Religion in US politics

It is sometimes annoying to me to learn what the Economist is saying about American society. Its report about religion in the US is not consistent with my observations. Correct, Yanks are religious, incorrect, they don't care much about a persons religious affiliation. Society in small town America is largely dictated by which church residents attend. Yes, Islam is very disliked, but Jews are not off the hook. There is a considerable amount of anti-Semitism here fostered by a lingering allegiance to the old stereotypes.

The religious preference of high society is arguably Episcopalian which accounts for much of the confession of our wealthy WASPs, (white, Anglo-Saxon, protestants). Here in Central Texas, Lutherans, Catholics and Baptists dominate while the small elite are mainly Episcopalians. Catholics came here from Czechoslovakia about the same time as the German Lutherans. Prior to their arrival, there were the Baptists which can be readily and strictly divided into white and black congregations. Yes, the most segregated time of American life remains Sunday morning. We have a smattering of Methodists and Presbyterians, but they bear little resemblance to those of the UK. Much of the dourness is missing here. It did not travel well I guess.

Jewish families in our area can be counted on one hand and are almost entirely immigrants from outside the US. All are professionals and are subject to mild types of prejudice emanating from locals who think that the word Jew is a verb. Gross ignorance among our relatively isolated and underexposed population is predominant. It accounts for blaming the Jews for economic ills including high oil prices. Most of the locals would not, and do not, recognize a Jewish person when they meet or see one.

As a person's religious affiliation is strongly linked to his or her ethnic heritage, the tendency to intermingle is constrained. It is still difficult, for example, for a WASP Episcopalian to develop strong social ties with an American Catholic of Italian or Irish origin. Catholics and Lutherans get along fine, but Czechs and Germans do not and seldom do they intermarry. Mind you, these observations are anecdotal, but nevertheless representative of the majority opinion.

Politically speaking, the Protestants here are largely Republican while Catholics are inclined to be democrats, as are Jewish people. This tendency may be applicable throughout the US, although political labels are in a state of flux just now and many Americans are shunning them altogether. The right is divided between Republicans and Conservatives while the left is divided between Liberals and Democrats. The number of Independents is growing which gives credence to the tendency to shun labels; being an Independent is often a refuge for those who want to decide allegiances on issues rather than party affiliations. Some believe that Independents are Democrats who don't want to admit it, but I think that is not entirely accurate. As for Libertarians, they have largely gravitated to the Conservative camp.