Democrats Adopt Resolution Embracing Religiously-Unaffiliated
Several of the candidates in the Democratic Primary have āfaith outreach directorsā to approach religious people (particularly Christians) about matters of faith and how they intersect with politics.
Itās good to see that the Democratic Party has become the first to acknowledge that non-believers matter and are valued members of society.
Polling indicates atheists are regarded as less trustworthy than paedophiles and rapists, and a good number of conservatives believe we are the cause of mass-murders, so I guess weāre making progress here?
Amongst all religions, Christians were the most reliable voting bloc for Donald Trump in 2016, with about 80% of all people who identified as Christian voting for him. Meanwhile, atheists are one of the most reliable voting blocs for Democrats, with about 70% voting for Hillary Clinton.
Perhaps one day weāll see a Democratic candidate have a ānon-religious outreach directorā but it would appear the 2020 campaign is not that day.
If youāre a statistics nerd, youāll find this article interesting.
The Nones Arenāt As Politically Diverse As You Would Think (goes to āReligion in Publicā blog)
It turns out Black Protestants are the most reliable voting bloc for Democrats, weighing in at about 80%, followed by atheists at about 70%. There are lots of densely packed statistics and graphs if you want to see just how loyal the non-religious are to the Democratic Party (something something Democrats donāt want to take our religious rights away).
This might seem like lip-service, but this resolution was hard to pass: The majority of Democrats are Christians and it took a lot of work to get the DNC to accept atheists as part of the Democratic Coalition (even on the left religion colours peopleās political views).
In the meantime, hereās the text of the resolution:
WHEREAS, the religiously unaffiliated demographic has tripled in the last two decades, now representing 25% of the overall American population and 35% of those under the age of 30; and
WHEREAS, religiously unaffiliated Americans overwhelmingly share the Democratic Partyās values, with 70% voting for Democrats in 2018, 80% supporting same-sex marriage, and 61% saying immigrants make American society stronger; and
WHEREAS, the religiously unaffiliated demographic represents the largest religious group within the Democratic Party, growing from 19% in 2007 to one in three today; and
WHEREAS, the nonreligious have often been subjected to unfair bias and exclusion in American society, particularly in the areas of politics and policymaking where assumptions of religiosity have long predominated; and
WHEREAS, those most loudly claiming that morals, values, and patriotism must be defined by their particular religious views have used those religious views, with misplaced claims of āreligious liberty,ā to justify public policy that has threatened the civil rights and liberties of many Americans, including but not limited to the LGBT community, women, and ethnic and religious/nonreligious minorities; and
WHEREAS, the Democratic Party is an inclusive organization that recognizes that morals, values, and patriotism are not unique to any particular religion, and are not necessarily reliant on having a religious worldview at all; and
WHEREAS, nonreligious Americans made up 17% of the electorate in 2018 and have the potential to deliver millions more votes for Democrats in 2020 with targeted outreach to further increase turnout of nonreligious voters; and
WHEREAS, a record number of openly nonreligious candidates are running for public office;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE recognizes:
1. The value, ethical soundness, and importance of the religiously unaffiliated demographic, a group of Americans who contribute in innumerable ways to the arts, sciences, medicine, business, law, the military, their communities, the success of the Party and prosperity of the Nation; and
2. That religiously unaffiliated Americans are a group that, as much as any other, advocates for rational public policy based on sound science and universal humanistic values and should be represented, included, and heard by the Party.
ADDED: As it turns out, the Democratic Party of Massachusetts passed a similar resolution last November. You can read it at the American Humanist Association here.