Voters Like Gays More Than Evangelicals

[Underseer]

I wish they didn't exist, but they do http://ecinc.org/

The word "evangelical" is one of those slippery pig words...what does it really mean? It usually means only what the person stating it wants it to mean.

The same thing could be said about nearly every concept in religion. That's the advantage when none of your beliefs are based on facts or evidence.

I didn't see anything that jumped out at me from that website that would suggest they are party to the atypical 'right wing fundagelical God-breathed Bible' crap. The mainstream US Lutheran sect is self-labeled as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and they are about as "evangelical" and the United Methodists. In dictionary terms, it comes from 'to evangelize" aka to spread the good news. So pretty much any Christian group/sect can run with the label if they feel like it. Heck, Dr. Francis Collins (author of The Language of God) was the head of the Human Genome Project, and calls himself an evangelical. Yet, in reading his book where he wrote about the reality of evolution, I would have been hard pressed to come up with that label but for him stating it.

I dunno about Lutherans in general, but the white side of my family is from Montana/North Dakota, and every Lutheran relative is a FOX News zombie. I've been unfriending distant relatives left and right during this campaign cycle because I am simply sick and tired of listening to their racism and the excuses they make for their racism.

 

[funinspace]

The word "evangelical" is one of those slippery pig words...what does it really mean? It usually means only what the person stating it wants it to mean.

The same thing could be said about nearly every concept in religion. That's the advantage when none of your beliefs are based on facts or evidence.

I understand your point, and there are many religious words that are very vague especially when little to no context is provided. However, many religious web site/sect provide detailed statements of faith/belief. When a Calvinist group cites T.U.L.I.P. as part of their statement of faith, then one has a pretty solid idea of what their doctrine and values are.

I didn't see anything that jumped out at me from that website that would suggest they are party to the atypical 'right wing fundagelical God-breathed Bible' crap. The mainstream US Lutheran sect is self-labeled as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and they are about as "evangelical" and the United Methodists. In dictionary terms, it comes from 'to evangelize" aka to spread the good news. So pretty much any Christian group/sect can run with the label if they feel like it. Heck, Dr. Francis Collins (author of The Language of God) was the head of the Human Genome Project, and calls himself an evangelical. Yet, in reading his book where he wrote about the reality of evolution, I would have been hard pressed to come up with that label but for him stating it.

I dunno about Lutherans in general, but the white side of my family is from Montana/North Dakota, and every Lutheran relative is a FOX News zombie. I've been unfriending distant relatives left and right during this campaign cycle because I am simply sick and tired of listening to their racism and the excuses they make for their racism.

Below is a snippet from the ELCA, the largest US Lutheran sect, which hints at their moderation (w/o getting into inane detail). What you won't find is statements that suggest that the Bible is God-breathed. On their site you won't find insults about evolution.
https://www.elca.org/Faith/ELCA-Teaching/Theological-Conversations

Evangelical, Lutheran theology does several things. Participants in evangelical theological conversations attend to the goodness of the gospel message — the specific good that God does in Jesus Christ’s cross and resurrection. They also seek the language and actions that give the most winsome expression to this compassionate mercy and liberating hope.

In these conversations many questions need attention and many viewpoints are helpful. All participants have something to contribute. The resources available in the Theological Conversations section invite you into this conversation that serves the gospel’s free course in the life of the world.

I would have to assume that your Montana/North Dakota relatives are most likely part of the 2 major Missouri Synod's, which are very strong from Missouri and north up to Montana to Minnesota. There are 2 links with the same basic group name in the below link. The conservative wings of the Lutheran grouping are very fractured. These groups are more like the atypical Southern Baptist Convention type churches, just with Lutheran bells and whistles. They would fit in quite well with the stereo typical right wing evangelical labeling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lutheran_Church–Missouri_Synod

 

[ronburgundy]

If the survey brought up the issue of gays prior to asking about "evangelicals", then its almost certain that many and maybe most respondents interpreted "evangelicals" as referring to fundamentalists that oppose homosexuality. IOW, not only does the context of the other questions make people focus on evangelicals that are anti-gay, but it focuses on judging them specifically related to the gay issue and not simply overall.

This would lower the % of people rating them favorably.

Its still great to see and massive shift in recent decades, but its possible that if they asked about evangelicals at the start without the gay context, that evangelicals could have gotten higher favorability ratings than gays.

 

[fromderinside]

Its still great to see and massive shift in recent decades, but its possible that if they asked about evangelicals at the start without the gay context, that evangelicals could have gotten higher favorability ratings than gays.

Geez. Its not about switching from cunt to butt or cunt to mouth. Its really always been all about hoves. Should they be shod or not. Of course some idiot accidentally miswrote that last bit as "...should be shot or not ...". Guns, guns, guns. It always comes down to guns.

Someone should replace the cross with a cocked rifle filled with money.*

*^{_{OK so I'm twisted so what}}.

 

[ZiprHead]

I dunno about Lutherans in general, but the white side of my family is from Montana/North Dakota, and every Lutheran relative is a FOX News zombie. I've been unfriending distant relatives left and right during this campaign cycle because I am simply sick and tired of listening to their racism and the excuses they make for their racism.

I have a distant cousin that's an openly gay Lutheran minister.