Gay marriage vs. abortion

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So, I was thinking, and I realized: I know more protestant people who are against gay marriage than are against abortion. When talking about gay marriage with protestants I’ve had people squinch up their faces, call it disgusting or wrong, or even say that gay people themselves are sickening. These folks seem to have no problem speaking out about gay marriage in public.

However, if you bring up the topic of abortion it becomes so wishy-washy: “oh, but what about the mothers health?”, “its the woman’s choice/right!” or “who am I to tell another woman not to have an abortion?”.

Just to clarify, I’m not saying Catholics are all right all the time. I know Catholics who are on the wrong side of this thing too, it just so happens that a lot of the protestants I know place gay marriage as more disgusting, while catholics tend to think abortion is worse. (I myself recognize that these are both morally grave errors, but I do think that abortion is worse/more important to fight since it is murder) I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences, or why you think this is?

And finally, I do NOT mean to imply that all protestants or like this, or even the majority. It’s just an observation I have made.

Thanks! 🙂
 
I’d say this is one area here polling data is going to give a much better picture of the situation than personal anecdotes…which are hurt by both small sample size and the inherent bias of all of us in selectively remembering those who we disagree with most. I just did a brief search and couldn’t dig up much as far as national polls, but I did check out the exit polls for California (since both marriage and abortion issues were on the ballot). Catholics and Protestants were almost identical in their support for the marriage definition and parental notification bills. Here’s the breakdown (I would have liked data that was broken down by religion and church attendance at the same time, but it didn’t exist from this source):

Prop 8 (define marriage as between a man and a woman)
Protestant – 65% yes - 35% no
Catholic – 64% yes - 36% no
(Source: cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#CAI01p2)

Prop 4 (parental notification for abortion)
Protestant – 58% yes - 42% no
Catholic – 58% yes - 42% no
(Source: cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=CAI02p2)

So it appears that your observation that Christians felt more strongly about the marriage issue than the abortion issue is accurate in this case, but that observation applies equally to both Catholics and Protestants in this case. If others have found relevant information from the election or recent issues polls, by all means share it.
 
Yeah, I didn’t think the difference would be as large over a more significant population, I was just kind of wonding why they people I encounter almost always seem to go this way. It kind of bothers me, because if you can be outspoken about gay marriage, why can’t you do the same for abortion? sigh Oh well.

Edit: forgot to mention- so though there wasn’t a difference between catholics and protestants in voting for the proposals, I still wonder why there is such a large difference between support for gay marriage versus support for abortion. To me, this makes no sense. I don’t understand how someone could accept the position that gay marriage is wrong, but could not see the giant glaring evil that abortion is… ai yi yi.
 
Hm, looking at the numbers again…it seems that if all the Christians who voted yes on the gay marriage ban had voted yes on the parental notification law as well, it would have passed…
 
I find that really disappointing. :S I used to think some day maybe I’d migrate to the states; it seemed so much more conservative than it is up here in Canada. I hope it changes for the better.
 
One piece of good news, the rapidly growing Latino population voted in favor of both measures by a greater margin than the general populace (53-47 in favor in both cases)
 
“Edit: forgot to mention- so though there wasn’t a difference between catholics and protestants in voting for the proposals, I still wonder why there is such a large difference between support for gay marriage versus support for abortion. To me, this makes no sense. I don’t understand how someone could accept the position that gay marriage is wrong, but could not see the giant glaring evil that abortion is… ai yi yi.”

The reason is time. For over 30 years it has been hammered into us and our children that abortion is ok. Gay coupling, ok marriage, for less. Once the gay “marriage” is ok mantra has been hammered into our kids and grandkids head for 30 years, the high numbers will drop. Then we will move to having sex with children is ok, then gerbils or other small furry creatures.

Unless the church quits reacting and start acting.
 
I am supposed to be a “protestant” even though I am who I am, and am under no church affiliation, other then being a baptist at my old church, who know I am different.

I am against both, marriage with a bible for gay marriage is hypocritical extreme.

Abortion is the taking of a life, no matter how you put it.
 
a_mirror_dimly said:
I’d say this is one area here polling data is going to give a much better picture of the situation than personal anecdotes…which are hurt by both small sample size and the inherent bias of all of us in selectively remembering those who we disagree with most. I just did a brief search and couldn’t dig up much as far as national polls, but I did check out the exit polls for California (since both marriage and abortion issues were on the ballot). Catholics and Protestants were almost identical in their support for the marriage definition and parental notification bills. Here’s the breakdown (I would have liked data that was broken down by religion and church attendance at the same time, but it didn’t exist from this source):

Prop 8 (define marriage as between a man and a woman)
Protestant – 65% yes - 35% no
Catholic – 64% yes - 36% no
(Source: cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#CAI01p2)

Prop 4 (parental notification for abortion)
Protestant – 58% yes - 42% no
Catholic – 58% yes - 42% no
(Source: cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=CAI02p2)

So it appears that your observation that Christians felt more strongly about the marriage issue than the abortion issue is accurate in this case, but that observation applies equally to both Catholics and Protestants in this case. If others have found relevant information from the election or recent issues polls, by all means share it.
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It should trouble us that so many Catholics voted for abortion and for gay marriage. Legal abortion would disappear if it weren’t for disobedient Catholics.
 
Same sex marriage no matter what its supporters say is not about the homosexual couples it is about stripping the church away from public and legal life. Civil unions and public contracts are legal they just want to weaken the Church by using the word marry. Denomination affiliation shouldn’t be what we key in on, rather age trends. If the young who probably voted to allow same-sex marriage keep the same social/political values as they age and become stronger in their chosen faiths.

Meanwhile abortion is not an assualt against the Church or God. It is more of an individual choice so the libertarian leaning Christian, Muslim, etc can make the arguement that the Church can teach against it, but the state should not enforce Church mandates
 
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