Courtney Martin highlights an interesting conclusion from a recent study of American religion:

It wasn’t divine intervention that ousted George W. Bush from office. It was millions of Americans — some Christians, some Jews, some Muslims, some confused — who wanted an ethical, not necessarily a religious, president. Pew reports that in 2008 Democrats and Barack Obama made significant gains among Hispanic Catholics, Hispanic Protestants, and other minority Catholics and Protestants. A majority of black Protestants, seculars, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and Asian Christians also voted Democratic. A new day dawned in Washington — one where humility and a sort of quiet faith replaced the ego and fanaticism of yesteryear.

Americans didn’t just reject the politics of the religious right. They rejected the hubris and simplistic nature of strict religion. The “Faith in Flux” report declares: “About half … became unaffiliated, at least in part, because they think of religious people as hypocritical, judgmental or insincere. Large numbers also say they became unaffiliated because they think that religious organizations focus too much on rules and not enough on spirituality, or that religious leaders are too focused on money and power rather than truth and spirituality.”