The Catholic Voter in American Politics
The Catholic Voter in American Politics

Author: William B. Prendergast

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9780878407248

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Once a keystone of the Democratic Party, American Catholics are today helping to put Republicans in office. This book traces changes in party allegiance and voting behavior of Catholics in national elections over the course of 150 years and explains why much of the voting bloc that supported John F. Kennedy has deserted the Democratic coalition. William B. Prendergast analyzes the relationship between Catholics and the GOP from the 1840s to 1990s. He documents a developing attachment of Catholics to Republican candidates beginning early in this century and shows that, before Kennedy, Catholics helped elect Eisenhower, returned to the polls in support of Nixon and Reagan, and voted for a Republican Congress in 1994. To account for this shifting allegiance, Prendergast analyzes transformations in the Catholic population, the parties, and the political environment. He attributes these changes to the Americanization of immigrants, the socioeconomic and educational advancement of Catholics, and the emergence of new issues. He also cites the growth of ecumenicism, the influence of Vatican II, the abatement of Catholic-Protestant hostility, and the decline of anti-Catholicism in the Republican party. Clearly demonstrating a Catholic move toward political independence, Prendergast's work reveals both the realignment of voters and the influence of religious beliefs in the political arena. Provocative and informative, it confirms the opinion of pollsters that no candidate can take the vote of the largest and most diverse religious group in the nation for granted.

Catholic Bishops in American Politics
Catholic Bishops in American Politics

Author: Timothy A. Byrnes

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-07-14

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 140086237X

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Over the past twenty years the American Catholic bishops have played a leading role in the antiabortion movement, published lengthy and highly detailed pastoral letters on nuclear weapons and on the American economy, and involved themselves, collectively and individually, in several national election campaigns. What is the source of the sometimes controversial political role of these religious leaders? Timothy Byrnes proposes a new answer in this lucid description of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and its activities. He demonstrates that the key to the political role of the bishops and other modern American religious leaders has been political change, rather than religious revival. Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Catholics and Politics
Catholics and Politics

Author: Kristin E. Heyer

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 2008-10-15

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9781589012158

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Catholic political identity and engagement defy categorization. The complexities of political realities and the human nature of such institutions as church and government often produce a more fractured reality than the pure unity depicted in doctrine. Yet, in 2003 under the leadership of then-prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life." The note explicitly asserts, "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility toward the common good." Catholics and Politics takes up the political and theological significance of this "integral unity," the universal scope of Catholic concern that can make for strange political bedfellows, confound predictable voting patterns, and leave the church poised to critique narrowly partisan agendas across the spectrum. Catholics and Politics depicts the ambivalent character of Catholics' mainstream "arrival" in the U.S. over the past forty years, integrating social scientific, historical and moral accounts of persistent tensions between faith and power. Divided into four parts—Catholic Leaders in U.S. Politics; The Catholic Public; Catholics and the Federal Government; and International Policy and the Vatican—it describes the implications of Catholic universalism for voting patterns, international policymaking, and partisan alliances. The book reveals complex intersections of Catholicism and politics and the new opportunities for influence and risks of cooptation of political power produced by these shifts. Contributors include political scientists, ethicists, and theologians. The book will be of interest to scholars in political science, religious studies, and Christian ethics and all lay Catholics interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the tensions that can exist between church doctrine and partisan politics.

Voting and Holiness
Voting and Holiness

Author: Nicholas P. Cafardi

Publisher: Paulist Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1616431407

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A collection of essays by noted Catholic scholars on how Catholics should participate in the political process.

Clear Conscience
Clear Conscience

Author: Kevin Cieply

Publisher: Ascension Press

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 1932645934

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Vote with Confidence and Without Regret Clear Conscience: A Catholic Guide to Voting identifies the responsibilities of Catholics to our Faith and to our country as we make voting decisions. It provides thorough guidance to help Catholics navigate the most important issues facing our nation, issues that are ultimately decided by all of us as voters. The United States was born out of revolution, and its founding principles are still revolutionary. Our historically unprecedented Declaration of Independence and Constitution enshrine the legal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every person. But the interpretation of these truths today varies widely across the fascinating tapestry of America. Our freedoms as citizens in a democracy are both a wonderful privilege and a lofty responsibility. As the political climate grows more confusing with the rising concerns and demands of different groups, where do we as Catholics stand? Through the insights in Clear Conscience, you will learn: What the rights of every person are Our responsibility to uphold and defend those rights How to understand specific political issues How the Catholic tradition has contributed to a free and just society This book will not tell you who to vote for. That is a decision only you can make. Instead, it will give you the guidance you need to vote with a clear conscience.

