IS the Religious Right the Cause of the Episcopal Church Decline?

Call me skeptical of this often produced taking point. MOJ has a post Gerson on Putnam on American Religion

It examines How Religion is Reshaping Our Civic and Political Lives.

Here is the quote:

The politicization of religion by the religious right, argues Putnam, caused many young people in the 1990s to turn against religion itself, adopting the attitude: "If this is religion, I'm not interested." The social views of this younger cohort are not entirely predictable: Both the pro-life and the homosexual-rights movement have made gains. But Americans in their 20s are much more secular than the baby boomers were at the same stage of life. About 30 to 35 percent are religiously unaffiliated (designated "nones," as opposed to "nuns" -- I was initially confused). Putnam calls this "a stunning development." As many liberals suspected, the religious right was not good for religion. '

The result of the shock and aftershocks is polarization. The general level of religiosity in America hasn't changed much over the years. But, as Putnam says, "more people are very religious and many are not at all." And these beliefs have become "correlated with partisan politics." "There are fewer liberals in the pews and fewer unchurched conservatives."

Excuse me If I am highly skeptical of this charge. Now the religious right is to blame for loss of membership in more liberal and progressive Churches.

Does anyone think the staggering loss of members in Episcopal Church USA is because of the "religious right" In fact what about the religious "left" where they are firm control in many Mainline Churches. Why are they not to blame?

Does anyone think if the so called "religious right" disappeared tomorrow that all things would be going gangbusters for the Christian communities?

I think there are also tow other errors at play.

First how many young people were actually paying attention to politics in the 90's. Second that in Churches that have people aligned politically with the so called "religious right" how political these Churches really are. In reality for instance the local Baptist Church is not talking politics that much in Sunday School (besides the regular gossip) or in the sermons. Just turn on your local tv channel on Sunday morning and observe the sermon from lets say the local Baptist Church.

Again left unsaid here is the assumption in the back ground. "Religious right" bad but Religious left or people of a Progressive bent good.