E-Book Overview
For well over a century the Catholic Church has articulated clear positions on many issues of public concern, particularly economics, capital punishment, foreign affairs, sexual morality, and abortion. Yet the fact that some of the Church's positions do not mesh well with the platforms of either of the two major political parties in the U.S. may make it difficult for Americans to look to Catholic doctrine for political guidance. Scholars of religion and politics have long recognized the potential for clergy to play an important role in shaping the voting decisions and political attitudes of their congregations, yet these assumptions of political influence have gone largely untested and undemonstrated."Politics in the Parish" is the first empirical examination of the role Catholic clergy play in shaping the political views of their congregations. Gregory Allen Smith draws from recent scholarship on political communication, and the comprehensive Notre Dame Study on Parish Life, as well as case studies he conducted in nine parishes in the mid-Atlantic region, to investigate the extent to which and the circumstances under which Catholic priests are influential in shaping the politics of their parishioners.Smith is able to verify that clergy do exercise political influence, but he makes clear that such influence is likely to be nuanced, limited in magnitude, and exercised indirectly by shaping parishioner religious attitudes that in turn affect political behavior. He shows that the messages that priests deliver vary widely, even radically, from parish to parish and priest to priest. Consequently, he warns that scholars should exercise caution when making any global assumptions about the political influence that Catholic clergy affect upon their congregations.
E-Book Content
Politics in the Parish
Religion and Politics Series John C. Green, Ted G. Jelen, and Mark J. Rozell, series editors Religion and Politics Editorial Board Members Amy Black, Wheaton College Clarke Cochran, Texas Tech University Anthony Gill, University of Washington Geoff Layman, University of Maryland Laura Olson, Clemson University Corwin Smidt, Calvin College Mary Segers, Rutgers University Chris Soper, Pepperdine University Clyde Wilcox, Georgetown University Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America—Winthrop, Jefferson, and Lincoln, Matthew S. Holland The Catholic Church and the NationState: Comparative Perspectives, Paul Christopher Manuel, Lawrence C. Reardon, and Clyde Wilcox, Editors The Christian Right in American Politics: Marching to the Millennium, John C. Green, Mark J. Rozell, and Clyde Wilcox, Editors Faith, Hope, and Jobs: Welfare-to-Work in Los Angeles, Stephen V. Monsma and J. Christopher Soper
The Origins of Christian AntiInternationalism: Conservative Evangelicals and the League of Nations, Markku Ruotsila Politics in the Parish: The Political Influence of Catholic Priests, Gregory Allen Smith Reaping the Whirlwind: Liberal Democracy and the Religious Axis, John R. Pottenger School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics, Melissa M. Deckman
From Pews to Polling Places: Faith and Politics in the American Religious Mosaic, J. Matthew Wilson, Editor
Uncompromising Positions: God, Sex, and the U.S. House of Representatives, Elizabeth Anne Oldmixon
Of Little Faith: The Politics of George W. Bush’s Faith-Based Initiatives, Amy E. Black, Douglas L. Koopman, and David K. Ryden
The Values Campaign? The Christian Right and the 2004 Elections, John C. Green, Mark J. Rozell, and Clyde Wilcox, Editors
Politics in the Parish T he Po l i t i c a l In f l u en ce of Catholic Priests G R E G O RY A L L E N S M I T H
Georgetown University Press Washington, D.C.
Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C. www.press.georgetown.edu © 2008 by Georgetown Uni