Sectarianism Is Problem for Religious Right Political

By Barry Jagoda

Members of groups that comprise the “religious right” exhibit negative attitudes toward other religious groups on the right, making the building of political coalitions more difficult. In contrast, according to the first national survey of "sectarianism" among various religious traditions, ”liberal” religious group members are more inclined to build cooperative political partnerships with those of similar ideological views.

The study, just published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, authored by John H. Evans, associate professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego, concludes, "What may be holding back the religious right from achieving its full potential is that, compared to the groups that comprise the religious left, participants in conservative religious groups do not want the other religious right groups to influence public opinion."