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CONGRESSIONAL MAKE-UP

When John F. Kennedy took the presidential oath of office in 1961, Catholics "accounted for 18.8% of Congress." While "Catholics represent about 24% of the U. S. population," according to a recent analysis, by the Congressional Quarterly, when the "111^th Congress was sworn in Jan. 2009, about 30% of its membership was Catholic." The facts reveal that Catholics "have gained more congressional seats since 1961 than any other religious affiliation."

When Kennedy was elected president in 1961, Protestants accounted for 74% of Congressional members, a number that has dipped to 54.7% with the 2008 elections. The number of Episcopalians, Methodists and Presbyterians has also dipped as part of that Protestant percentage drop. Baptists remain under-represented. While they compose 17.2% [this includes all theological kinds!] of America's population, they have only 12.4% of House and Senate members.

Does This Catholic Increase and Protestant Decrease Have Anything to do with the increase of Left-Wing Members and Socialistic Legislation?

This writer believes there is a direct relationship between the above two items. Involved in this unfortunate scenario is the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. The number two person in the American Govt., Vice-President Joe Biden, the number three person in the American govt., the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd an influential committee chairman, and other numerous high ranking members are all Roman Catholics and ardent promoters/supporters of left-wing socialistic legislation, plus strong backers of abortion legislation and abortion organizations.

Yet the Roman Catholic hierarchy permits them to take communion and participate in the Eucharist [Mass] on a regular basis without any religious penalties. In the past 50 years, Protestant denominations have also turned more radical, supporting and promoting the ungodly wicked homosexual lifestyle. Unfortunately, many professing evangelical groups have turned in a pro-leftward direction as well, with some so-called theological conservative politicians making leftward political concessions.

Although historic Biblical Christians need to stand for conservative principles, the answers to America's great problems do not rest with patriotic oriented legislators, but with Bible-believing preachers and staunch N. T. local churches that proclaim the whole counsel of God in the Scriptures and emphasize the Great Commission Mandate—Jude 3, Matt. 28:18-20.