The Democratic establishment seems to think it has a religion problem. That is, it thinks religion is a problem. Take a look at how the Left reacted to presidential candidate Marianne Williamson’s now-deleted tweet suggesting mental “energy,” which she later described as the power of prayer, could bring comfort in the wake of Hurricane Dorian’s destruction.
“Prayer is a power of the mind, and it is neither bizarre nor unintelligent … I was born and raised in Texas so I’ve seen it. Millions of people today are praying that Dorian turn away from land, and treating those people with mockery or condescension because they believe it could help is part of how the overly secularized Left has lost lots of voters,” she said.
Williamson might be an unconventional, wacky candidate, but when it comes to religion, she’s the only serious person running. Of course, the Democratic establishment will dismiss her because, as they’ve made abundantly clear, they’re sick and tired of your thoughts and prayers. Leave them in the church parking lot, bigot.
In fact, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution a few weeks ago praising the values of “religiously unaffiliated” Americans, which now comprise the “largest religious group within the Democratic Party,” according to the DNC.
“Religiously unaffiliated Americans overwhelmingly share the Democratic Party’s values,” the resolution states. It then blasts religious Americans for attempting to use “religious liberty” as a weapon against progressive reforms.
The DNC’s resolution wouldn’t be a problem if it was just an attempt to widen the party’s umbrella and embrace all Americans, religious or secular. But it is not that. Rather, it’s a direct message to religious Americans that they are not welcome in the Democratic Party, and neither are their values. And it’s a radical departure from the party of John F. Kennedy, who, at the very least, showed respect for those who believed in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Has the Democratic establishment forgotten who its voters are? Religion is still important to the majority of Democratic voters, according to the Pew Research Center. About 44% of Democratic voters consider themselves religious. More than half (55%) of Democrats believe in God, and 47% say religion is a central part of their lives.
The party establishment is trying to fix something that isn’t broken. Religion isn’t a problem to the vast majority of base voters. Quite the opposite: many of them believe it’s the solution. For some reason, the Democratic Party doesn’t care. Marianne Williamson does. Joe Biden says he does. But the party doesn’t. It’s dead set on its beeline toward cultural secularism, and if this continues, it will lose religious voters altogether, and it will lose 2020.
