--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since Jimmy Carter, religious…" description: "\"Since Jimmy Carter, religious fundamentalists play a major role in elections. He was the first president who made a point of exhibiting himself as a bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/noam-chomsky-42_atheism_since-jimmy-carter-religious-fundamental_2021126.jpg" --- # Since Jimmy Carter, religious fundamentalists play a major… ![“Since Jimmy Carter, religious fundamentalists play a major role in elections. He was the first president who made a point of exhibiting himself as a born again Christian. That sparked a little light in the minds of political campaign managers: Pretend to be a religious fanatic and you can pick up…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/noam-chomsky-42_atheism_since-jimmy-carter-religious-fundamental_2021126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/noam-chomsky-42_atheism_since-jimmy-carter-religious-fundamental_2021126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/noam-chomsky-42_atheism_since-jimmy-carter-religious-fundamental_2021126.jpg) > “Since Jimmy Carter, religious fundamentalists play a major role in elections. He was the first president who made a point of exhibiting himself as a born again Christian. That sparked a little light in the minds of political campaign managers: Pretend to be a religious fanatic and you can pick up a third of the vote right away. Nobody asked whether Lyndon Johnson went to church every day. Bill Clinton is probably about as religious as I am, meaning zero, but his managers made a point of making sure that every Sunday morning he was in the Baptist church singing hymns.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political strategists have used overt religiosity to attract voters, treating faith as a campaign tool **In simple terms:** Religious image is used to win votes Key Takeaway Beware of exploiting faith for political gain Themes politics religion image management Mood critical analytical Type political media When to use this quote - campaign strategy - media analysis - voter outreach - public perception Key Concepts symbolic religiosity voter manipulation Questions to Reflect On - Is authenticity possible in faith‑based campaigning? - What are the long‑term effects of such tactics? A Different Perspective Faith can be genuine, not merely a political façade ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Baptist Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptist-church/) [Baptists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptists/) [Born again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-again/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Fundamentalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentalists/) [Hymns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hymns/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political campaign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-campaign/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday/) [Sunday morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday-morning/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [I'm probably at my least religious I've ever been in a while. When you're moved by music, that's always good. But I haven't been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-gossard/i-m-probably-at-my-least-religious-i-ve-ever-been-in-a-while-when-you/) [Stone Gossard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-gossard/) > [Our century is probably more religious than any other. How could it fail to be, with such problems to be solved? The only trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/our-century-is-probably-more-religious-than-any-other-how-could-it/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [It is important to bear in mind that political campaigns are designed by the same people who sell toothpaste and cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-is-important-to-bear-in-mind-that-political-campaigns-are-designed/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“I do not give a damn whether a person is a scientist, a philosopher or a theologian If that person cannot recognize the basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-do-not-give-a-damn-whether-a-person-is-a-scientist-a-philosopher-or/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [It's easy to get tired of religious fundamentalists. They're such a bore. They have no sense of mystery. It's a drag, man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-elling/it-s-easy-to-get-tired-of-religious-fundamentalists-they-re-such-a/) [Kurt Elling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-elling/) > [If I am right, then (religious fundamentalists) will not go to Heaven, because there is no Heaven. If they are right, then they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-i-am-right-then-religious-fundamentalists-will-not-go-to-heaven/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh have always argued for a ban on my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taslima-nasrin/religious-fundamentalists-in-bangladesh-have-always-argued-for-a-ban/) [Taslima Nasrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taslima-nasrin/) > [“She only felt revulsion for any kind if religious fundamentalists. The very thought if such people's intolerant worldview, their inflated sense of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/she-only-felt-revulsion-for-any-kind-if-religious-fundamentalists-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Even in this secular country, the threat posed by religious fundamentalists is never very far away. Every major religious text exhorts the same principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/even-in-this-secular-country-the-threat-posed-by-religious/) [Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/) > [The religious fundamentalists of the Republican party are a mirror image of the religious fundamentalists of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/the-religious-fundamentalists-of-the-republican-party-are-a-mirror/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [Bad religion is arrogant, self-righteous, dogmatic and intolerant. And so is bad science. But unlike religious fundamentalists, scientific fundamentalists do not realize that their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/bad-religion-is-arrogant-self-righteous-dogmatic-and-intolerant-and/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [Society in general maintains such a vested interested in its cozy habits and solidified belief systems that it had rather die - or kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/society-in-general-maintains-such-a-vested-interested-in-its-cozy/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Outside, most people knew that decades ago, the religious fundamentalists lost the ability to transform society when they became a political movement. Their boycotts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-brouwer/outside-most-people-knew-that-decades-ago-the-religious/) [Sigmund Brouwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-brouwer/) > [It is not coincidental that for so-called religious fundamentalists - whether they are Western or Eastern, Muslim or Christian - rigid male dominance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riane-eisler/it-is-not-coincidental-that-for-so-called-religious-fundamentalists/) [Riane Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riane-eisler/) > [Religious fundamentalists are unaware that freedom of religion necessarily brings with it the freedom to mock religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/religious-fundamentalists-are-unaware-that-freedom-of-religion/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. 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Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Since Jimmy Carter, religious fundamentalists play a major role in elections. He was the first president who made a point of exhibiting himself as a born again Christian. That sparked a little light in the minds of political campaign managers: Pretend to be a religious fanatic and you can pick up a third of the vote right away. Nobody asked whether Lyndon Johnson went to church every day. 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