A Christmas eve message from one of the architects of the modern Right-wing

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I am a white, privileged, well-off, 61-year-old former Republican religious right-wing activist who changed his mind about religion and politics long ago. The New York Times profiled my change of heart saying that to my former friends I’m considered a “traitorous prince” since my religious-right family was once thought of as “evangelical royalty.” …

http://ift.tt/1zWRZ0b

A very interesting read, which makes a plausible case for many of the confusing (to those on both the right and left politically) moves the modern American right-wing “conservatives” have embarked upon over the last couple of decades.

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The short answer is that the American right is not about politics as most people understand it but about religious absolutes. As the New York Times noted on the single-minded desire to subvert President Obama’s overhaul of the broken immigration system, “And in their most audacious plans, Tea Party groups are preparing to recruit challengers to run against high-profile Republicans they accuse of betraying them — as they did when they toppled Eric Cantor, the former House majority leader.”

In addition to a lot of background that is missing in my own understanding of the fringe right evangelical politics, this article lays out a lot of what is ongoing in the current social atmosphere of our nation in a manner that is unsettling to say the least. Especially among communities like our own, where the overwhelming majority believe in a strong separation of state and religion.

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Fast-forward 30 years to the early 21st century: The messengers, leaders and day-to-day “issues” changed. For instance, we were into taking away a woman’s right to choose. Today it’s about gay bashing and denying climate change — and now the nakedly racist anti-immigrant movement threat is part of the reaction to the black man in the White House. But the volume and tone of the anti-government “debate” and the anger in reaction to the Obama presidency originated with the anti-abortion movement. To understand where that anger came from and who first gave voice to it and why it has a level of religious fervor to it, consider a few prescient passages from my father’s immensely influential book (influential within the evangelical ghetto, that is) “A Christian Manifesto,” which was published in 1981. (http://ift.tt/1zCs5RN )

While I am sure that these views are not accurately reflected in all American conservatives, those who do not agree with it do not seem to be in charge of or even relevant to those who are actually in control of the modern Republican party. My own perspective hasn’t been a major voice in my (Republican) party for almost a century, but the modern voice of the party isn’t merely extremist conservatism it is an evangelical Christian movement that seems to want to turn America into a far right theocracy.

I encourage those interested to read the article, but more importantly I’m interested in how many of the conservatives here on these boards support and defend the evangelical Christian perspectives being foisted in their names by the modern Republican party.

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Mark my words, the subtext to the GOP assault on us in 2016 will be religious extremism — again. And now it has a racist twist. Look at the right’s reaction to the events in Ferguson. Look at the continuing anti-Obama ugliness far past mere political difference. For the Republicans the next election won’t be about politics. it will be a holy war — again.

Surely this isn’t a view most modern American conservatives condone and advocate in support of within their party,…is it?

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1CIYes0