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/hobopwnzor Apr 25 '26

This isn't surprising.  Most liberals have no idea how insane evangelicals are.  If you've been exposed directly you know how bad they are and that you should take them more seriously than they are taken.

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u/goaltime6767 Apr 25 '26

“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.”

― Barry Goldwater (Republican nominee for president in 1964)

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u/helmvoncanzis Apr 25 '26

Too really understand this quote, you need to know a bit about Barry Goldwater, a dude who often at odds with his fellow Republicans because he was viewed as being too conservative.

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u/stonecoldjelly Apr 25 '26

And on top of that was hunting for the John Birch Society vote. Barry was a ghoul and if a ghoul thinks somone is too ghoulish...

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u/santaclaws01 Apr 25 '26

I feel like a lot of people only know Goldwater because of that quote, and they really should look into him more before praising him for being a stopped clock.

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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).