Religion & Politics: The Messiah Has the Atheist Vote Pretty Well Locked Up.

The IBD/TIPP Election '08 Daily Tracking Poll ("most accurate pollster of the 2004 campaign") today came out showing the race between Obama and McCain tightening, with undecideds and independents vacillating almost as wildly as the Dow Jones last week.

Most interesting to me was the religion vote.  Protestants and Catholics, who have historically disagreed on profound doctrinal issues of the Christian faith, seem to agree that a vote for McCain constitutes less of a sin than a vote for Obama.  The breakdown is 55/36, McCain over Obama among the Protestants, 51/38 McCain over Obama for the Catholics.  A tad more indecision among the Catholics, 11%, vs. 9% undecided among the Protestants.

The "Other Christian" vote is more evenly polarized than the Protestant/Catholic split: 48/46 McCain over Obama, with 7% undecided.  Amazingly low number of undecideds for a group that couldn't decide whether it is Catholic or Protestant.  (I suspect this miscellaneous rubric is for recently engendered "third wave" groups such as charismatics & Pentecostals, as well as non-denominational bodies, the Mormons, other splinter groups, factions, breakaways & offshoots.  I'm guessing the Branch Davidians are going with McCain, just to be safe.)

Perhaps most astonishing of all is the Jewish vote.  A whopping 78% are voting for Obama, 19% for McCain, only 3% undecided!  Think about this.  Nearly four out of five voters who identified themselves as Jewish are casting their lot with a man whose personal ties and closest allies (drop the second 's' for a better adjective: closet allies) are individuals who are either sworn enemies or merely hostile antagonists toward Israel and all things Jewish.  This plus the fact that the particular ideology Obama subscribes to--socialism/Marxism--is historically anti-Jewish, anti-American, anti-liberty and anti-prosperity.  Look at the history of the Jews in America.  Industrious, ingenious, business innovators, entrepreneurial, risk-takers, capitalist to the core. What went wrong?

"Other" religions are the wild card in this group: 63% of them are going with Obama, 30% McCain, 7% undecided.  The reason I think the Mormons are not included in this group is that they are a staunchly conservative bunch and would sooner give up Temple privileges than vote for Obama (with all due respect to the LDS).  For everyone else, I guess a false messiah is better than no messiah at all.

 

Last of all is the "None" group.  These are presumably atheists and people who want to be "spiritual" without believing in God or practicing any religion.  They are going with Obama 73% vs 21% for McCain, 6% undecided.  Imagine that.  Three out of four unbelievers believe Obama is the One.  Maybe they secretly belong to the Church of Oprah.  No Bible required.  Just bring your five senses and your wind-tossed non-beliefs to a place where the main sacrament is Communion with Your Feelings.  Obama is your candyman.  Your puppet.  Whatever you want your next president to be, and give, he'll be glad to oblige, by indulging your collectivist longing for the Change We Need, transitioning us from "selfish" freedoms and lower taxes to state-sponsored security and state-enforced, wealth-confiscating, job-destroying "equality."  (All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others.  Thank you, George Orwell.)

We'll see if there is any change in these numbers tomorrow, the last day before the election. But clearly, Obama has captured the hearts and minds of voters who acknowledge either no God or else no higher practical authority than the federal government--except perhaps the U. N.--with the President (so long as he or she is a Democrat) as its prophet.

If ever there was a time to pray, Good Lord, deliver us, it's now.  Please join with your local congregation in prayer and fasting tomorrow (Monday).