The influence of Catholicism is interesting because it's so hard to pigeonhole in the American political spectrum. We think of the church hierarchy these days as ultra-conservative because of the emphasis on sex-related issues, on which they definitely swing right by the usual definitions. But the church also has a strong pacifist and economically progressive strain.
And, of course, a lot of American Catholics are somewhere to the left of the church hierarchy on the sex-and-culture issues too. (But on the other hand, there are those conservative guys like Bork, Bennett, Brownback and Santorum who seem to be somewhere to the right of Opus Dei. Some of them are recent converts to Catholicism from various hardcore Protestant churches; it's an interesting and strange trend.)
Also, the variants practiced in Louisiana, in the Southwest, and in the Northeast may be somewhat different because of the different ethnic groups they're associated with.
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Date: 2006-04-16 07:23 am (UTC)And, of course, a lot of American Catholics are somewhere to the left of the church hierarchy on the sex-and-culture issues too. (But on the other hand, there are those conservative guys like Bork, Bennett, Brownback and Santorum who seem to be somewhere to the right of Opus Dei. Some of them are recent converts to Catholicism from various hardcore Protestant churches; it's an interesting and strange trend.)
Also, the variants practiced in Louisiana, in the Southwest, and in the Northeast may be somewhat different because of the different ethnic groups they're associated with.