Most Tea Partiers call America a Christian nation, study finds

Ahah, here we go!

The third biennial American Values Survey was conducted by Public Religion Research Institute and funded by the Ford Foundation, with additional support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Results are based on telephone interviews conducted among a national random sample of 3,013 adults (age 18 to 29) between September 1 and September 14, 2010.

Source


3000 people - that is far too small a sample to accurately reflect the nation. Considering the size of the movement, they probably would have needed to get at least 50,000 people for any kind of meaningful results. If you check the sources, it claims that there's only a 10% difference compared with the average population. With such a ridiculously small sample size, and with perhaps a bit of data obfuscation, that could easily account for the "shocking" results.

By "data obfuscation", I'm referring to the fact that The Ford Foundation is strongly implicated with having ties to the CIA (source).

Originally posted by projectvxn
Why do people hate Christianity? Most of the people in this country are some form of Christian or another. Why is it that Christianity is the only religion that's ok to try to marginalize or rail against?

I don't think it is a matter of hating any religion... Christianity is targeted specifically by Americans because it is the major religion in America. Unfortunately some traditional religious politicians tend to interject their religious views into their political agendas. I don't like that personally, based upon what I have seen in the past here and
across the world, religion is used as an excuse to modify and regulate morality.

I sort of thought that a RINO was a person who spends too much, empowers government or tries to interject government into the moral policing game...

Originally posted by boondock-saint

Originally posted by Son of Will
There are MANY threads here on ATS which go into extraordinary detail about the religious and spiritual ideologies of the Founding Fathers. I'm sure you'll find that the stats you just gave are simply false. The majority of them were agnostic/freethinkers but belonged to various churches and had Christian leanings.

lmao
now there's a contradiction if I ever heard one.
They're agnostic, but they're members
of the church !!!

It's not a contradiction, you just have to understand the subtleties of politics and belief. I think you're being intentionally obtuse here - there's not really a clear-cut line which designates someone as "christian" or "not christian". You could say that the difference is "belief in JC as lord and savior", but what if someone's not sure? They couldn't be said to "believe it" as long as there is doubt. Every human being on this planet besides psychopaths experiences doubt.

Furthermore, Christianity has always exercised power in politics. Even today - if you're not a Christian, then you lose the support of a massive voting demographic. It was very similar back then. Most people were Christian then as most are now. If you publicly denounce the Church, it's a suicidal career move.

Originally posted by ManBehindTheMask

Yet they dont seem to have a problem with muslims, and there is more of a percentage of them doing actually harm TODAY, in THIS TIME PERIOD then any Christians are........

If 75% of this nation was Muslim you are damn right I would have a problem with them trying to make their
beliefs part of the law of the land. DAMN RIGHT!

This is why I support the EDL, because Muslims there are crossing the line - IMO

Faith is a beautiful thing, but don't think for a minute that I will have it used to limit or oppress me or anyone else

reply to post by Misoir


The United States, a Christian nation? Should we rename it to the Christian Republic of America to counter the Islamic Republics of both Afghanistan and Iran? Oh wait, we would have to be a republic for that to hold true. We would have to be a Christian nation, too.

75% Christian? I don't think it is that high anymore. I believe it is near the 55% range, maybe lower. Atheism has been rising, lately. I am not an Atheist myself, but I can see why people would turn to Atheism. We have been dubbed the era of knowledge, of science, yet we know nothing at all; the Tea Party movement has proven that.

reply to post by Janky Red


What makes you think that Muslims are there to press their beliefs on anyone? If anything, Christians, namely Roman Catholics, press their beliefs on more people than Muslims do.

Originally posted by Modern Americana
reply to post by Janky Red

 

What makes you think that Muslims are there to press their beliefs on anyone? If anything, Christians, namely Roman Catholics, press their beliefs on more people than Muslims do.

I see how the Middle East operates, that Islamic Fundis use government to enforce religious beliefs-
In Britain the birthrates are 8 to 10 times higher than native Brits, it is a calculated thing on my behalf.
I am fine if the religion stay with the individual and the family -

As I've stated before,

The "Tea Party" and namely the "Tea Party Express" candidates are just hijackers of Ron Paul's movement. That SHOULD be obvious to anyone that studies the Tea Party's recent history.

