Despite a flagging economy and energized opposition, President Obama assembled a winning coalition that delivered him a second term in the White House. Yet even in the wake of this successful election, it is important to note that the championing of liberal social issues that formed a key part of the Obama campaign’s rhetoric poses a long-term threat to the Democratic Party’s electoral chances. Rhetoric matters. And rhetoric created cracks even in Obama’s winning coalition, cracks that show up when... Read more

There was considerable speculation during the 2012 primaries about the strength of support for Mitt Romney among white evangelical Protestants. A Pew Research Center analysis of exit poll data finds that white evangelical Protestants voted for Romney with as much enthusiasm as his other supporters did. In addition, white evangelical Protestants voted as heavily for Romney as they did for the GOP candidates in 2008 and 2004, and they made up about the same share of the electorate as they... Read more

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The Public Religion Research Institute confirmed that the religiously unaffiliated and minority Christian vote largely went to President Obama while Mitt Romney attracted most of the white, evangelical vote in November. The group’s recent surveys highlight the challenge the GOP has in attracting minority voters. According to the surveys, 25 percent of religiously unaffiliated voters supported Obama, with Romney winning only 7 percent of the same group. However, 40 percent of white, evangelical Protestants supported Romney while Obama received only... Read more

“Your body is a wrapped lollipop. When you have sex with a man, he unwraps your lollipop and sucks on it. It may feel great at the time, but, unfortunately, when he’s done with you, all you have left for your next partner is a poorly wrapped, saliva-fouled sucker.”I cringed behind the wheel, appalled at the words I heard coming from my audio copy of “Half the Sky” as authors Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristoff discussed this statement uttered by... Read more

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640 Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Read more

In the study of indigenous religions, one of the issues a scholar faces is the gap between self-representation and scholarly classification, particularly with regard to the concept of ‘religion’. So how does the scholar of religion approach this issue? Shamanism is an interesting example, one which illustrates this problem, as this term was also coined by scholars, derived from one group in Siberia and applied cross-culturally to others, which then influenced diverse peoples to adopt the term when describing their... Read more

Most Americans are familiar with the adage that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is the week’s most segregated hour. Although there is less homogeneity in American churches than when the observation was first popularized in the 1950s, the segregation of Christian worship continues to be analyzed by sociologists and lamented by religious leaders. The perpetuation of racial separation on Sunday mornings may be due to preference, convenience and a highly segmented religious marketplace. But its historical origins are to be... Read more

Here at Rhetoric Race and Religion we have collected articles that offer a reflection of the 2012 Presidential Election. If you would like to submit one, please email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter. Enjoy. 1. Tenuous Duality of Election Day2. Post-Election Recovery: A Chance for a Reckoning?3. Election 2012: A New Day for Religion in America 4. What Historically White Denominations Can Learn From the Republican Party5. What do religious leaders want for Obama’s next four... Read more

In the machinations of Empire, religious and ethnic differences are often used to justify wars and repression. Historical examples abound. Animosity between nations’ ruling elites are framed in religious terms to rile up the populace and convince them the antagonisms between rulers over land and money are actually between the common people over religion. From there, the antagonism disintegrates into hatred and then war. Despite the conclusion of many religious adherents and teachers that all religions are merely different paths... Read more