A previous article on faith says there are four types of believers: fundamentalists (who take things literally — declining), progressives (those committed to faith while open to interpretation — growing), “lights” (attend church but don’t get too involved), and God-only deists (believe in God but not religion — also growing).
Throw them together and we have a diverse congregation trying to figure things out. Add in rising education levels and exposure to almost everything (thanks to the web) and you see why change was about to happen. Here’s what’s up inside the church.
Progressives
This gay marriage thing has largely affected the institution. Not so much in “light” countries like ours but in the States it’s tearing churches apart. American Christians are now being faced with choosing between Christ and the rest of the Bible. Christ’s message was “love thy neighbour.” How do you reconcile that with “gays are no good?”
Tensions are so tight that young-minded, educated, socially immersed members are redefining what they believe. Sayings like “put Christ back into Christianity” and “if the Bible conflicts with love thy neighbour, then the Bible is wrong” are appearing everywhere. So much so that a new movement to look for divinity elsewhere (and everywhere) has emerged within the community. Pretty strong stuff for a bunch of Ned Flanders people.
Simply put: they’re arguing over the Bible and what’s appropriate for church behaviour.
Two parts
Religion has always had two parts: socially control the masses and bring meaning to life through philosophy. The simple-minded have always been happy with authority; the educated now want to talk meaning. And it’s this last group that’s growing.
Buddhism and Confucianism provide philosophies without naming a god. Neither attempts to claim divinity over doctrine and say, regardless of what you believe, let’s all live together. Classic religion is different. Not only does it name a god, it claims all rules and philosophies come from Him (the boss). This may have worked in the past but you can’t keep educating people without expecting them to think. The educated and free don’t like spiritual rules, especially when imposed upon them. They strive for feel good, do good, disciples on Earth stuff.
There’s a revolution going on inside the church today. Clergy is losing control. And this whole thing might come crashing down like the fall of communism. Not personal belief or the desire to connect with a god, but the assumption Christians will vote as they’re told. A big deal in the US because, down there, Christians can be counted on to vote right.
US Politics
In terms of attitudes and types, Canadians and Americans aren’t far apart. We’re similar people but there’s a difference in how we vote. In the US, they’re equally divided between left and right, where in Canada we’re two-thirds lib and one-third con (that’s why we have four left-wing parties). Church is a big part of that.
The article Who Votes What describes how politicians view demographics. On the left we have government employees, tree-huggers, low-income earners, and naive do-gooders. On the right there are serious businesspeople, hard-working blue-collars, seniors, and social Christians. In the States, this amounts to 50-50. Once Republicans can no longer depend on large margins coming from faith, they won’t be able to keep up. So the liberal yin won’t have a sufficient yang, which doesn’t bode well in a two-party system. Enter Trump.
Whether by fluke or by design, the president has taught the party a thing about marketing. He’s always focused on the working class. Those making $20-45K / year without a fancy education (e.g., renters). This group is who the Republicans will target to replace Christians—by keeping their taxes low and ensuring they always have a job.
Summary
It goes without saying that voters are never this simple but I’m sure you get the point. There is truth in demographics. The American right constantly talks about abortion because it keeps the troops in line. (Something that would never work in Canada because we’re not that Christian.)
Does the US need to expand its system beyond two parties? No, their way is better. It aligns closer to what is real life. Throw in some compromise and you arrive at what the University of Toronto calls integrative thinking (a third way coming from two). The system is good. They just need to redefine the teams. And after all the changing is done, it’ll come down to the rich and poor against the middle class. A much more Christian combination.