The GOP and Right Wing War Hawks need a new face, a new umbrella to gain votes under. After the Bush Era most Right Wingers were to cowardly to admit they voted for, supported, or still support Bush and his policies.

Nearly before Bush exited office you could barely find a self admitted "Bush Republican". Around 2007-2008 we had an influx of "Libertarians" (Note: These are Libertarians In Name Only... L.I.N.O.s) You would be hard pressed to find a Bush Republican.

So they latched on to the "Tea Party" brand because it was safer. They felt a theme resonate with people like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. Both were Icons for the 'new' Movement.

If you research all the top Tea Party endorsed Candidates...you will find that they are ALL Pro Military, Pro War, Pro Israel, Pro Christian Doctrine, Pro "Traditional Family Values", Anti Gay, and Anti Muslim..

They Gay and Muslim topic is not completely shared by all...I would say most. But as far as the other topics I can say with almost 100% certainty they are ALL in agreement.

In my sincere opinion I feel they have ATTEMPTED to dupe America. They have duped some, but I believe that even THEY know who they are. They KNOW they are the Right Wing Radicals under a new name. Many of them were Bush Yahoos, the history wasn't too long ago.

Even Rand Paul has his issues with maintaining his Father's style of diplomacy and views on foreign allegiance to Israel.

The only grassroots movement which has not been co-opted by money, the "Right Wing", pundits, or scamming voters to choose for the old boss in a new suit...is the Ron Paul Movement.

Ron Paul is the only candidate which instills true "Tea Party" values as well as classic Conservative Libertarian views. You will be severely disappointed if you put your eggs in the Tea Party basket....that is unless you are a Right Wing, Pro War, Pro Israel, Anti Muslim, Anti Gay, "War On Terror" chanting type of person...then the Tea Party is right up your alley.

Americans hate Christianity for a reason, as I can speak from experience. Everywhere you look in America you see churches, I live in a small burrow between 2 mountains with a population between 1000-2000 tops, we have at least a dozen churches, ALL CHRISTIAN, within blocks of each other, all TAX free and spreading Christianity like a machine.

We live in an age of knowledge and science like somebody else said, we have ZERO reason to still cling onto these pages from the bronze age, I think its time for the public to put their interests into actual knowledge than false hope.

Idk about you, but I went to my local supermarket and just watched the people move around, people strangely resemble sheep! It makes you actually wonder if the floride (spelling) in our water is actually pacifying people like its supposed to, people just accept whatever they are told, which is why if you were born in Afghanistan you would likely become a Muslim, America you would become a Christian, ect.

I think we all can agree on this, there is something wrong with what the common person thinks is normal, and humanity is still in the dark ages of mental abilities.

The Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thanks to the ACLU for removing God the past few generations of Americans have witnessed the collapse of moral and ethical values unlike any time in our history.

In God We Trust is the official motto of the United States

Those who do not like our Countries Constitution should not be here. It's the law of the land.

reply to post by Misoir


Because it was, in-fact, founded on solely Christian fundamentals, by solely Christian fundamentalists. What we learn in grade school about "religious freedom" was not accurate for the time. They did not want to be tolerant of all religions when they left Europe and came to America. Proof of that lies in the way the "savages" were treated. Further proof is how their own people were treated and exiled from the settlements when they questioned the establishment. The settlers of America were Christian and Catholic fundamentalists that needed a place to practice their religion.

Later, the "Founding Fathers" wrote a much more tolerant version of the religious concept into our Constitution. This is because the authors were largely "Deists" and not strict Christians. They sometimes called themselves Christians, and they did believe in the existence of Christ, but they also believed in Science and religious tolerance for a God that goes by many different names.

Therefore, America is indeed a "Christian" country that has "tolerance" written into its most sacred laws.

