Young Evangelicals Abandoning GOP Over Iraq, Economy ~ HuffPo

[mzmolly]

Michael Dudley is the son of a preacher man.

He's a born-again Christian with two family members in the military. He grew up in the Bible Belt, where almost everyone he knew was Republican. But this fall, he's breaking a handful of stereotypes: He plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

"I think a lot of Christians are having trouble getting behind everything the Republicans stand for," said Dudley, 20, a sophomore at Seattle Pacific University.

Dudley's disenchantment with the GOP isn't unique among young, devoutly Christian voters. According to a September 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 15 percent of white evangelicals between 18 and 29, a group traditionally a shoo-in for the GOP, say they no longer identify with the Republican Party. Older evangelicals are also questioning their traditional allegiance, but not at the same rate.

More at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004406277_evangvote11m.html">LINK

[malaise]

1. They are seeing their friends coming back in bodybags

Good to see them waking up.

Sp.

[AlinPA]

2. Maybe they took the time to read the parts of the Bible about Jesus and his teachings. nt

[Elspeth]

3. *snark*

:evilgrin:

[silverojo]

10. No, they're just scared there's going to be a draft

No war = no draft. Therefore, vote Democratic...for now. Once the war is over, they'll be back to their Repuke Bible-thumping, abortion-banning, gay-bashing ways.

[AlinPA]

11. Yep, and waving the flags.

[anonymous171]

16. Who's the Jesus person?

And what does he have to do with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Methinks they sense the hypocrisy that their elders practice. . .

like most other youth are wont to do.

:shrug:

[supernova]

5. They aren't beholden to the racial

boogeymen of their parents and grandparents generations either.

Which is a damn good thing.

[mzmolly]

6. Indeed. If we can keep this group and add them to our coalition

Rove's dream of a permanent Republican majority goes ... poof.

:hi:

[saltpoint]

7. I responded to a post of a similar topic earlier and wound up with

both feet in my mouth and my head up my hindend.

I'll try to do better this time.

We
will
take
them.

We will take their support, their votes, their energy, their company, and their community.

We may also ask them to elevate their instinct for the tenets of the New Testament from the Hagee/Robertson level to the lvel of the actual text itself.

Hi there, mzmolly.

Thanks for this post.

[anonymous171]

14. Yep. Our economic/foreign policies are much more Christian-like than the repugs

[mzmolly]

15. Hello there OC!

:hi:

Very well said!

[Hidey]

8. Sunday Christians are leaving over the Economy?

What about their tireless preaching of hatred, death and destruction against Muslims?

Torturing people, destruction of the Constitution, the abject hatred of innocent Muslims worldwide, renditions, that wasn't enough I suppose..

But the economy! That's serious biz for an "Evangelical"


It's really sad how blind some of these "Christians" are.

I had a run in with one the other day I've considered posting about. It's amazing how conflicted some of these people are.

[RainDog]

9. if you read the article

they still claim stem cell research, abortion and gay rights are issues they oppose. they also think, apparently, that an unborn child's life is worth more than a living child's life in Iraq, say.

all the article says is they aren't automatically pledging support for McCain b/c he's not the r.r. choice. however, they are saying they'll look at Obama's record and decide. since Obama has a liberal voting record, I wouldn't hold my breath about them.

they are children who have been raised in fundie homes and are just now in college. hopefully they will question more of the brainwashing they have received, but the article doesn't give any evidence for this.

[Skittles]

12. they will goosestep to the repukes in the end, RainDog

yup

[mzmolly]

17. I read the article.

And yes they have some growing to do, but they sound open to considering other issues as well.

In an informal poll of the political union, the majority supported Obama.

"I think it's a new movement starting," said Amy Archibald, 19, a sophomore at the evangelical school. "Most of us would never blindly follow the old Christian Right anymore. James Dobson has nothing to do with us. A lot of us are taking apart the issues, and thinking, 'OK, well, fits what I'm looking for exactly.' But if you're going to vote, you've got to take your pros with your cons."

Eugene Cho, a founder and lead pastor at Seattle's Quest Church, which caters to a predominantly under-35 crowd, urges young Christians to look beyond the two or three issues that have allowed Christians to be "manipulated by those that know the game or use it as their sole agenda."

"While the issue of abortion — the sanctity of life — must always be a hugely important issue, we must juxtapose that with other issues that are also very important," Cho wrote in his blog on faith and politics.

Perhaps they are beginning to factor in life outside the womb?

[RainDog]

21. hope springs eternal

but down at the bottom of the article they do say that the big talibornagain 3 are deal breakers for them.

I don't see how we can be their party unless they are ready to admit the metaphorical nature of the genesis stories (all three of them.) or at least agree to stfu about it outside of the madrassas. (sorry, but as a former southerner/southern baptist-raised person, I tend to be a bit cynical about these things.)

the entire "abortion" issue has always been a carrot for the r.r. - and never with any corresponding legislative agenda to provide for any actual born children. b/c, again, the issue is really about punishment for females who have sex outside of marriage. sin? pay the price!

it's about the desire to control a female's sexual actions. all the talk about the sanctity of life is rendered null and void when they don't give a shit about health care, education and standards of living for the females who would be living in forced poverty. except, I know, in their ideal world, a female would be forced to marry... Bush had such a great platform for females with this one. yes, please, force females to marry. that's so 9th century.

abstinence education has been so helpful, too.

as far as the issues of gay rights/marriage - when I was growing up, there were sooooo many closeted males at my church. (no doubt also b/c my church was one for a lot ppl in an entertainment field, due to geography.) Ted H. is a perfect example of this sort of guy. So what these ppl really want is to swell their church rolls with self-loathing gay people?

you really have to wonder what motivates a group of ppl whose prime obsession seems to be the way in which others conduct their sexual lives. if some church doesn't accept gay marriage - they don't. but they have no right to force a religious issue into a civil one and expect anyone to care what they think about anything, as far as I'm concerned. that's what makes them talibornagains. faith and fear are too very different things.

[Downtown Hound]

13. Rats leaving a sinking ship

All this is is an acknowledgment of what a dismal failure the Republican leadership has been. It seems that Republicans these days are embarrassed to admit that they belong to the GOP. Naturally, the young people aren't going to want to hang out with the loser's club, so they'll look elsewhere.

Well, if they don't vote Republican then I'm cool with that. But if they think that for one minute they're going to come in here and turn the Democratic Party into their new theocratic testing ground then they have seriously got another thing coming. Don't need 'em, and don't really want 'em here. What I'd prefer is that they started their own party and split the Republican vote right down the middle. But after seeing the horror these people caused over the last 8 years, I really don't want them anywhere near me or my party.

[mzmolly]

18. Some are identifying with the "independent"

label.

[Anarchy in Detroit]

19. only over the economy, douchebags

yeah you think they care about human decency?

Feed the poor? Help the sick? Care for the elderly? Don't throw life away? Bah! Thats all liberal elitist garbage. Wait? What? My account is empty? BAAAAAHRRABBLE RABBLE THROW THESE GUYS OUT! THEY SUCK!

[eShirl]

20. took them long enough to wake up