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> Catholics, in general, are the most liberal religious denomination in the US. More than Jedi? Or even Scientology?

• logfromblammo 10y ago
  Generally, religions with a leadership hierarchy are more authoritarian than those that are tenets-based and decentralized. Thus, those religions tend to take political direction on the liberal-conservative axes from their leadership. Based on their treatment of heresy and apostasy, and self-policing of their own "ethics", I would consider Scientologists to be extremely conservative. While the leadership never endorses any candidate, the membership generally votes conservative-libertarian. I would guess that many of them voted for Trump in the last election, though I have no hard data to back that up. Of the mainstream religions, Mormons (70%) are the most reliably Republican, followed by Southern Baptists (64%), Nazarenes (63%), and Presbyterians (60%). The most reliably Democratic are African Methodist Episcopal (92%), National Baptist (87%), God in Christ (75%), the "historically black" churches, along with Unitarians (84%). Catholics break 44% Democrat, 37% Republican, and 19% no-preference, a distribution that closely matches the whole of America. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/23/u-s-religious-groups-and-their-political-leanings/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/23/u-s-religiou... Catholicism is often the most liberal religion in Mexico and Latin America, and members from that cultural region are often considered liberal among other Catholics. As Pope Francis is from there, and I consider him to be very liberal for a Catholic, I would expect Catholics worldwide to gradually become more liberal as his tenure in office continues.