Gallup released a poll yesterday marking the differences in levels of trust when compared to one’s political party. For example, 68% of Republicans trusted police officers, while only 44% of Democrats said the same.
When it came to members of the clergy, there was a similar differential:

Not too surprising, really. The Religious Right is intertwined with the GOP, so you would expect there to be a higher level of trust for clergy members in that party.
But here’s where it got interesting. When you parsed the numbers by age, only a third of people 18-34 said they trusted the clergy:

This is the effect of the Nones: Not only is faith in faith fading fast, but faith in the leaders of faith is dropping.
And there’s more of a difference in perception between younger and older people when it comes to religious leaders than with any other profession.
It’s not very surprising at all. Religious leaders are the ones who have led the charge against marriage equality. They’re the ones who vote Republican. They’re the ones who think abstinence-only sex education makes sense when all the experts say otherwise. They’re the ones who don’t give a damn about science when it’s in conflict with their holy book. They’re the ones who raped little boys and tried to cover it up. They’re the hypocrites.
They’re the ones who never earned the trust their title usually bestows upon them. And they’re not doing anything to regain it, either.
David Barton: If People Call You ..."
David Barton: If People Call You ..."
David Barton: If People Call You ..."
David Barton: If People Call You ..."