The new Pew poll has Obama making amazing gains among Catholics and Mainline Protestants. Most interesting, some of the biggest gains were among regular church goers:
White Catholics who attend mass weekly favored McCain 52-36% a month ago. Now, it's tied at 45%.
White Mainline Protestants who go to church weekly favored McCain 53% to 39% a month ago. Stunningly, they now favor Obama 47%-44%
More evidence that the Mainline surge is key to Obama's recent success.
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Well, I guess McCain is right The Surge is really working, unfortuately just not for him! Hmmm, is there divine justice in here somewhere?
I am surprised that Pew would be stunned about Barack Obama's gains among Mainline Protestants. If being a follower of Jesus would mean to wage war; to identify, mock, and exclude 'sinners'; to act and speak in a mean-spirited way; or to disregard and marginalize the least among us, then I would expect them to be supporters of McCain and 'stunningly' would be an appropriate adjective to describe Pew's reaction.
I've spent a great deal of time reading and studying the Gospels - particularly the "red letters", those words ascribed to Jesus himself. And I find just the opposite! I find directives to love our enemies; that it is NOT our job to separate the wheat from the chaff, or the sheep from the goats because we cannot tell the difference - and all are accepted by Jesus; that the way we treat the least among us (e.g. the poor, the weak, the alien)is taken very personally by Jesus. (Also that not all who say, "Lord, Lord," will be recognized by him.)
Maybe it's because I misunderstand Pew. Perhaps Pew is stunned because they did not expect Mainline Protestants to recognize that the presence of Jesus is not necessarily in the same camp as those with the loudest voice, the highest profile, and self-righteous power.
The Obama administration and the President, himself, appear to be making more progress on Christian-like goals than I find from the churches, themselves. I've become a non-practicing Catholic because I found during the election that my Church was telling me I could not vote for Obama. I'm glad I did, and, since I made my decision, I'm finding my time and money spent for our new administration more meaningful and worthwhile than spending either or both with the Church. The flap over the President speaking at Notre Dame is a sign of confustion and weakness, I think, within the Catholic Church. The Pope could put an end to the controversy, but he does not. What I see in Obama is decisive, forward thinking and actions, as opposed to a church that appears to be saying that it has always been right and will always be right. To me, there is no growth allowed in that statement. God Bless the USA and President Obama.
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