Biblical Literalism and Political Conservatism

Years ago, I posted a few thoughts on the rough shape of the Bible Belt in modern America.  I'd like to update those those just a bit relative to the 2012 election.  Here is the map based on the same Pew data as before:

As before, I've removed (grayed out) the bits of CONUS in which scriptural literalism falls below the 30% threshold.  What is left is what I would call the 'Bible Belt' based on relevant data from social scientists. 

Now, take a hard look at this map. Are any states which the incumbent President can reasonably expect to win in November which fall inside of the Bible Belt as I've defined it here? The answer depends on which polls you're tracking and what day or the week it is, but it's basically down to Virginia, Ohio, and maybe Florida, and each of these is pretty much a toss-up.  Every other Bible Belt state (and a few extras) are firmly in the GOP camp, while most of the Northeast, West Coast, and Great Lakes states are as firmly in the other column.

The conclusion is ineluctable and disturbing: The political lines dividing our country are not merely a function of demography and political ideology, but also a matter of how one approaches religious faith. Generally speaking, the more likely one is to accept the Bible as literally true, word for word, the more likely one is to vote Republican.  I'd be interested in hearing any theories as to why this might be so.

Podcasting the Anglosphere

One of the absolute greatest things about the synergy of fairly new digital technologies (WWW sites, RSS feeds, mp3 podcasts, & etc.) is that the new media are truly trans-global for the first time ever, one's ability to imbibe global media is limited only by one's spare time and the number of languages which one comprehends. Like far too many of my countrymen I am more-or-less limited to my native tongue, but then again, the anglosphere is a pretty big place.

I know this very point has been made over and over again by the tech-heads over at 2600, Wired, and Boing-Boing for years, but I've yet to see many people really take advantage of the potential of these new developments. Most folks are still listening to (relatively) local programming on AM/FM/XM.

In an effort to spread the digital gospel, let me share with you just a few of my favorite weekly radio shows on the subjects of religion, politics, and ethics:

Religious Talk (USA)
Everyday Ethics (UK)
Sunday Night Safran (AU)

Let it not be said that the evitable 1½-hour daily commute is entirely accursed, for now (by the Grace of Man) we have the blessing of digital radio. Yea, verily.

Of course, every blessing comes with a corresponding curse (thus saith the Lord) and the flip-side of our wonderful worldwide web of new media is the creation and propogation of pan-Islamic jihadist media. Allahu akbar!