Concerns About the Religious Right Are Not Overblown

[SecularMotion]

In a Washington Post On Faith column a few days ago, Lisa Miller, a senior Newsweek religion writer, makes a rather puzzling argument, saying that concerns of secular progressives about the influence of conservative religion in presidential politics are overblown. "Here we go again," she complains. "The Republican primaries are six months away, and already news stories are raising fears on the left about 'crazy Christians.'"

Miller points to criticism of Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann as evidence of these unfounded "fears on the left," implying that the critics are alarmist. This analysis, however, is demonstrably flawed, because it essentially asks us to ignore over three decades of history, to accept as "normal" the fact that major-party presidential contenders conduct themselves in ways that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. If we raise concerns that Bachmann calls church-state separation "a myth," for example, Miller's response seems to be simple: Chill out. Be not afraid of evangelicals.

As a religion reporter, Miller has become so desensitized to the Religious Right that she has apparently become oblivious to the wrecking-ball effect that it has had on American politics. To her, politics-as-usual apparently includes high-profile prayer festivals by presidential hopefuls, like Rick Perry's "Response" rally. Rational observers (and not just those on "the left") responded to such overt religious pandering with serious concern, but vocal criticism of Perry's political religiosity only seems to cause Miller to roll her eyes and quip, "Here we go again . . ."

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-humanity-naturally/201108/concerns-about-the-religious-right-are-not-overblown

[Fumesucker]

1. A fish does not notice the water through which it swims.

And we swim every day through an ocean of religious rhetoric on all sides.

It's really easy to just not even notice it after enough exposure, it blends into the background noise.

Have a blessed day!

[SecularMotion]

2. The crazy rhetoric from the religious right is polluting the water.

[Fumesucker]

3. As I said, we are exposed to so much religious rhetoric that it stops registering..

Ever had a constant noise that you have gotten accustomed to stop all of a sudden?

After a while you get so used to a given stimulus that you don't notice it's there until it goes away, then you can be startled by the cessation of the stimulus.

If you aren't religious basically all religious rhetoric sounds at least a bit crazy, it's more a matter of degree for the religious right than it is a matter of kind.

[SecularMotion]

6. Apparently, you have become desensitized

if you can't see the difference between the "crazy christians" on the right and the rest of religious spectrum.

[Fumesucker]

17. Have a blessed day..

Up until about ten years ago or so I don't think I'd ever heard that phrase.

Now I probably hear it more than "Have a good day." or "Have a nice day.".

I'm not sure there is a politician in the country that can get through a complete speech without ever once mentioning God in some way or another.

If you're religious you really don't notice it, it's mostly those who lack religion to whom it can be a source of constant minor irritation.

[SecularMotion]

18. Obviously, you're not concerned with the erosion of the wall between church and state

http://somelikeitscott.hubpages.com/hub/What-If-I-Dont-WANT-To-Have-A-Blessed-Day


It's not unusual to hear simple phrases or mentions of God in political speeches, it is unusual and disturbing to hear fundie-speak from presidential candidates.

[Fumesucker]

20. Look we have a substantial segment on DU that argues for public money going to church schools..

I was in just such a thread this morning..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1851421&mesg_id=1851421

I live smack dab in the middle of wingut fundietopia, I'm utterly surrounded by these types.

What I'm telling you is that I care but other Americans to a big extent don't even *notice* this fundie rhetoric because it's fucking everywhere now.

Bush told the world God told him to invade the Middle East and Americans yawned and switched the channel.

[SecularMotion]

22. "This fundie rhetoric" is not fucking everywhere.

You can't see the forest through the trees. You need to get out of the middle of fundieland to get an objective viewpoint.

The rest of Americans(believers and non-believers) do notice the shift in rhetoric.

[Fumesucker]

24. Yeah, remember that huge public uproar when Bush said God told him to invade the Middle East?

Me neither..

Bush was talking about Gog and Magog and the End Times while he was POTUS and nobody but the dirty fucking hippies cared a jot or tittle.

[SecularMotion]

25. There was no "huge public uproar"

But there was enough negative reaction that the White House would deny the report.

White House denies that God told Bush to invade Iraq

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/White_House_denies_that_God_told_Bush_to_invade_Iraq


"Dirty fucking hippies" - Is that a smear on liberals?

[Fumesucker]

26. It's basically shorthand for "that group both the Democrats and the Republicans love to scapegoat."

The "Official Definition" is here.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/?page_id=28596#D

"DFHs- Dirty Fucking Hippies. By consensus of the “serious” mainstream media (MSM), any progressive blogger; to the more conservative MSM, any blogger and most forms of “independent” reporting media. Used by certain bloggers as an act of reclamation."

A lot of us have taken on the moniker as a mark of pride actually, we've been correct about nearly everything and both the Democrats and the Republicans hate us with the heat of ten thousand suns.

