The Pew Survey’s Most Sobering Result

Catholic Culture ^ | 9/25/12 | Dr. Jeff Mirus

[marshmallow]

Now that a Pew Survey shows Catholics favoring Obama by a 15-point margin, it is time to point out what is truly significant about the survey results. It isn’t significant that those who attend Mass monthly or yearly favor Obama 53 to 39 percent or that those who attend Mass seldom or never favor him by a 61 to 32 percent margin. These things, based on a combination of demographics and obvious spiritual apathy are to be expected.

Catholics who attend Mass infrequently cannot be expected to make Catholic moral judgments or to be champions of Catholic independence from government coercion. Most of these Catholics will have inherited sympathies for the Democratic Party based on ethnic group, family tradition or liberal media myths (Democrats care about people, Republicans don’t). They are almost inevitably influenced more by these attachments than by either coherent moral analysis or the needs and interests of their Church.

No, the most damning result of the poll is that Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly favor Mitt Romney by only nine percent (51 to 42). This compares with nearly a 30 point gap the other way for those who attend Mass very rarely or not at all. Why isn’t there a comparable gap against Obama by regularly practicing Catholics? This represents a colossal Catholic failure.

Obviously, one can allow for a certain apathy here. Mitt Romney does not impress voters as a man who has either a moral or a political clue. His position on abortion and related issues is confused and, as far as anyone can tell, self-serving. His ability to project a serious love and concern for our nation and its people ranges from weak to non-existent. He stumbles and backtracks constantly. While there are many excellent moral reasons to vote against Barack.......

[Ransomed]

I don’t buy this poll, or the one that only gives Obama 27% support among Catholics.

What I don’t get is why these polls are never broken down by state. How is a national number in any way useful when we vote by state and the electoral college? Am I missing something? If it’s a national number, it is made up of all the states, no? At least give swing states. The biggest split I could find in the 2008 election exit polling with the Catholic vote was 70% for pres O in NM and 70% against pres O in La. That’s only the biggest I could find, many states I just can’t find anywhere.

Freegards

[Alex Murphy]

...the most damning result of the poll is that Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly favor Mitt Romney by only nine percent (51 to 42). This compares with nearly a 30 point gap the other way for those who attend Mass very rarely or not at all. Why isn’t there a comparable gap against Obama by regularly practicing Catholics? This represents a colossal Catholic failure.

If the polls hold true, isn't 51% less than McCain got in 2008?

Unfortunately enough, Catholics are largely indistinguishable from non-Catholics and, despite a few pundits, no, there really is no “Catholic vote.” This obvious conclusion—clear enough from the fact that the vote for the winning candidates in the last national election was approximately the same for Catholics and non-Catholics—has serious current implications....
-- from the thread The Mythical Catholic Vote: The Harmful Consequences of Political Assimilation

[MDLION]

“For most ‘Catholics,’ the church is just another social club.”

Is that why there’s all the loud yacking both before and after Mass in the sanctuary from people who seem to have no sense of, respect for, or even belief in the Real Presence?

[ardara]

I attend a Catholic Bible Study group of about 25.Obama will be lucky to get 5 votes.

[Alex Murphy]

I attend a Catholic Bible Study group of about 25.

Good for you!

Obama will be lucky to get 5 votes.

Any ideas as to why those 4-5 group members are voting for him?

[ardara]

They tend to be die-in -wool Democrats who read the NY Times every day.

[ravenwolf]

Now that a Pew Survey shows Catholics favoring Obama by a 15-point margin,

---

Once again we wonder why people of a certain Christian denomination would vote for a muslim who any one can see is trying to bring the U.S. down.

The churches for years have done every thing they possibly could to recruit more members, and the extremes they will go to include infant baptism, or young people who would not know Jesus from the man in the moon is talked into baptism by friends or family who are also not informed.

They make being a Christian as like Alice in wonder land, a big fairy tale to these young people, they make them think their reward will be in this life, its all about candy and ice cream.

What they do not tell them is that living for Christ may also include suffering and most likely even dieing for him.

If these people are asked about their faith they most likely will say either catholic or protestant depending on who baptized them, even if they have not been in the Church since they were baptized.