If the outcome of the 2004 presidential election wasn't enough evidence of our deep political divide, a survey by a group called Public Agenda has found that churchgoers have become more rigid in their beliefs concerning such issues as abortion and gay rights, and less tolerant of compromise. Reasons for this range from a feeling of persecution among those surveyed (most all Christians) to a new boldness in advancing and defending a religious political agenda.
Assuming this trend continues, we can look forward to ever more intense political and social conflicts -- and less incentive for politicians to compromise and actually get things done. Conflict will likely spill over into areas that used to be largely apolitical, such as science and technology, leading to new, creative (and ultimately counterproductive) forms of divisiveness.
UPDATE: We saw some evidence of this new divisiveness in Hollywood this week, when the Academy Award nominations were announced. Some conservatives were upset that The Passion of the Christ wasn't nominated for major award categories, and took it as evidence of liberal bias in show business. However, the very liberally-slanted Fahrenheit 9/11 was snubbed even more completely.
Source: Boston.com
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