Does the church you attend expect you to vote Republican?
921115
I don't go to church, though I am a Christian.  I am a republican, but left my church because it preached the republican agenda from the pulpit.  Politics has no place in the church
616375
Voting Republican is one.
310509
yes and it will be a republican
305029
As an atheist republican, I have been asking myself that for a while.\n\nI guess I still believe in the platforum, but may be only one of a few who actually do.\n\nThe increasing influence of the religious right seriously distresses me, as I hate the idea that the GOP is now connected at the hip with those hate-mongers.  Barry Goldwater warned about this as early as 1980, but I guess few headed his warning.\n\nTechnically, I am a libertarian, but not with the big "L".  I'll vote for moderate Reps, or conservative Dems when the chance arises.\n\nIn short, I hear ya brother.
767596
Not all of us evangelicals are in the GOP's pocket. I switched my registration to the Democrats because of the GOP's disdain for Jesus' message of taking care of the poor, the hungry and the sick. It's impossible NOT to mix faith and politics, because if we don't vote our convictions, doesn't that make us hypocrites?\n\nI'm an evangelical, pro-life Democrat and proud of it. I don't like the extreme positions of either party's leadership, but I hope that a lot of others like me can get together and annoy the leadership enough that they'll change.\n\nCheck out the blog entry I just posted about Ted Haggard.
778391
First off, full disclosure:  I'm white, middle-aged (46), well-educated (2 bachelor's and a master's degree), and make a mid 6-figure income -- and almost always vote democratic, although NO party tells me what to do :)\n\nRace is the worst of the indicators you mention -- that used to be a better one, but it's changed much in the past 20 years.  Class is still a pretty good indicator:  poorer people vote more democratic, richer people vote more republican, and the middle-class is fairly well split.  However, religion trumps them all:  those who identify themselves as "fundamentalist" christian vote over 75% republican, as do mormons and a few other sects.  Catholics lean more heavily towards democratic (65%).  Most christians who do not identify as "fundamentalist" are pretty evenly split.  And those who say they have no religion are heavily democratic.\n\nWhy?  Because fundamentalist church leaders made huge contributions to the republicans, and "sold their souls" to that party -- at the same time, the republican party "sold their souls" to the fundamentalist christians, giving up many traditional republican ideals, in order to get as much of that block of people as possible.\nPower, that's why :(
1132640
I am an independent and I like Romney a lot. He's on my short list of hopefuls along with a couple of Democrats and another Republican, all of whom, surprisingly enough, have very similar views.\n\nReligion has little to do with my decision on who to vote for, because a lot of politicians use religion as a tool to get votes and don't practice the compassion or tolerance that their religion teaches. I am a Christian, but I'd vote for an atheist if I believed that he would do a good job and he was a good person. Too many "Christian" politicians need to learn to "practice what they preach", or, to be more precise, what He preached.
402007
Why do you spread malice and hate towards "Republican Christians"?
271298
There are two types of Republicans in my opinion- those who are Republican because they are rich and enjoy the way our economy works, and those who are Republican because of their moral beliefs.  I think that when deciding which party to belong to, many Christians try to pick the lesser of two evils (ah, the irony).  They choose the Republican party because of their moral beliefs and then, with the other side of the Republican party's ideas in mind, spend their money to help the poor through their church rather than through their government.  There's far less bureaucracy if done this way, and you know your money will be going towards its intended use.  I also think there's more emphasis on homosexuality and abortion because for one, the government has many services in place to help the poor and impoverished (redundant?), so their efforts are placed elsewhere.  I also don't think that in the time Revelation was written that abortions were as prevalent as they are now.  It's become a bigger issue, so people have made it a greater cause.  \n\nHowever, you pose an extremely valid question.  I've become increasingly fed up with the way big business works in this country (and others), and I really SHOULD do something about it.  I think you've just indirectly encouraged me to give more to Christian charities and pay way more attention to candidates and stuff.  I might even take up reading the paper again.  :P
830313
If you value morals and family, vote Republican.
1047312
I'm a Mormon, and a Republican.
51514
In short, many Christians are Repulicans because Republicans have embraced Christians as a voting power.\n\nThe reasons that most Christians are Republicans are not because of taxes, but because of abortion. In the 60s, there was no "Religious Right." Christian votes were split fairly quickly between parties, and the real divisions were geographic.\n\nIn the 70s, many Christians felt abandoned by the Democratic Party. The "Religious Right" as a voting power did not develop until the early 80s with the founding of the Moral Majority by Jerry Falwell. And it was really only until the 2000 election that they were recognized as a powerhouse and courted by the Republican party.\n\nBasically the Christians started voting Republican not because they felt that the Republicans were inherently better than Democrats, but because Democrats stopped paying attention to them and their interests.\n\nIf and when the Democratic Party actually starts recognizing and courting the Christian vote, which I believe they will no later than 2012, you'll begin to see a real change in the voting patterns of Christians.
267496
This would be the best answer to the Republican Party - that way they would quit being shameless liars and saying that they spoke to "GOD" and "God told them to do this or that"\n\nThough there is SUPPOSED to be a seperation of Church and State, they never seem to abide by that rule either
787259
I'm a Democrat, and a christian.\n\nWhy are republicans so ignorant?
1141739
It's normal if you are a Republican
1118513
Vote republican again! ;)
777437
I certainly can, in our civil society religion shouldn't matter.  In fact however, it does and I prefer to know not so much the religion but how devout the politician is--the more devout, the less I like them because the more likely they are to let their religion color their decisions.  I don't want anybody forcing their religion or the implicit results of their religion on me.