Religion and Politics Do Mix
Maps can provide windows into information; maps can be used to tell stories; maps can be used to perform geographic analysis, such as election results and the relationship between regional voting patterns, demographics, and religion. This presentation illustrate how GIS maps work to understand spatial information.
Maps to Tell Stories:
Politics and Religion: USA Patterns
Facts:
- The 1st amendment to our Constitution prevents the government from having any authority in religion, and guarantees the free exercise of religion.
- According to the American Religious identification survey, religious belief varies considerably across the country, 59% of Americans living in Western states report a belief in God, yet in the south (the "Bible Belt") is 86%.
- Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active.
- Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president, had to fight his way into office due to his controversial thoughts about religion.
- To keep their status as tax-exempt institutions churches must not officially endorse a candidate.
- There are Christians in both the Democrat and the Republican, but evangelical Christians tend to support the Republican party whereas more Liberal Christians, Catholics and Secular voters tend to support the Democratic Party.
- Mormons are the most heavily Republican- leaning religious groups in the U.S. While a pair of major historically black protestant denominations, The African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National Baptist Convention are two of the most reliably Democratic groups, according to data from Pew Research Center's 2014 Religious landscape study.
Lesson Plan and Activities:
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religion-in-america-map.gif | |
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religion_in_culture_and_politics_pov-thelightinhereyes-lesson-plan.pdf | |
File Size: | 37 kb |
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