Summary: The sharpest divisions in politics today aren’t based on race or economic status, but on religion. Last year’s exit polls showed 26 percent who described themselves as Evangelical Christians, and they preferred Donald Trump by a crushing margin of 81 to 16 percent. Among the rest of the electorate—the 74 percent who said they were NOT evangelical or born-again—Hillary won a landslide, 60 to 34 percent. Why the difference, when few fervent Christians viewed Trump as a paragon of virtue, or a person of deep faith? The answer involves pervasive fear about threats to religious liberty—with people of faith alarmed at attacks on individuals, businesses and even religious organizations that espouse politically incorrect views on same sex marriage, abortion, or public prayer. Unless liberals begin standing up for religious liberty and freedom of conscience, and stop treating religious believers as the enemy, people of faith will continue to swing elections to the GOP as a matter of self-defense.
