunists.

54 posted on 06/25/2008 4:21:01 PM PDT by wintertime (Quick find the RAID!)
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To: Resolute Conservative; Antoninus
I was at a ladies house yesterday, 73 year old widow, devoted Baptist, just a fine woman who had all sorts of Hussein literature around her house. I don’t get it.

God gave man "free will". No matter what the preachers, priests, bishops, Cardinals or the Pope has to say, people will vote according to their will. This woman fits right into the same category of my mother who supports the Democratic Party for what it did to help her family, back in the 1930's. That is what they remember. They don't look at the party today. In fact, my mother did not believe me when I told her that the Republican Party was pro-life, which must be our primary voting issue.

The 73 year old woman and my mother are victims of the mainstream media. They spend their idle hours watching GMA and all those other programs that feed the audience their views. These folks are not free thinkers.

55 posted on 06/25/2008 4:22:43 PM PDT by NYer ("Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St. Jerome)
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To: NoLibZone

People assume it’s the Latinos, did you not see what I was replying to?


56 posted on 06/25/2008 4:23:27 PM PDT by Jaded ("I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."- Joseph Ratzinger)
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To: darkangel82

As one mentioned above, they’re only Christian in name only. Especially considering the democrat support of the wholesale slaughter of babies, that should be a prime indicator that the people who vote democrat and claim to be Christian and/or Catholic are only pretending.

I cannot imagine seriously believing in Jesus, His Kingdom, then turning to Him and saying that you believe in killing His children out of convenience.


57 posted on 06/25/2008 4:23:47 PM PDT by kenth (Just think, .000001783% of the population is screwing it all up for the rest of us.)
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To: NYer
It is very challenging to persuade them to vote outside ‘their’ party.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What is difficult to understand?

Who could “follow” someone who supports shoving scissors into the brains of infants ( seconds before their first breath), scrambling their brains, crushing the skull, and sucking the gelatinous mass into a surgical suction jar?

A person like this would lead them straight to hell! Literally!

As hard as I try...I just don't “get it”. ( sigh!)

58 posted on 06/25/2008 4:26:11 PM PDT by wintertime (Quick find the RAID!)
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To: kenth
that the people who vote democrat and claim to be Christian and/or Catholic are only pretending.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

They are LYING!

They are LYING to themselves, or consciously and with full knowledge LYING to others.

( One thing that **really** gets me are
“Christian” teachers who willing support, push forward, and assist the godless Democratic Party and its agenda in our government schools! They are lying to themselves,...or...they are really evil and lying to the kids! )

59 posted on 06/25/2008 4:31:42 PM PDT by wintertime (Quick find the RAID!)
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To: wintertime; sandyeggo
If you want your kid to be Catholic, **homeschool** them!!!!

You are right! However, that is not always possible - it wasn't possible for me as I had to work to support my family. Furthermore, some states are now catching on to this and legislatively banning homeschooling. I believe CA is the first one to do this. I have pinged a CA freeper for more information.

60 posted on 06/25/2008 4:34:45 PM PDT by NYer ("Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ." - St. Jerome)
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