Do Young Democrats Even Care about Religion?

By: Andrea D. Miranda - student in the College of Journalism & Communications at the University of Florida

The 2016 primaries have been full of religious rhetoric, be it pandering to a specific religious group or promoting fear of another. With this being the case, it can be expected to play a big role in the presidential election. 

The Republican Party is often conjured as being representative of the “Christian Right” while the Democrat Party is seen as being more secular than religious. The Democrat presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have made little to no remarks on their religious upbringing and it can be assumed that religion plays little to no role in the Democrat Party. 

But does it? Is the Democrat Party as secular as it is portrayed to be? 

As a young democrat myself, and member of the UF College Democrats I decided to further explore this idea by speaking to other members of the UF College Democrats. Since millennials are seen as a key demographic for the upcoming elections I believe that it is important to hear what they have to say.

Looking at the Democrat Party through polls one can definitely see why secularism is the first word that comes to mind when thinking about the Democrat Party. In a 2014 poll done by the Pew Research Center it showed that “none’s” made up the single majority of those who self-identified as Democrats. Most of those who identify as “none’s” are millennials. 

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When it comes to the presidential candidates they both have different ways to approach religion. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders identifies as being Jewish but focuses on his idea of secularism. While Hillary Clinton identifies as a Methodist but has not made many comments about religion except when it comes to the persecution of Muslims in America. 

Given this information I understand why many believe that the Democrat party has little to no relationship with religion. One could also say that the party is moving further away from religion and that is what the members of the Democrat Party want. This is due to the fast rate that those who identified as “none’s” have grown.

Previous to writing this article and speaking to other young democrat I also thought of the party as secular. It was once I started speaking with young democrats that I understood how diverse the party is and how religion does play a role in it, just not in an obvious way. Religion may not take center stage, but it is still an influential factor to voters from the Democratic party.

Each young Democrat I spoke with had their own views on the relationship between religion and the party. Many agreed with the idea of strict secularism. Jonathan Ortiz, co- chair for the labor caucus for UFCD,  said he views the Democrat Party as respecting the “United States strong commitment to the separation of church and state.” Even so, there were others who provide a different perspective to the relationship.

One that caught my interest was Fahad Khan’s, Political Director for UFCD, who focused on the role religion had on the development of the Democrat Party. 

Fahad believed that “the progressive movement has been inspired by religion, and religious values of community and collective welfare” which are an important platform of the Party. That being said most college Democrats believe that the Democrat Party is the party that welcomes all faiths and backgrounds without discrimination.

Since we are in the middle of the primaries I decided to ask young democrats whether religious affiliation impacts their decision on who they support for president. For most college Democrats religious affiliation had little to no effect on their decision. 

Yet, Griffin Baker, Secretary for UFCD, said that although the religious affiliation of the current candidates had no influence on his decision he admitted that if one of the candidates had identified himself as a Secular Humanist he would be more likely to vote for them. 

Another factor that plays an important role on whether young Democrats support a candidate or not is how they regard other religions besides their own. Bernie Sanders is a candidate that has been very vocal about his opposition to organized religion and this has turned some religious Democrats away. 

Fahad explains that one of the main reasons why he is not voting for Bernie Sanders is not his religious affiliation, but his disregard for organized religions as a whole. It seems it is not about the religion the candidates practice, but how they perceive religion.

Lastly, I asked young democrats whether or not religion should play a bigger role in the Democrat Party. Some believe, such as Chloe Bennet, that the role of religion should stay the same, but that the Democrat Party should make a move to be more inclusive of religions. 

Others said that the Democrat Party would benefit from having a stronger relationship with religion. Not only would it prove electorally beneficial to the party, but it would also be good for the party ideologically. Another point of view was the idea that the Democrat Party should make sure to strengthen the separation of state and church.

After listening to all of these responses I came to one conclusion: religion is not a priority for young democrats, inclusion is. 

Young democrats want a party that is inclusive of all regardless of faith or background. Although they all have different opinions on the role religion should play in the party young democrats agreed that the Democrat Party must, before anything else, be inclusive of all its diverse members. Therefore presidential candidates should not disregard religion, but instead make it clear that the Democrat Party is the party for ALL, regardless of whether you are a devoted Muslim or an atheist.

Welcoming Diversity: A community action forum against Islamophobia & intolerance

*This is an excerpt from a UF Prism magazine article, published by the Honors College at the University of Florida.

With its charming galleries, wide archways, and gorgeous gardens, the historic Thomas Center is one of Gainesville’s gems. On January 20, it transformed into a local forum for speaking out on one of the issues haunting our country: the spread of Islamophobia.

We, Amna Qureshi and Gloria Li, University of Florida freshmen, decided to attend this forum and interview some of the other attendees. The keynote speaker began the event by presenting on the current state of Islamophobia in the United States. Dr. Hatem Bazian, a Berkeley professor in Islamic Studies and Philosophy who flew in to give his talk, told us that his take-home message was very simple. He said, “It is our responsibility to take back civil society, and make a civil society that works for everyone. Because racism negates our ability to build a better society.”

It's time to change the way we talk about Islam -- you can't just blame the media

Terrorism. Violence. Extremists. Bombs. The list could go on.

These were some of the responses at a recent community action forum hosted by Welcoming Gainesville—a local organization seeking to create a space for immigrants to thrive in their new community—when participants were asked by Hassan Shibly, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida, what the first words were that came to mind when they heard “Islam in the media.”

When asked why, the crowd collectively concurred that the media over-reported instances where Muslims committed acts of violence, avoided calling non-Muslim violent extremists “terrorists,” and generally did a poor job of covering Islam.

The WHY of religion newswriting, from the source

A guest from Meghan Mangrum, graduate student in the University of Florida's College of Journalism & Communications who is enrolled in #UFreligion's "Religion and the News" class.

