Beck, According to Poll, Wrong Leader to Head Religious Movement


According to a PRRI/RNS poll released Thursday, fewer than one in five Americans (17%) believe Glenn Beck is the right person to head a religious movement. Interesting is the fact that Beck was correctly identified as a Mormon by the same amount, the same number who also think he is either Protestant or Catholic. You can read the full story on the Religious News Service site.

The article goes into great detail by breaking down the percentages of those inside and outside of the Mormon faith who approve and disapprove of him as a religious leader. I am encouraged that so few Americans see Glenn Beck as an appropriate figure for such leadership, and not necessarily because he is Mormon, although that cannot be ignored. My main point concerns the fact that we are even asking such a question in the first place. Yes, I know about the "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington recently and how he supposedly concentrated more on religious themes than on politics. I realize that it caused a media storm and put Beck at the front and center of the protests by civil rights leaders. Yet, it was but one event -and this is the key point: He is an entertainer!

I enjoy watching Glenn Beck from time to time as I enjoy watching FOX News. According to liberal pundits that makes me ill-informed and narrow minded, but such is the rhetoric these days. Beck makes full use of the entertainment tools of gaining attention, including a fair amount of shock and emotion. That's Beck. Take it or leave it, but remember in the end that it is still entertainment, even if what he says can be corroborated with facts.

So let's go back to the original issue. Glenn Beck a religious leader? Something tells me even he would laugh at this one.

[P.S. - Personal note: This is my 500th post. I never thought I'd find that much to write about!]

Comments

Rev. Dennis Bestul said…
Congrats, brother, on your 500th! I've appreciated your solid confessional analysis of a great variety of subjects. Teneamus confessionem!
October 8, 2010 at 11:39:00 PM PDT
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