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KOMU series explores religion of Missouri lawmakers: Faith plays role for many
May 31, 2007 - Every Missouri lawmaker who responded to a recent survey said he or she is religious. The findings are part of a series of reports produced by University of Missouri journalist Timothy Walker and broadcast on KOMU-TV. Walker completed the four-part series about religion and the role it plays in the decisions and lives of Missouri lawmakers as an independent study during spring 2007. He will be a graduate research assistant with the Center for Religion, the Professions & the Public in 2007-08. State of Faith: Religion in the Legislature State of Faith: The Numbers State of Faith: More Than Faith State of Faith: Church and State According to Walker's findings, 26 percent of the Missouri Legislature reported being Catholic, 20 percent reported being Baptist and 8 percent reported being Methodist. Some 30.5 percent of the legislature reported being nondenominational Christian, Presbyterian, Episcopalian/Anglican, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, Congregational, Jewish, Pentecostal, Protestant, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Church of the Nazarene, Muslim, Church of Christ, Church of God or Mormon. Two percent of those defined themselves as "other" or refused to answer. Some 15.5 percent did not respond. The breakdown mirrors, nearly exactly, the population of Missouri as cited in a recent City University of New York graduate center survey that found more than 75 percent of Missourians consider themselves Christians, with Baptists and Catholics the largest Christian denominations in the state. The Missouri Legislature has 34 senators and 164 House members. "It's a very strong measure whether you have a strong faith or not .... I think if you tried to run as an agnostic, if you will, you'd have trouble getting elected in either party," Sen. John Loudon, R-St. Louis County, is quoted in Walker's report. Kurt Jefferson, professor of political science at Westminster College, is cited saying of religion: "It's not something that we can pretend doesn't exist, it's not something we can write away." The MU Center for Religion, the Professions & the Public is dedicating 2007-08 to an examination of "Religion & Politics," including a film and lecture series. Its fellow Pew Center of Excellence, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, recently launched a popular series of profiles detailing 2008 presidential candidates' faith backgrounds and beliefs. KOMU, which is affiliated with both NBC and CNN, is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students attending the Missouri School of Journalism. The station has received numerous awards for its on-air news coverage of mid-Missouri. |
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