Is this more Repub propaganda?!

Splain dis one to me Lucy!

Google the number of anti-abortion bills introduced into various legislatures, state and federal, in the last two years.

Google the number of restrictions upon birth control introduced into various legislatures, state and federal, in the last two years.

Add to that the number of "creation science" and other weird religious-propagandist legislation introduced into various legislatures in the past two years.

EXAMPLE:

so thoroughly based on the sexual puritanism that drives many congregations in the US. Whether it's abortion or contraception or even what books people should read, a lot of the US faith community is so obsessed with sex that it overshadows all other "values."

If this study is correct, people in the UK practice a different religion than people in the US.

Unfortunately, these great denominations have been "outmarketed" and outshouted here in the US by more fundamentalist sects.

I agree with your assessment.

That is definitely the truth. I remember years ago, the fundies were a minority. Not what it appears today---but who knows. They may just be the loud minority.

plenty of religious people here that are also very liberal.

Numerous polls in here have shown that.

Most Americans are not atheists--by a lot!! Does that alone make atheism wrong? I don't think so. They share in good conversations--in many case here. They are not written off because most people think otherwise. Whoever said this was a popular election?

don't run the religious world. I'm confused because you make a lot of posts saying that the conservative side of religion is dead.

but they are often not speaking up, so the conservative fundamentalists are running the show. They are making all the noise.

Here's the report: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Faithful_citizens_-_web.pdf?1333839181

When you find the figures, it says they divided people with the question "Do you belong to a church or religious organisation?", and then asked other questions, such as:

Number of respondents who put themselves on the centre left or left side of the political spectrum, by country and whether or not they belong to a religious organisation

UK:
Belong to a religious organisation: 156 - % of total: 55
Do not belong to a religious organisation: 751 - % of total: 62

Whether respondents place more value on freedom or on equality, by country and whether or not they belong to a religious organisation

UK:
Freedom:
Belong to a religious organisation: 182 - % of total: 57
Do not belong to a religious organisation: 866 - % of total: 58
Equality:
Belong to a religious organisation: 131 - % of total: 41
Do not belong to a religious organisation: 534 - % of total: 36

They also divide people as 'exclusivist' (my religion is the one true religion), 'pluralist' (other religions also have basic truths, or no one religion has a monopoly on truth) and 'secular' (no personal religion), but the results are broadly the same.

So there's actually not much difference for these questions between the percentages who see themselves as 'left or centre left' (though non-religious are slightly higher), or for 'equality over freedom' (though religious are slightly higher). The more significant differences are in things like volunteering - the religious are significantly more likely to volunteer for various (non-religious) organisations, such as trade unions, local community action, etc. (heh, it even gives as an example of 'faithful citizens in action' Citizens UK, 'based on the model of community organising espoused by the legendary American organiser Saul Alinsky'. RW heads will explode!)

If you surveyed only Episcopalians in the US, you'd probably find they are more liberal than your average Pentecostal adherent in the US.

Though any such report has to take into account the fact that in the UK, it is very difficult to come with any reliable estimate of how many people do have a faith. It's quite common to identify culturally as a 'Christian' without going to church or even believing in God.

In any case, most religious people whom I know are pretty left-wing; and so, with some notable exceptions, are the main leaders in the Church of England.

However, in the last two or three years, there has IMO been an increase in religious-right intrusions here, too. I think it stems from two sources: influences from the GAFCON opposition to the Anglican leadership's liberalism; and the Internet's facilitating collaboration between the British and American Right.

ETA: As regards the 'Big Society' concept: there has been a lot of criticism of this from churches as well as charitable organizations, who feel that the government is using their existence as an excuse for cuts, and expecting them to take up the tab without any money or resources.

In Britain, religion is simply less strongly linked to any particular brand of politics. Most people here are not strongly religious, and anything between 35 and 60 percent, depending on the survey, are nonbelievers.

Pure 'libertarianism' is in fact uncommon in the UK, where most people pay at least lipservice to the social safety net; but modified libertarianism ('fiscally conservative but socially liberal' - i.e. only authoritarian toward poor people) is very common, and would describe mainstream Conservativism. It is not closely linked to religion.

There are certainly people in the UK who support our 'religious traditions' as a means of supporting 'traditional values' and right-wing attitudes. But not all of these people are particularly religious themselves, even nominally.