From Pews to Polling Places
From Pews to Polling Places

Author: J. Matthew Wilson

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 2007-10-22

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9781589013261

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Does religion promote political mobilization? Are individuals motivated by their faith to focus on issues of social justice, personal morality, or both? What is the relationship between religious conviction and partisanship? Does religious identity reinforce or undermine other political identifications like race, ethnicity, and class? The answers to these questions are hardly monolithic, varying between and within major American religious groups. With an electoral climate increasingly shaped by issues of faith, values, and competing moral visions, it is both fascinating and essential to examine the religious and political currents within America's major religious traditions. J. Matthew Wilson and a group of prominent religion and politics scholars examine these topics and assess one question central to these issues: How does faith shape political action in America's diverse religious communities? From Pews to Polling Places seeks to cover a rich mosaic of religious and ethnic perspectives with considerable breadth by examining evangelical Christians, the religious left, Catholics, Mormons, African Americans, Latinos, Jews, and Muslims. Along with these groups, the book takes a unique look at the role of secular and antifundamentalist positions, adding an even wider outlook to these critical concerns. The contributors demonstrate how different theologies, histories, and social situations drive distinct conceptualizations of the relationship between religious and political life. At the same time, however, the book points to important commonalities across traditions that can inform our discussions on the impact of religion on political life. In emphasizing these similarities, the authors explore the challenges of political mobilization, partisanship, and the intersections of religion and ethnicity.

Good Intentions
Good Intentions

Author: Steven P. Millies

Publisher: Liturgical Press

Published: 2018-05-21

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 0814644678

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The 2016 presidential election was unlike any other in American history. Polls tell us that millions of American Catholics who care about moral issues and who descended from immigrants supported Donald Trump. Why didn't Trump's rhetoric on immigration and his promises to close the borders trouble more American Catholics? Steven P. Millies uncovers the history of how and why the so-called "Catholic Vote" went the way it did in 2016 and offers some practical reflections on ways to put Catholic faith to better use in American politics.

Redefining Urban and Suburban America
Redefining Urban and Suburban America

Author: Bruce Katz

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2004-05-13

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9780815748588

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The early returns from Census 2000 data show that the United States continued to undergo dynamic changes in the 1990s, with cities and suburbs providing the locus of most of the volatility. Metropolitan areas are growing more diverse—especially with the influx of new immigrants—the population is aging, and the make-up of households is shifting. Singles and empty-nesters now surpass families with children in many suburbs. The contributors to this book review data on population, race and ethnicity, and household composition, provided by the Census's "short form," and attempt to respond to three simple queries: —Are cities coming back? —Are all suburbs growing? —Are cities and suburbs becoming more alike? Regional trends muddy the picture. Communities in the Northeast and Midwest are generally growing slowly, while those in the South and West are experiencing explosive growth ("Warm, dry places grew. Cold, wet places declined," note two authors). Some cities are robust, others are distressed. Some suburbs are bedroom communities, others are hot employment centers, while still others are deteriorating. And while some cities' cores may have been intensely developed, including those in the Northeast and Midwest, and seen population increases, the areas surrounding the cores may have declined significantly. Trends in population confirm an increasingly diverse population in both metropolitan and suburban areas with the influx of Hispanic and Asian immigrants and with majority populations of central cities for the first time being made up of minority groups. Census 2000 also reveals that the overall level of black-to-nonblack segregation has reached its lowest point since 1920, although high segregation remains in many areas. Redefining Urban and Suburban America explores these demographic trends and their complexities, along with their implications for the policies and politics shaping metropolitan America. The shifts discussed here have significant influence

Can a Catholic be a Democrat?
Can a Catholic be a Democrat?

Author: David R. Carlin

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1933184191

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Democrat David Carlin's clear, gracious arguments will help you explain Catholic positions to friends, relatives, and fellow voters.

American Catholic
American Catholic

Author: D. G. Hart

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2020-10-15

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 1501751972

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American Catholic places the rise of the United States' political conservatism in the context of ferment within the Roman Catholic Church. How did Roman Catholics shift from being perceived as un-American to emerging as the most vocal defenders of the United States as the standard bearer in world history for political liberty and economic prosperity? D. G. Hart charts the development of the complex relationship between Roman Catholicism and American conservatism, and shows how these two seemingly antagonistic ideological groups became intertwined in advancing a certain brand of domestic and international politics. Contrary to the standard narrative, Roman Catholics were some of the most assertive political conservatives directly after World War II, and their brand of politics became one of the most influential means by which Roman Catholicism came to terms with American secular society. It did so precisely as bishops determined the church needed to update its teaching about its place in the modern world. Catholics grappled with political conservatism long before the supposed rightward turn at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Hart follows the course of political conservatism from John F. Kennedy, the first and only Roman Catholic president of the United States, to George W. Bush, and describes the evolution of the church and its influence on American politics. By tracing the roots of Roman Catholic politicism in American culture, Hart argues that Roman Catholicism's adaptation to the modern world, whether in the United States or worldwide, was as remarkable as its achievement remains uncertain. In the case of Roman Catholicism, the effects of religion on American politics and political conservatism are indisputable.