Sarah Palin, Goddess of Theocracy
The good news from a new national
HuffingtonPost/YouGov poll on Christianity as an official state religion is that at least a plurality of Americans oppose the idea. The bad news is that a full third of Americans support it.
According to the poll, 34% of adults would favor establishing Christianity as the official state religion in their own state, while 47% would oppose doing so. 32% said that they would favor a constitutional amendment making Christianity the official religion of the United States, with 52% saying they were opposed.
A demographic breakdown of poll results reveals, predictably, that support for Christianity as an official state religion is stronger among older Americans, those who identify as Republicans, and those without higher education.
The demographic breakdown of poll results does not indicate state or region, but we can safely assume that support for Christianity as a state religion is strongest in the South and other conservative rural regions of the United States. In the most conservative states support for Christianity as a state religion could quite conceivably be the majority opinion. This does not bode well for religious minorities, women, gay and lesbian Americans, or others in those states with an interest in maintaining separation of church and state.
Those of us who live in liberal states can rest reasonably assured that they won't soon be living in a Christian theocracy. Those in conservative states, however, can expect continued attacks on reproductive rights, gay and lesbian rights, and the rights of religious minorities as state-level Republican politicians pander to their grassroots religious wingnut base. At the national level, we can also expect a lot more religious wingnuttery from Red State Republicans in Congress as they pander to the folks back home.
(See also HuffPost video: Christianity For All?)