When the edict to redefine the institution of marriage and the constitution itself came down from the high benches of the Supreme Court, the response from the GOP establishment was as unequivocal as it was silent. They had no intention of ever fighting for marriage or even religious liberty. The issue was settled. McConnell said that the question of religious liberty must be dealt with in the courts. Now time to move onto Obamatrade and corporate welfare and avoid these thorny “social issues” like the plague.

However, a new poll conducted by Pat Caddell reveals that the public overwhelmingly sides with the principles of religious liberty, especially as it relates to the specific challenges with which Americans of faith are now confronted. “When asked which was more important, by a four to one ratio, voters said protecting religious liberty (31 percent) over protecting gay and lesbian rights (8 percent),” wrote Caddell in a separate memo distilling the results of the poll.

Most notably, 82% of the 800 voters sampled believe that individuals should not be coerced to service gay weddings in contravention to their religious beliefs.

Notice what a difference an issue poll makes when the question accurately reflects the reality at hand. This is a very fair question and is not designed to net a more “conservative” result.

“Suppose a Christian wedding photographer has deeply held religious beliefs opposing same sex marriage. If a same-sex couple wanted to hire that photographer for their wedding ceremony, should the photographer have the right to say no?”

Clearly, were Republicans to simply frame the messaging on this issue in the context of this question, which is incidentally the reality businesses of faith are confronted with, they would win over 82% of the electorate.

But this is not an outlier poll. Even the AP poll from last month, which asked the question of coercion in a way that made the business owners seem more filled with hostility, showed that 59% would uphold their right to deny service.

Another poll from last month reveals that not all is well on the fundamental transformational home front. When surveyed by the Washington Post whether they are comfortable with the direction of the country on social issues, 64% of voters said they were uncomfortable while only 34% felt comfortable with the recent societal changes. The polarization aspect is even more striking because 45% feel “strongly uncomfortable” while only 14% feel “strongly comfortable” with the changes. Sixty-eight percent of Independents and even 43% of Democrats say they are uncomfortable with the societal transformations.

It’s abundantly clear that the GOP establishment’s political barometer is completely broken. Rather than running away from our founding principles on religious liberty, the GOP candidates would be wise to make religious liberty a centerpiece of their campaigns. A sane Republican Party would introduce civil-rights-style legislation blocking states from coercing individuals to service acts that violate their religious beliefs. Sadly, Republicans have shown since the midterm elections that they are incapable of taking “yes” for an answer from the American people. (Re-posted with permission, “According to Poll, Here’s the Amount of People Who Support Religious Liberty”, originally appeared HERE)

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