How do you reconcile these polls: 80% of US is Christian, yet 55% of US support Same-Sex Civil Unions?

Question

A record number of Americans in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll support civil unions for gay couples, and most continue to favor legal abortion -- while behind those majority views sharp political and ideological divisions rage on.

Overall, 55 percent favor allowing homosexual couples to form legally recognized civil unions, giving them the same rights as married couples in areas such as health insurance, inheritance and pension coverage. That's up from 45 percent in an ABC/Post poll in 2006.

Here are links to poll data

http://www.abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/story?id=3834625&page=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States#The_American_Religious_Identification_Survey

Answer 1

I can only surmise that not all christians are against gay rights.

Answer 2

It's ABC News and the Washington Post's own poll! I believe that there at least needs to be some doubt that this is not even close to being a fair representation of all Americans. After all, they are (as well as most syndicates and metropolitan newspapers in America) the bastion of those who are egregiously slanted towards left of center, and even quite hateful of the Judeo-Christian philosophy and ethic of life! Now, although one must not equate what is clearly their agenda as the reason for such a phenomenon, else that would make one guilty of the ad hominem error (which is notoriously done by the mass media concerning Christian groups, ministries, organizations, etc.), I would suggest finding out more about the demographics of the subjects polled.

For example, there was also recently a poll done about whether Amerians favor the liberal comprehensive sex education program (i.e., involving dispensing condoms) that used to be taught (and still is in many states and metropolitian areas of the country despite all the research indicating that this program has been a total failure) in the public schools over the abstenance program that is being officially promoted by congress, which has shown to be quite successful in the short time that it has been introduced in the public schools that will allow it. Well, here is just a sample of the apparently biased polling results in late October from the Associated Press on this issue:

...the Associated Press reported on a study that claimed 67 percent of adults surveyed agreed with the idea of giving out contraceptives to children in public schools. People who find those results somewhat shocking should investigate further, says Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA). She says she wondered how so many people could support the idea of giving birth control to children.

"[Indeed] when we actually looked at the poll, we found [that] most of those who were interviewed weren't parents," notes Huber. "So that explained a lot to me."

NAEA says according to its breakdown of the poll, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of the 1,004 adults polled were not parents -- and that only 30 percent of those questioned believed schools should provide contraception to children without parental consent. In addition, there was only a narrow divide among those polled over whether comprehensive sex education and birth control are more effective than stressing
abstinence.

In a press release from NAEA, Huber notes that according to a recent Zogby International Poll, parents -- when they have a clear understanding of the differences between abstinence education and comprehensive sex-ed -- prefer abstinence education 2-to-1.

This information came from Rusty Pugh of OneNewsNow.com

Answer 3

Not surprising in the least. Many factors have to be taken into account on such a poll in regards to Christains. Since the term itself is often debated as to who is a true Christian and who is not. Outside of that, congrats if this pleases you

Answer 4

As a Christian, my objection is the State's involvement contained in the time period "marriage" in any respect. To the State, "marriage" isn't something more suitable than contract regulation. for my section, if the State needs to apply the time period "civil union" to confer with all legally binding cohabitation agreements governing inheritance, powers of lawyer move, and taxation, i doesn't be hostile. see you later as they don't reduce me to at least one important different (of any gender i go with) - through the indisputable fact which will be undue interference. I must be able to make such "civil unions" with as many human beings as i can talk into it. Now, after we are speaking "marriage," that ought to favor to be below the pervue of my faith (which presently purely shall we me have one important different).

Answer 5

as a former member of the flaming evangelical closeted gay bashers, I will say you will likely get claims you are lying

most awkward moment: Mel White writing his good friend Jerry Falwell about the hypocrisy, how Mel ghost wrote a book about god and Jerry just couldn't hang with owning who wrote such beautiful and inspirational work

Answer 6

That 80% being Christian refers to the most generic definition of the term Christian. A far smaller percentage are true, regenerated (born again) Christians.

Answer 7

My guess is that 80% of the population heard that Jesus said the most important commandment is love, but only 55% really believed Him. The rest are still reading Leviticus and hoping stoning will make a comeback.

Answer 8

Christians come in lots of flavors including those that do not see inconsistency between gay rights and church or between abortion and church. The largest protestant denomination in Canada, the United Church of Canada supports gay marriage and ordination. I think their philosophy would be that "love your neighbour" supercedes a few obscure passages in Deut that are hidden among a ton of passages that everyone clearly ignores like stoning of disobedient children.

Answer 9

All Christians are NOT unreasonable, unrealistic jerks who want to run everybody else's lives.

Just the ones with the most influence on our government, unfortunately.

Answer 10

Alot of people who say they are Christians don't walk as Christians. The first thing a person will do is the total opposite of what their so called beliefs are. And the first thing the opposite religion does is find the fault.