Disclaimer: I am a Tea-partier, a Mason, a Midwestern Boy, and I currently reside in the South. I carry my weapon on me 100% of the time, and most would describe me as conservative, although I am not strictly pro-life, and I am extremely concerned about the environment. Take my opinion for what it is worth.

reply to post by Misoir


I'm so tired of this Christian Nation myth.

Anyone can disprove this. Hold up the Ten Commandments or Sermon on the Mount next to the Constitution and tell me where they line up.. They don't. I mean the First Commandment is actually 100% in opposition to Freedom of Religion. The Founders knew the danger of having a national religion, they knew Christianity's history and knew it would be better for both Church and State to keep the two separate. That's something some Christians might forget, their religion is better off without the extra corruption of government and political power.

Also, anyone who's read the Treaty of Tripoli knows this is not a Christian nation and never was one.

reply to post by Misoir


Founding fathers quotes,

Thomas Jefferson:
“ The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend to all the happiness of man.”

“Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus.”

"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” (excerpts are inscribed on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial in the nations capital) [Source: Merrill . D. Peterson, ed., Jefferson Writings, (New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1984), Vol. IV, p. 289. From Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, 1781.]

www.eadshome.com...

reply to post by Quasar_La-Zar

Americans hate Christianity for a reason

Do they now?

According to stats 70% of Americans claim to have some sort of christian leanings,

The OP stated that 75% of Americans were Christians. So then we are a Christian nation.

reply to post by Soldier of God


That doesn't make it a Christian nation. We don't call our self a White People nation!
am I right or right?

The problem is our comprehension of change. We have no idea what it is like for others, nor do we care. Yet no matter where you look you can find people changing their minds about things all the time. I say that the tea party was an original idea taken advantage of by the republicans... family guy episode recently made it very clear:
www.hulu.com...

Originally posted by Quadrivium

The constitution was based on Judea Christian values.

Actually, the constitution is based on the ethical theory of natural law, in which its founding is heavily influenced by Christian theology but is not defended nor supported directly within that theology. Furthermore, the time gap within the development of the idea is so great from its founding that at its time it was more proper to call it a "deistic" concept beyond anything else.

Leave the propaganda to the news networks, okay?

Originally posted by projectvxn
Why do people hate Christianity? Most of the people in this country are some form of Christian or another. Why is it that Christianity is the only religion that's ok to try to marginalize or rail against?

I'm not talking about you Misoir, but some of the posters here would also argue that the same attitude against Jews or Muslims is bigotry. I just wanna see a little more consistency of conviction.


I accepted long ago that our society is largely influenced by Christian philosophy. And while I agree that Christianity has a bloody history, it is important to understand that most Christians aren't violent people and do not think the way Christians used to during the Crusades.. Not every group of Christians thinks the way the 'Jesus Camp' people do, they're the minority.

The same is true for Muslims and Jews. Not every Jew is a Zionist, and not every Muslim is a terrorist. It's just what gets the most attention. If it bleeds it leads remember? It's not a money maker to make movies or media reports on good, moral Christians, Jews, and Muslims. We focus on the worst and don't stop to consider any of the good.

edit on 5-10-2010 by projectvxn because: (no reason given)

It is funny you say that. I agree, most Christians are not violent people.

But to extrapolate that a little, i would also say that most Americans are not violent people, either.

However, if you look at defense spending, etc, it is hard to believe that Americans are not violent. The body representing them tends to be violent.

As it regards Christianity, i am no Christian. But i would hate to live in America if it were to cease having a Christian influence.

Originally posted by SpectreDC

Originally posted by Quadrivium

The constitution was based on Judea Christian values.

Actually, the constitution is based on the ethical theory of natural law, in which its founding is heavily influenced by Christian theology but is not defended nor supported directly within that theology. Furthermore, the time gap within the development of the idea is so great from its founding that at its time it was more proper to call it a "deistic" concept beyond anything else.

Leave the propaganda to the news networks, okay?

edit on 6-10-2010 by SpectreDC because: (no reason given)

I think you nailed it. The constitution was based on Deist principles relating to "Natural Law".

It was also based on Iriquois concepts of law. The real trick was to match the Amerind concept of liberty with the European concept of ownership.