| Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 113th Congress |
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The newly elected, 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as "none," continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole, according to a new Pew Forum analysis. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three-quarters of the members belonged to Protestant denominations. READ THE FULL ANALYSIS >
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| Few Get Political Messages at Church |
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A new post-election survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds 5% of voters who regularly attend religious services say they were urged by their clergy to vote a particular way. But endorsements from the pulpit were more common among some religious groups. For example, 13% of white Catholics say they were urged by their clergy to vote a particular way. READ THE FULL REPORT AT PEOPLE-PRESS.ORG >
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| Catholics' Views of U.S. Bishops |
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Today is the final day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual Fall General Assembly. Seven-in-ten Catholics say they are very (24%) or somewhat satisfied (46%) with the leadership of the American bishops, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The percentage of Catholics saying they are satisfied with the leadership of American bishops is significantly higher than it was a decade ago, at the height of the church's child sex abuse scandal. View a graphic that shows Catholics' views of various church leaders or read the full report for more information.
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| Gay Marriage: Two-to-One Support in New England, Opposition in the South |
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According to Pew Research Center for the People & the Press polling this year, 48% of Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 43% oppose same-sex marriage. But support is much stronger in some regions of the country than in others. The latest Pew data also show rising support for gay marriage among African Americans. READ THE FULL REPORT AT PEOPLE-PRESS.ORG >
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| No Weekly Update Next Week |
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| The Weekly Update is taking a vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday. The next update will be on Nov. 29. |
NOV. 12 - REUTERS
Election blurring of U.S. church, state separation draws complaints
An article that looks at some religious organizations' political activity during the 2012 election season cites a Pew Research Center poll conducted shortly before the election. The survey found that four-in-ten (40%) black Protestants who attend church at least once a month say their clergy have spoken directly about the presidential candidates.
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Photo Credits
Faith on the Hill: © Wes Thompson/Corbis
Gay Marriage: RNS/istockphoto
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