» Shapiro: The Death of American Religion » Commentary -- GOPUSA
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
In the aftermath of the re-election of President Barack Obama, conservatives searched the heavens and the earth for answers. Some suggested that Mitt Romney lost because Republicans didn't reach out more to Latino voters; some suggested that Romney lost because his "get out the vote" system fell apart on Election Day. Romney himself said that he lost because President Obama separated voting groups with particularly calibrated "gifts" designed to curry their favor.
In truth, Mitt Romney lost for the same reason that traditional marriage lost on Election Day: America is becoming a less religious country. And that bodes ill for the future of the United States.
It's not that religious voters didn't turn out for Romney. They did in droves. Fully 26 percent of voters -- 3 percent more than in 2004 -- were white evangelicals who supported Romney 79 to 21. Fifty-three percent of the electorate identified as Protestant; another 25 percent identified as Catholic.
But a full 40 percent of voters attended church or synagogue rarely; 17 percent of voters never attended church or synagogue at all. Indeed, 12 percent of the voting base didn't report a religious affiliation at all. That adds up to 69 percent of the population. And this population broke for Barack Obama.
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