Americans’ Views of the Mormon Religion

PRINCETON, NJ — Something about the Mormon religion apparently disturbs a significant portion of the American population. A quarter of Americans in a recent Gallup Poll said they would not vote for an otherwise well-qualified presidential candidate who is a Mormon. A Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 29% of Americans said they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who is a Mormon.

These negative attitudes appear to be based on more than just concerns about the Mormon religion in a presidential context. New Gallup polling shows that 46% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the Mormon religion in general, slightly higher than the 42% who have a favorable opinion.

  • Americans who are more religious (as measured by frequency of church attendance) and those who are Protestant have highly negative views of the Mormon religion. The differences in views of Mormons among groups defined by their church attendance are significant. There is a net negative view of -21 points among Americans who attend church weekly, contrasted with a net positive view of +10 among those who seldom or never attend church.
  • Protestants are significantly more negative in their views than Catholics, who are the most positive group by religion.
  • There are minor partisan differences. Republicans are slightly more negative in their views of Mormons than are either independents or Democrats.

Gallup Article

Comments Off on Americans’ Views of the Mormon Religion

Holy Slip and Fall

Chicago archbishop slips on holy water, hurts hip

CHICAGO — The archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George, was hospitalized with a slight hip fracture Saturday morning after he apparently slipped and fell inside a church while blessing Easter baskets, archdiocese officials said.

George, 70, was at St. Ferdinand Roman Catholic Church to bless baskets of food for Easter meals when he slipped on some holy water that had splashed onto the marble floor, said Colleen Dolan, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.

The cardinal appeared to land squarely on his hips in a seated position, and he grimaced in pain.

But he continued the service, receiving applause after being helped back to the altar.

After the service, he had trouble walking, so an aide took him to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

Though the injury was not serious and did not require surgery, Dolan said, George is to remain hospitalized for a few days of physical therapy and is using a walker so as not to apply pressure to the hip.

“He took a fall . . . in his exuberance with the holy water,” Dolan said.

Full Article

Comments Off on Holy Slip and Fall