Linked is a brief Newsweek article by Lisa Miller. Read it and then let's discuss. To warm you up, the writer is suggesting that the religious Right has shifted the focus from moral issues such as sexuality, divorce, etc. to patriotism in the form of anti-socialism, anti-big government, and anti-immigration. I'm wondering if some Christians feel disenfranchised by this shift, that is, that their religion is so political to begin with, especially on issues that are ambiguous in the Bible.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/09/one-nation-under-god.html
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Honestly, I'm not sure they really care. It's not as if the religious right has switched sides on moral issues such as abortion or gay marriage. They're just not focusing on those right now, and they didn't bring attention to the switch. I'm guessing many people either haven't noticed the change because the economy is the big story, or they simply don't care, because either way they're fighting the same group of people. The mechanism of doing so probably is of little consequence.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steve. Also, I can't remember (recently) the religious right talking much about divorce. Maybe that's because they're rarely asked about it though.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I may have phrased my question inappropriately. Christ is the Sheppard, therefore Christians are sheep. That much is obvious in more ways than one. Recently, Anne Rice a popular author declared she was giving up Christianity and she said “I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life." She felt disenfranchised by the establishment of her religion. Does anyone else feel this way? Also, running on the moral pluralities around sexuality was easy for a religion based on purity and original sin.. Switching to a slightly more nuanced tactic of taking on socialism, immigration, and government might prove to be the said religion’s demise.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I will argue against Steve’s assertion that they fight for a similar End albeit through a different Means. Gay marriage, gays in the military, abortion, divorce…we all know these are hot topics during the debates but honestly, when it comes to running the country, they don’t mean much. However, if ~66% of the American people (those signifying Christian beliefs in a recent Pew Poll) feel that the U.S. government is socialist and too big, that is a much greater problem. Anecdotally, I think a few people in this country way have wanted to declare war on Canada back in 2009 because their healthcare system was so bad and the U.S. might adopt it.
Do either of you suggest that the two platforms (former and current) are equal in their ability to shift policies that actually affect citizens?
Taggart, my short answer to the question you pose is yes (though I'd assume most Christians wouldn't consider me one, and I often wonder myself).
ReplyDeleteI think there are a few ways to look at religion, the first, as you mentioned, is that many religious people are sheep (in my own cynical opinion, often idiots that follow whatever they can be convinced of). Of those that actually do think about and evaluate what they believe, and how it should play out in their lives, there is a tug-of-war between the relative power of the worldview and religion of the individual.
I think people generally think of their religion as something that shapes their worldview. While this may be true, I think peoples worldviews often shape their religion as well. An issue with religion in general is that the stories and traditions can be made to reinforce pretty much anyones perspectives, regardless of how much they contradict the founders intents. As long as someones opinions are strong enough on a given issue, it doesn't matter how flawed the logic is behind the religious support of that perspective is.
That being said, I think the two platforms differ in a few ways. Though I personally disagree with both, I think the older one (abortion, gay rights) had a more legitimate claim to religious backing (those topics are arguably mentioned in the bible), though smaller numbers supporting the platform.
I think the current platform has more strength in that the particular worldview is widespread beyond evangelical christians. I think that conservatives who may have a background in christianity but aren't evangelicals are willing to go with the religious slant in order to maintain momentum or keep the sheep on board.
I find it hard to believe that educated lawmakers (no matter their political perspective) really believe America is socialist, and that the government is too powerful (though they may disagree with how the power is used). But those arguments strike chords with the public. Perhaps this issue ties in well with the last thread (election disappointment) in that the general public isn't that informed and can be convinced of anything. If so, religion in particular is a very powerful tool in that unquestioning faith and allegiance is praised.
What is interesting to me is that the de facto leader of this movement (Glenn Beck) is Mormon, not an evangelical, and that was the primary reason evangelicals wouldn't support Mitt Romney in the last Republican primary.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/368914/december-16-2010/jesus-is-a-liberal-democrat
ReplyDeleteFound this entertaining...
Chris Hedges has a lot to say about this.
ReplyDeletehttp://fora.tv/2008/04/03/The_Image_of_Faith_in_America_with_Chris_Hedges#Chris_Hedges_Calls_the_Christian_Right_Frightening