White Evangelicals Totally Break Their Brains To Vote Trump (VIDEO)

According to a new survey, white evangelical Protestants are now more willing to overlook moral shortcomings in their politicians.

In 2011, just 30 percent of white evangelicals agreed that “an elected official can behave ethically even if they have committed transgressions in their personal life.” But a PRRI/Brookings survey finds that today, that figure has risen to 72 percent.

Overall, only 49 percent of white evangelical Protestants agree that it is “very important” for a presidential candidate to have “strong religious beliefs.” This is a 15-point drop from 2011, when 49 percent of white evangelicals considered it very important. On the other hand, the number of white evangelicals who agree that strong religious belief is “somewhat important” has risen from 28 percent in 2011 to 39 percent today.

Other Religious Groups Also More Forgiving

Other religious groups also now perceive personally flawed politicians more favorably. In 2011, for instance, only 38 percent of white mainline Protestants believed that a politician could still perform their duties ethically even if they had an immoral past. About the same amount of Catholics – 42 percent – agreed.

But the new data reveals that most people in both groups now agree that politicians who are immoral in their private lives can still lead ethical political careers. For white mainstream Protestants, the percentage in agreement jumped to 60 percent. For Catholics, it rose to 58 percent.

Understanding the Change

It’s hard to pin down exactly why a certain demographic changes its attitude, especially in such a dramatic way. But an obvious potential factor is the current election season.

White evangelicals overwhelmingly support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. On the one hand, this is unsurprising – white evangelicals have consistently supported the GOP since the 1980s.

But Trump is not a traditional GOP candidate. Even within his party, he is widely regarded as one of the most morally flawed political figures since Bill Clinton. Even before the release of the hot-mic tape earlier this month, Trump – a former casino owner, former pro-choice advocate, and multiple-divorcee – had few, if any, traditional Christian credentials.

So when Trump won the Republican primary, these white evangelical voters faced a mental hurdle. They could stand fast by their belief that personal sins make one unfit for office. Or, they could “evolve” and decide that private shortcomings don’t necessarily mean a candidate will act badly in office.

They overwhelmingly chose the latter. The PRRI/Brookings survey shows that 69 percent of white evangelicals support Trump, while just 15 percent support his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

But if recent polls are any indication, the Religious Right has backed the losing horse in yet another presidential election. Here’s hoping.

Featured image by geralt via Pixabay under Creative Commons Zero license.