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Religion & Politics 2012

News, analysis and data on the role of religion in politics, social issues, candidates and political parties relevant to the 2011-12 election season.

 

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ANALYSIS November 20, 2008
How the News Media Covered Religion in the General Election
Religion played a much more significant role in the media coverage of President-elect Barack Obama than it did in the press treatment of Republican nominee John McCain during the 2008 presidential campaign.
ANALYSIS November 13, 2008
States With Voter-Approved Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage, 1998-2008
Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state's highest court. In the five years since the Massachusetts decision, 26 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage.
ANALYSIS November 5, 2008
How the Faithful Voted
President-elect Barack Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 presidential campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day.
ANALYSIS November 3, 2008
Trends in Candidate Preferences Among Religious Groups
The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press includes analysis of the candidate preferences of major religious groups.
ANALYSIS October 23, 2008
How Church Attendance Affects Religious Voting Patterns
The latest report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that, as in previous elections, differences in voting patterns by religion are amplified when church attendance is taken into account
ANALYSIS October 1, 2008
Americans Wary of Church Involvement in Partisan Politics
More than two dozen pastors challenged a provision in the tax code that restricts the political activities of houses of worship and other tax-exempt organizations.
ANALYSIS September 22, 2008
How the Media Have Handled Palin's Faith
Since Aug. 29, the day Sarah Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, she has dominated election coverage.
ANALYSIS August 21, 2008
More Americans Question Religion's Role in Politics
A new survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
McCain's Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush's in '04
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a smaller lead among white evangelical Protestants than Republican George W. Bush had at a similar point in the 2004 campaign.
ANALYSIS July 10, 2008
Running on Faith
Study finds media coverage of religion in primary campaign rivaled that of race and gender combined.
ANALYSIS June 12, 2008
In Brief: Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation
In Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court limited the power of federal courts to enforce the Establishment Clause's restrictions on government funding of religion.
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ignited a nationwide debate in late 2003 when it ruled that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Almost overnight, same-sex marriage became a major national issue, pitting religious and social conservatives against gay-rights advocates and their allies.
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: 2008
On Nov. 4, 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, amending the state's constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. The vote, which was significant enough to make national headlines on a historic Election Day, was the latest round in a long battle involving the California legislature, judiciary and voters.
ANALYSIS March 27, 2008
A Portrait of American Catholics on the Eve of Pope Benedict's Visit to the U.S.
When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United States on April 15, he will find a Catholic Church that is undergoing rapid ethnic and demographic changes, and whose flock is quite diverse both in their religious practices and levels of commitment, as well as in their social and political views.
ANALYSIS December 19, 2007
Lethal Injection on Trial: An Analysis of the Arguments Before the Supreme Court in Baze v. Rees
On Jan. 7, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Baze v. Rees, a case that challenges the constitutionality of lethal injection as it currently is administered by the federal government and 36 states.
ANALYSIS December 12, 2007
Presidential Election in South Korea Highlights Influence of Christian Community
The upcoming presidential election in South Korea on Dec. 19 is drawing attention to the growing presence of Christianity in a country that as recently as 1960 had fewer than a million Christians.
ANALYSIS December 4, 2007
How the Public Perceives Romney, Mormons
Recent polling from the Pew Research Center finds that Romney, more than any other presidential candidate (Republican or Democrat), is viewed as very religious by the public.
ANALYSIS November 7, 2007
Religious Groups' Presidential Candidate Preferences
As the races for the 2008 presidential nominations heat up, two recent surveys make it possible to examine how the candidates in both political parties are faring among a variety of religious groups.
ANALYSIS October 30, 2007
Widespread Negativity: Muslims Distrust Westerners More than Vice Versa
In 2006, the Pew Global Attitudes Project set out to explore religious tensions, examining how non-Muslims in the West and elsewhere view Muslims, as well as how Muslims think about people in western nations.
ANALYSIS October 25, 2007
Turkey and Its (Many) Discontents
Do certain actions reflect some deeper discontent among the Turkish public, or are they simply the Turkish government's response to current, and perhaps temporary, crises in the international arena?
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