Kind of interesting; a Mormon/ Catholic ticket. Those are two large, mainstream churches

[JanMichael]

Last edited Sun Aug 12, 2012, 01:51 PM - Edit history (1)

I can think of where the people who choose to "leave" have such horrible angst.

It's also hard for me to believe that the Southern, or Midwest Fundamentalists, or Evangelicals could vote for R/R because of their churches.

Very odd times.

On edit: I needed to edit "the top two" out of the title to avoid confusion, as pointed out by another poster. My point, which was obscured by that, was that when I think of people leaving a church with much angst, those are the ones that come to mind-- other than Scientology--

[TroglodyteScholar]

1. Yea, because there aren't any protestants in the US

Are you ok?

[JanMichael]

2. what?

? I don't get your response at all?

[TroglodyteScholar]

8. In declaring Catholicism and Mormonism the 2 top mainstram religions...

You exclued protesgantism, which is larger than both of them combined in the US.

Btw, as of 2002 (the most recent numbers I could find easily), <2% of Americans were LDS. Hardly mainstream.

[JanMichael]

9. I get it; you are right

I did not edit the title to my OP to read what I meant. Thanks for pointing that out. I am correcting it now.

Did not mean to leave the "the" in.

[marybourg]

3. Mainstream? Mormon?

[JanMichael]

4. The LDS's have a pretty large congregation

for a church that has been around for a relatively short period of time. For some reason, a percentage of college students have become attracted to joining-

I have met more Mormons in NC over the past 5 years--- all of them converts--- than I have in the past 40.

[FreeState]

11. There are about 6 million in the US

13 million in the world and of those only about half are active members (defined by the LDS aas going to church once a month). There are 340 million people in the USA - they are not mainstream unless you are in Utah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_membership_statistics_(United_States)

[MNBrewer]

5. Yeah, Mormon is so far out of "mainstream" that it might as well be from another planet

Kolob, for example LOL.

Seriously, in my Methodist Youth Fellowship program in rural southern Georgia in the late 1970s/early '80's I was literally taught that the Catholic and Mormon churches were "cults". My guess is that this was a rogue element that took over the church and that it's not official Methodist doctrine. I no longer believe any of it.

[TBF]

13. Actually I looked up their member numbers

out of curiosity at one point and they were in the range of the Methodists (my family's denomination). But if you'd look at all protestant denominations obviously it would be smaller. I have no knowledge of how many Baptists there are but it seems really big in the south.

Of course a Mormon/Catholic ticket is not going to appeal to many old-school bigots, but they don't like an African-American in the White House either. My guess is that they'll go towards the right as they have but who knows.

It's an interesting question though ... it was a risky pick on Mitt's part in that way, but Ryan is very popular with the teabaggers despite being Catholic so maybe he knows what he's doing.

I don't think the party is focusing on 2012 anymore - I think they are really preparing for 2016 at this point.

[HiPointDem]

6. They're not exactly mainstream; lds & catholics have historically faced quite a bit of prejudice.

When I was a kid one of my great-aunts would occasionally make grim remarks about some convent that was near where she grew up. All a product of her family's anti-catholic orientation. It was so couched that as a kid I didn't quite get what she was talking about but I suspect it was something like the nuns were having sex.

[JanMichael]

12. I think that's partially what's so interesting to me

They both have faced quite a bit of discrimination....and their members have a tough time "leaving." Hard to believe that the bible thumpers we have been listening to for so long...the "god and guns" crowd will vote that ticket.

[WinkyDink]

20. Excuse me, but Catholics WERE THE FIRST CHRISTIANS*. Hence, the 1517 name of PROTESTants.

Just because you had a family of Protestant bigots doesn't make Catholicism less than mainstream, TYVM.

*Not counting those original catacombs-dwellers.

[HiPointDem]

21. in the us historically they've not been 'the mainstream,' regardless of the fact that in world

history they were first (though they weren't, the first christians were not an organized church).

my post was not intended to bash catholics, just to point out that in the us catholics have been discriminated against.

[JohnnyLib2]

7. This report puts LDS at #4, in the U.S.

http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#largest

It's an eye-opener.

[YoungDemCA]

10. Interestingly, we have yet to see a self-identified evangelical Protestant....

...from an evangelical denomination, as President.

Carter was a Southern Baptist, but he has said that he does NOT identify as "evangelical."

Bush 43 is a Methodist (mainline Protestant) who pandered heavily to conservative evangelicals and identified as "born-again", but I kinda suspect that it was mostly bullshit.

[JanMichael]

14. Re: Bush as a born again

I agree...that was total bullshit...but, the Christians in the US ate it up. I would say he's the closest thing we have had to openly evangelical, and he never came right out and said that--- pretty much that Jesus saved him from the bottle or some such crap.

[Nevernose]

15. He doesn't need to appeal to many fundies, though

Most of those states will vote Republican no matter what, because all they really consider, politically, is their "team." They don't care if voting Republican is in line with their self interests, their religion, or anything else.

[YoungDemCA]

16. Tribalism

nt

[Pool Hall Ace]

17. Yabbut, R&R are White

so this will enable many of the fundies to overlook the Mormon/Catholic thing.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

18. Really? I don't find it hard to believe at all.

And I don't consider Mormons "mainstream."

The Fundies believe Obama is Muslim, and I'm pretty sure Mormon/Catholic trumps Muslim in their perverted world view.

Then there's the obvious difference in race. And the fact that they're convinced Obama is a Socialist, will destroy heterosexual marriage, and take away guns.

Then there's Israel. One Florida blue-hair interviewed on the PBS News Hour said she likes Romney because he's been to Israel, and Obama has not. Yeah, I want these people deciding MY access to Social Security and Medicare.

[WinkyDink]

19. Mormonism is far from "Mainstream." They are cultish, believing that men can BECOME GODS, which is

anathema to Christianity.

[FreeState]

22. Guess that Jesus guy must not be Christian either.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A34-35&version=KJV

John 10:34-35

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Guess that Jesus guy must not be Christian either.