Evangelicalism may be losing its political influence, scholars say (THANK GOD!)

[Ian David]

Evangelicalism may be losing its political influence, scholars say
By MARK BARNA - The Gazette --

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A couple weeks ago, James Dobson of Focus on the Family railed against Sen. Barack Obama for distorting the Bible and trying to govern by the "lowest common denominator of morality."

But if he was trying to rally his base of Christian evangelists to vote against Obama, he might need a lot more than a censorious radio address.

Evangelicals got credit for helping put George W. Bush in the White House, but religious and political scholars say they won't have nearly as much influence in this year's presidential race. The reasons, they say, are varied:

-Christian influence in politics has historically gone up and down since the early 1800s; this is another movement whose time may be up for now.

-The Bush administration hurt the evangelical cause - such as with the war in Iraq, its response to Hurricane Katrina and its alleged human rights violations at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center.

-Two of the movement's most important figures, D. James Kennedy and Jerry Falwell, are dead.

The biggest reason of all, though, may be the changing face of evangelicals themselves, experts say.

More:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/158/story/365296.html

[elocs]

1. Evangelicals may be easily misled and fooled people, but they are people.

Too often with evangelicals if a politician parroted the right buzz words and phrases, they would fall all over the person in supporting them. I think a lot of evangelicals have figured they were lied to and deceived by Bush and the Republicans who simply used them. Evangelicals can feel stupid, too, and I think many feel that way.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. God almighty, victim of evangelical paparazzis.... fawned over

and harrassed into seclusion. Feeling a tad guilty for what has been wrought in his name... taking a few months off in the islands until some forget just what they were getting from those pacing endlessly across stages with a half open book in their hand and a microphone in the other. Weary of of the stalking preaching serpents, saddened by their participation in unprovoked war and the quest for the control of other peoples' natural resources.

[Warpy]

4. I know a few IRL and they're furious with the man and

they're starting to realize it's his whole damned party that has played them and used them for the past 30 years. There is no way to alienate a zealot like making him feel like a prize chump.

The fact is that they were prize chumps. Unfortunately, they're now exploring how to make our party abandon women's rights and they just might succeed.

[alstephenson]

2. Good riddance. eom

[sakabatou]

5. People are starting to group up into the age of REASON