Are Republicans the ‘party of religion’? The answer may surprise you

As a professor of religious studies, people who meet me often like to share their ideas regarding religion. They tell me about the “weird cult” their aunt Suzy joined or ask whether it is really possible that Jesus was an ancient code name for magic mushrooms (it is not).

Recently, however, numerous people have been repeating to me a “fact” about religion that Republicans are the only party of religious people. They are not.

Exit polls and studies from the Pew foundation show that with one exception, every major religious group in America supports Democrats more than Republicans.

Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mainline Protestants, Black Protestants, Orthodox Christians and New Age adherents all support Democrats over Republicans. According to the American National Election Study, Democrats won a slim majority of Catholics in 2016, with that lead extended in 2018 and 2020.

The only major religious group in America to support Republicans were white evangelical Christians — those Protestant Christians (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons) who emphasize active proselytizing, high-engagement with the Bible, and a personal relationship with Jesus.

So “Republicans are the party of religious people” only if you arbitrarily limit religion to white Evangelical Protestant Christians.

If you choose to identify “religious” voters as those who care about the perceived moral character of candidates, the connection between religion and the Republican party would have a stronger basis a decade ago. For years, white Evangelicals were the group that most often claimed that moral character was one of the most important attributes for choosing a candidate. However, Trump changed Evangelicals in this regard.

According to a PRRI/Brookings polls in 2016, white Evangelicals are the least likely group to tell pollsters that the immoral acts in the politician’s personal life matters. So if “religious” is defined by caring about moral character, Republicans can no longer claim that mantle as clearly.

If “religion” is defined as “virtue” voting, the claim that Republicans are the religious party depends on one’s set of virtues. Most Evangelicals today cite their opposition to abortion as the primary example of their Christian voting, although throughout the 1970s most Evangelicals were largely pro-choice.

While scholars debate the scriptural basis for the abortion debate, the Bible is far clearer on other values that have direct legislative implications: love for the poor, care for immigrants, acceptance of the marginalized, care for God’s creation, and striving for peacemaking. This latter set of virtues fit more closely with the Democratic platform. Once again, Democrats can equally claim to be the virtue policy party, unless one limits Christian virtues to a particular reading of the Bible on abortion and a small collection of other issues.

So why is there a widespread public perception that Republicans are the religious party and Democrats are not? I think it is because most atheists, agnostics, and unaffiliated are also Democrats, so many of the loudest skeptics of religion are thus connected to the Democratic party. Some in the Democratic party indeed may express anti-religion sentiments but their opinions should not allowed to define the identity of the majority.

It is not the role of a professor at a public university to weigh in on which religious perspective is “right” or how we should measure religiosity; rather, my point is only that there is a widespread misperception which needs correcting that Democrats as a whole are hostile to religion and “religious” folks can only turn to the Republican party for support. I want to suggest that religiously inclined Americans can find support in both parties. In the final analysis, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu have no political party and their followers should feel at home in whatever party they feel reflects their worldview. To that end, I hope both Democrats and Republicans of all stripes can say, “Amen” and “Namaste.”

Stephen Lloyd-Moffett is a professor of Religious Studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.