Opinion
South Dakota Dems
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
The early version of the S.D. exit polls show Clinton with moderately large margins in all religion categories, doing slightly better among Catholics than Protestants. Obama won only the non-religious, by 54 percent to 46 percent–exactly the same figures by which Clinton won Protestants.
The horror, the horror
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
Jeff Sharlet is guest-blogging on Beliefnet, and at the end of his most recent post writes: The new media narrative, in which the Wright controversy will go down as a speed bump on the path to power, is evidence that they believe they have rid the candidate of his demons. But all they really did […]
The Nominee
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
A couple of rather poignant passages from Chicago Sun-Times religion writer Cathleen Falsani’s 2004 interview with Barack Obama. OBAMA: … It’s interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I’m talking to a group and I’m saying […]
It’s on
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
A referendum to ban gay marriage will definitely be on the ballot in California in November. What will the presidential candidates say? My guess: McCain will say he believes it’s good for voters in each state to decide, and that personally he’s against it. Obama? In his why-I-left-Trinity press conference, he cited his potential problem […]
In case you’re in the neighborhood
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
I’ll be in Boulder Thursday to deliver a keynote speech, “Think Locally, Act Globally,” at a conference on Media, Spiritualities and Social Change” sponsored by Naropa University and the journalistic components of the University of Colorado and the University of Nevada, among others. I’ll be speaking at UC’s University Memorial Center at 3:30. The campaign […]
Excommunicado
By Mark Silk — June 3, 2008
In today’s episode, E.J. Dionne turns to the story of Obamican law professor Douglas Kmiec, who was denied communion by an overzealous priest at a mass held for a group of Catholic businessmen he was addressing. Along with an argument that such denial violated the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ recent statement on how the faithful may […]
COMMENTARY: Breaking up is hard to do
By Tracy Gordon — June 3, 2008
After a 25-year love affair between religion and politics, who would’ve thought it would come to this? In Election 2008, to the surprise of many pundits, religious leaders and politicians appear to be going their separate ways. Frankly, it’s about time. America has too many brands of spiritual beliefs for religion to play a leading […]
COMMENTARY: Breaking up is hard to do
By Frances Coleman — June 3, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) After a 25-year love affair between religion and politics, who would’ve thought it would come to this? In Election 2008, to the surprise of many pundits, religious leaders and politicians appear to be going their separate ways. Frankly, it’s about time. America has too many brands of spiritual beliefs […]
How Pflegrant?
By Mark Silk — June 2, 2008
For a little perspective on Fr. Pfleger, this from the New Republic’s blog. From Pfleger and Wright to Hagree and Parsley, it’s clear that the traditional role of religion in American electoral politics has been profoundly unsettled. It used to be that the object of the exercise was for the candidate to be seen receiving […]
The Word from CBN
By Mark Silk — June 2, 2008
Thus pronounceth David Brody: Look, McCain, Obama and Clinton aren’t going to pay attention to an online petition. That’s not the point here. There is a larger issue to consider. Evangelicals, for the most part, are lukewarm on McCain. They may vote for him…they may not but one thing is for sure; they’re not energized […]
What evangelicals?
By Mark Silk — June 2, 2008
Yesterday, Terry Mattingly was beating his familiar drum on the uncertain ontology of evangelicals. What is an evangelical? Why do journalists seize on a character like pastor Rod Parsley and imagine that he somehow speaks for all of them? Why tmatt, religion reporter since the dawn of time, doesn’t even hardly know who Parsley is! […]
Puerto Rican Protestants, dissed
By Mark Silk — June 2, 2008
Let me call your attention to the comments posted to my previous entry by my colleague Juhem Navarro. Juhem taxes the exit pollsters with assuming that Puerto Ricans are more or less all Catholics–a fair charge, since why else suppress the usual primary poll questions on religious affiliation? He points out that, according to the […]
Puerto Rico
By Mark Silk — June 1, 2008
The only religion questions on the Puerto Rico exit poll had to do with attendance, and the differences among the groupings were not notable. For what it’s worth, Clinton did best among weekly attenders, beating out Obama 73-27; worst among monthly attenders, outpolling Obama 62-38. If anyone thinks this means anything, I’d be be happy […]
Trinitarian No More
By Mark Silk — June 1, 2008
For those who, for partisan or non-partisan reasons, have been most critical of Barack Obama’s religious affiliation, the refrain has been, “Why did he stay in that church so long?” The implication being that he either believes the worst that Jeremiah Wright had to offer, or is too morally obtuse not to have been offended […]
Bye, Trinity
By Mark Silk — May 31, 2008
Obama leaves his church. Let’s see what he has to say about the decision tonight.