The halls of inner-city Chicago Catholic schools, gay-rights events in Havana, the Mexico-American border and refugee communities in Italy - Megan Sweas’ work has taken her all over the world.

She has met with Cuban gay rights activists who are only partly out of the closet, disadvantaged youth striving for a better life in Chicago’s Cristo Rey Catholic Schools, a Nigerian-American student studying the Quran and her faith, nuns and priests who provide safe houses for refugees caught up in Europe’s refugee crisis in Italy, and so many more.

Sweas is a self-proclaimed “writer, editor and student of life,” based currently in Los Angeles, California, and predominantly covers social and economic justice issues, as well as world religions.

Raised Catholic (and currently a “practicing, nonbelieving Catholic”), her coverage of religion was not happenstance.

Why Does Religious Literacy Matter? -- A Guest Post from Caroline Gurgel

Louis L'Amour -- the American novelist -- once said, "Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value."

It is one thing for me to share my perspective and knowledge (whatever that is), but personally -- as an educator -- my true joy comes from when I see students get actively engaged with the topic. Discussing. Dissecting. Debating. Entering into the discourse on religion, culture, & the interaction between the two. 

Right now I am teaching a course on "Religion & the News." The first assignment asked, "Why religion news?" Why is religion newswriting, commentary, and analysis important? Why is religious studies a valuable area of research and reflection? One of my students took that assignment and used it as a catalyst to create her own blog. In the spirit of circulating knowledge and encouraging a public discussion of religion in the news, I want to share it with you. 

Here is an excerpt from her first post:

“If a journalist was to walk around Times Square and ask random street-goers their personal beliefs on the subject of religion, six-in-ten would say that it is important to them (Connolly); however, if the same journalist were to also give these interviewees a simple religion quiz asking basic questions on widely known religions such as, “what are the four Gospels?” or “name a sacred text of Hinduism,”  a large majority of them would fail….Why would sixty percent of Americans state that religion is paramount when they know hardly anything about it?”

— Caroline Gurgel, UF student

God Beat 101: An Introduction to Religion & the News

Today is the day! For the next 15 weeks over 30 students and I will explore the ins-and-outs of religion reporting and how to analyze, critique, and comment on religion news. 

Such a class, and conversation, is vitally important in this present moment. It is impossible to think about religion without noticing the news. It is impossible to be a journalist without understanding something about religion. Religion is at the center of multiple headlines and news stories the world over. Whether it is politics, personal issues or the palpable effects of religious extremism in the public sphere, religion plays a significant role in the world. To ignore this fact is to do so at our peril. How do we make sense of these stories? How do we critique the coverage or question the approach of the journalists? How could we play an active part in producing and analyzing such news? 

*Read an interview of Ken about the course from Get Religion

These questions will help participants cover the importance of religion reporting in an age of simultaneous religious pluralism and illiteracy and discuss news as a primary portal for knowledge about religion. It aims to give students an opportunity to give voice to why they report on religion, from a personal perspective and familiarize students with the multiple representations and expressions of religion, discussing how we can define religion in a pluralistic age. 

Students will also get the chance to know what resources, methods and theories are available for religion newswriting and then to write and publish blogs, articles and analysis pieces for public consumption. This is not a passive class with a theoretical end, but an active class with practical and real-time applications and assignments. 

The hope is that students will find value in this course as we attempt to appreciate religious diversity and seek to develop objective religious observation and reporting. All the while, we will not deny real religious differences, nuances in coverage and the need to appreciate local stories in dynamic dialectic with global trends. This will help journalists, or analysts, avoid dogmatism and instead promote reports on the mutually shared human quest to understand the transcendent, share it with the people of the world and do so from a perspective of generous curiosity, humble awe, and equitable scrutiny. 

I invite you to take a look at the SYLLABUS for the course and to stay tuned as students post religion news content, analysis, and commentary on our course website, which I will link to on this blog. If you have any questions, comments, or want to "audit" the course let me know! 

Studying 'the God Beat': Religion & the News 101

It is impossible to think about religion without noticing the news. It is impossible to be a journalist without understanding something about religion. Religion is at the center of multiple headlines & news stories the world over. This course will explore both the production, and reception, of religion in the news investigating what it takes to be on “the God beat” and what kinds of conversations such a beat creates, questions, & critiques.

Such a class, such a conversation, is vitally important in this present moment. Exploring several news site home pages I was able to find religion headlines on every single one -- about conflict in Israel, about burned churches in the Midwest, nature spirituality in the Pacific, abstinence in Britain, Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria. How do we make sense of these stories? How do we critique the coverage or question the approach of the journalists? How could we play an active part in producing and analyzing such news? 

Building off my experiences as a freelance journalist, news analyst, and researcher engaged in the academic study of religion I am offering a course in partnership with the University of Florida's Religion department and Journalism School (one of the Top Ten in the U.S.) -- Religion & the News (REL 3938/JOU 4930).

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Weimer Hall at the University of Florida, Gainesville. 

This course will cover the importance of religion reporting in age of religious illiteracy & discuss news as a primary portal for knowledge about religion. It aims to give students an opportunity to give voice to why they report on religion, from a personal perspective and familiarize students with the multiple representations and expressions of religion, discussing how we can define religion in a pluralistic age. Students will also get the chance to know what resources, methods, and theories are available for religion newswriting and be given the opportunity to write and publish blogs, articles, and analysis pieces for public consumption. Basically, this is not a passive class with a theoretical end, but an active class with practical and real-time applications and assignments. 

The course will be offered Tuesdays 1:55-2:45pm and Thursdays 1:55-3:50pm and more information about registration and course details are available HERE (Course Listings) and HERE (Registration). Interested in auditing the course? Talk to me!