Newswise — Several issues that could affect the outcome of the presidential election hinge at least in part on religion, says Swarthmore College Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion Amy Lorion, who studies Christianity in American society.
John Kerry's Catholicism
"It's still rare to have a Catholic run for president," Lorion says. "The major concern with 'the first JFK' was defending the Catholic religion in and of itself, which fit a long pattern of suspicion of Catholics in this country. Kennedy had to assert he would not kowtow to Rome.
"This time, the criticism is the reverse. Kerry has had to defend his free thinking against conservative Christians who have used Kerry's deviation from Catholic Church positions on social issues as a weapon against him. Watch for this especially during the debates, where Bush will likely emphasize the role of religion in his life and force Kerry to respond in kind. Bush could use Kerry's departure from the Church over abortion, for instance, to further portray him as someone who 'flip-flops' on certain issues."
Supreme Court Judges
"The next president will likely nominate two judges to the Supreme Court," she says. "Given the contentious church-state issues of ten commandment displays and abortion, the candidates will have to say something about religion one way or the other."
Schism in Republican Party
"Lots of evangelical Christians voted Democratic through the Carter administration, but since Ronald Reagan, they have slowly taken over the leadership of the Republican party," Lorion says. "This has created tension with the more libertarian side of the party, which does not support this moralistic push. The conservative religious majority, for instance, did not allow gay Republicans to even have a table at the convention.
"The administration's not all that interested in keeping the sides together," she adds. "Keeping their votes, yes; getting them to play nice, no."
Amy Lorion studies American religions from the colonial era through today. One of her major interests is how religion shapes how people see the world and how they use religion to decide moral issues. She also examines gender issues and popular culture as it pertains to religion, as well as church and state/First Amendment issues.
Located near Philadelphia, Swarthmore is a highly selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,500. Swarthmore is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.
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