It would appear that the only thing standing between equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans is a religious objection. But, according to a new poll from Pew Research, even those who object on religious grounds believe LGBT equality is inevitable.
According to the poll, 52% of those who continue to oppose equality for LGBT people cited “moral objections to homosexuality, that it conflicts with religious beliefs, or that it goes against the Bible.” But those “moral objections” seem to be of less concern to a growing number of Americans:
Just under half of Americans (45%) say they think engaging in homosexual behavior is a sin, while an equal number says it is not. Those who believe homosexual behavior is a sin overwhelmingly oppose gay marriage. Similarly, those who say they personally feel there is a lot of conflict between their religious beliefs and homosexuality (35% of the public) are staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage.
The even split on the issue of whether homosexuality is a sin, interestingly, is actually an improvement over opinions ten years ago. In 2003, 55% of those polled believed it was sinful, so 12% more now believe it not to be sinful, which is an encouraging sign.
A less encouraging sign for who oppose equality for LGBT people is that 60% of those polled now believe homosexuality should be accepted rather than condemned, as compared to 31% ten years ago.
Additionally, 72% see marriage equality for LGBT people as “inevitable,” with even 70% of white Evangelical Christians agreeing, even though only 22% are in favor of marriage equality.
That 22% is significant as well, since just 13% of that cohort favored marriage equality back in 2001.
But, as the general public moves resolutely, if grudgingly, toward greater rights and freedoms for LGBT people, those guarding the battlements of “traditional” marriage are becoming ever more shrill in defense of their dying cause.
Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, made a trek to the Washington, D.C., offices of the Human Rights Campaign to hold a press conference denouncing homosexuality as “a destructive sin [and] something to be ashamed of. Out-and-proud homosexualism – far from being a human right – is actually a human wrong.”
Others, like David Lane who, writes for World Net Daily and is funded by the certified hate group the American Family Association, are writing op-eds calling for America to return to being a “Christian nation.”
Christians must be retrained to war for the Soul of America and quit believing the fabricated whopper of the “Separation of Church and State,” the lie repeated ad nauseum by the left and liberals to keep Christian America – the moral majority – from imposing moral government on pagan public schools, pagan higher learning and pagan media.
But it’s just that kind of talk that’s turning off younger voters. The College Republican National Committee commissioned its own poll of college-aged Republicans, and what they found doesn’t bode well for the GOP’s future.
If young voters primarily thought the Republican Party’s policy plan in 2012 was to prevent gay marriage and to ensure very low taxes for very rich people. . . it’s understandable that a large majority voted the other way. . . . Opposition to gay marriage is a ‘deal breaker’ to one out of four young voters.
And it’s not just the marriage issue. Younger Republicans don’t like how the GOP treats the poor and immigrants, branding the party as “closed-minded, racist, rigid, old-fashioned.”
Perhaps voices from the next generation of voters will finally provide the GOP with the courage it needs to focus on its future and boot conservative Christians from its ranks and leadership if they’re to avoid being on the wrong side history—not to mention the next few elections.
