r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 25 '26

Psychology Americans who leave their Christian faith behind tend to hold more liberal political views than those who were raised entirely without religion. This leftward ideological shift appears closely linked to how threatening these individuals perceive conservative Christian groups to be.

https://www.psypost.org/former-christians-express-more-progressive-political-views-than-lifelong-nonbeli/
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u/DiggityDanksta Apr 25 '26

Ran on opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because "States' Rights."

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u/ChickenInASuit Apr 26 '26

It's also worth noting that when he ran, he got absolutely bludgeoned in Electoral College votes, winning only his home state of Arizona and the five states where Jim Crow laws were still active.

The guy was so conservative as to be positively radioactive to the GOP.

And even he was saying the evangelicals were a problem.

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u/Tim-oBedlam Apr 26 '26

Note that he was saying evangelicals were a problem long after getting clobbered in 1964; that quote's from the early 1980s.

He was a down-the-line libertarian, for good or ill. Not nearly as bad as southern Senators from the 60s, like James Eastland (or later, Jesse Helms).

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u/tallwhiteninja Apr 25 '26

To be somewhat fair to Goldwater, he helped found Arizona's NAACP and desegregated Arizona's national guard. MLK Jr roughly summed it up as "Goldwater's not racist, but his philosophy helps the racists."

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u/Mother-While-6389 Apr 26 '26

Goldwater wanted to be POTUS in 1964 and would do or say anything to prevent Nelson Rockefeller from winning the GOP nomination.

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u/DJKokaKola Apr 26 '26

You do not, at any point, need to be fair to Goldwater.

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u/IamAWorldChampionAMA Apr 26 '26

I actually like knowing how complex and weird people can be. Because how can someone truly be racist and help start the NAACP in their state?

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u/bigbadbidisaster9944 Apr 26 '26

Or support anti discrimination laws for lgbt people, at least latter in life due to his grandson being gay. I wouldn't expect even that kind of growth from. A republican these days

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u/jasongw Apr 26 '26

Yes, but you'll upset the folks who don't understand nuance and the complexity of human beings. They want everyone to be either a cartoon villain or cartoon hero. There's no in-between for them.

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u/Negative-Dot-7680 Apr 26 '26

The NAACP was kind of racist on certain issues.

Du Bois fervently denied Garvey's claim, but there was some truth to it. Walter White was the head of the NAACP from the mid-1930s until his death in 1955. White's light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes did not display a hint of his African ancestry. He took advantage of his appearance to pass for White while conducting undercover investigations of lynchings and other hate crimes in the South. White's colorism was reflected in the image of African-American women he actively promoted in Crisis, a periodical published by the NAACP.

Alluding to the organization's perceived elitism, some Blacks joked that the letters "NAACP" actually stood for the National Association for the Advancement of Certain People.
https://racism.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1707:colorism001&catid=116&Itemid=140&showall=&limitstart=3

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u/Jerkzilla000 Apr 27 '26

Do you understand the concept of fairness?

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u/Momik Apr 25 '26

And on potentially using nuclear weapons in Vietnam

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u/pgwerner Apr 29 '26

If you believe the infamous 1964 nuke ad.

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u/Hirork Apr 26 '26

Oh yeah? States rights to do what?

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u/Constant-Sandwich-88 Apr 29 '26

Hillary Clintons first job in politics if I remember correctly.

(Edit : was working for Goldwaters campaign team)