Seriously, if you gave the Democratic party the choice of either killing all the Teabaggers or all the Professional Left, aka DFHs with no penalty there's not a scintilla of doubt in my mind they'd pick the DFHs..

[SecularMotion]

27. I don't understand Democrats who attack progressives

It seems disruptive and counter-productive.

The opposition is the religious right.

[Fumesucker]

36. Me neither..

Which is why it gets very old reading it here on DU.

Perspective is an interesting quality, your point of view makes a great deal of difference in the way things appear to you.

There's the old story about the blind men and the elephant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant

[SecularMotion]

23. Poll: 3 In 10 Americans Take The Bible Literally

“The headline should read "70% of Americans reject blind, unquestion­ing fundamenta­lism!"”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/08/biblical-literalism_n_893358.html

[DearAbby]

33. I hear you

We would scoot our asses away if some Bum on the Bus next to you just said "GOD Told me to be here this morning."

But an elected official saying nearly the same thing, GOD SPOKE to me and told me to do yada yada yada. and its normal. This is way beyond crazy.

[surrealAmerican]

19. If, by "religious", you mean ...

... a religious christian fundamentalist, you may be right. However, people of other religions are probably more likely to notice it than even atheists.

[Fumesucker]

21. Right...

Who is the most knowledgeable group in the USA with respect to religion?

Atheists and agnostics..

You don't learn about something by ignoring it, a lot of atheists pay quite a bit of attention to religion, indeed most atheists in the USA were raised with religion and left it, often because they studied the "source documents" if you will rather than just listening to the preacher.

[kctim]

4. Yes, they are overblown

The President is not a dictator and cannot just simply install a theocracy when he/she takes office. They must deal with the Senate, House and Supreme Court.

It is just as silly as saying liberals and progressives are going to install a socialist or communist government if they were to become President.

[hobbit709]

5. There's a better chance of a theocracy than anything else.

all it takes is a majority of theocratic believers in power.

[kctim]

9. There is no chance of a theocracy replacing our current form of government

Depending on how one looks at it, the current trend is for more government or less government. NOT a religious government.
'Theocratic believers' can not hold the majority unless the people fill the Senate, House and Supreme Court with them and that is not going to ever happen.

[hobbit709]

10. all that needs to happen is a majority of Bachman's to be elected.

[kctim]

14. Which will never happen

Despite the fear of Christians, the vast majority of Republicans are NOT the far-right type.

[hobbit709]

16. Just keep believing that.

[SecularMotion]

11. Religion is becoming an undue influence in our government as corporations have

"I think Robertson stepped down because the position has already been filled," Gary Bauer said, referring to President Bush's role as the new head of the Religious Right. "You're no longer throwing rocks at the building; you're in the building," Ralph Reed added, regarding Christian conservatives' long struggle to gain control."


http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/08/far04028.html

[SecularMotion]

7. You're right the President is not a dictator

But Reagan allowed big business to infiltrate our government without changing laws, and Bush, Jr. allowed the religious right to infiltrate our government through "faith-based" policies that did not require change in laws.

[sudopod]

13. Have you noticed the makeup of the Congress recently?

Have you paid attention to how many of the good Justices are in poor health?

[kctim]

29. Yes I have

and it will swing back the other way soon. Will that make us a socialist nation as the far-right will be screaming? Not hardly.

[sudopod]

30. Why do you think so?

The idea of a "pendulum" of opinion is a nice rhetorical device, but it is not real thing like the laws of nature. Nor is there a necessity in those laws that there must be a free United States of America somewhere on earth.

[kctim]

31. Elections have shown

that voters will swing the other way when they feel the country is going to far to the right or left. This combined with voters preferring a split in government powers shows that the majority of Americans are moderate in their views and moderates are not going to vote for far right or far left candidates if they believe we have gone far enough.

There will always be far right and far left pockets in congress, but I don't believe they have a chance at being the majority any time soon. This will not prevent them from screaming 'the end of the country' everytime the other is in power.

[sudopod]

32. I hope you are right

but I doubt it.

[Douglas Carpenter]

34. what far left pocket exist in the U.S. Congress??

I suppose there are one or two members of the U.S. House of Representatives that someone might conceivably describe as far left. I suppose the Progressive Caucus might be considered center-left by international standards if one stretched the definition of center-left a little bit. But I certainly cannot imagine any significant grouping that would even be considered solidly left-wing much less far left at least anywhere else in the Western democratic world.

Does or does not the far right now control the Republican Party? Did or did not the far right control the Congress and the Administrations and have a great deal of influence on the judiciary during at least the first term of the Bush Administration? Granted they did not usher in a theocracy or bring Armageddon. But they sure as hell screwed up the country and the world really, really badly - perhaps irreparably. Does or does not the far right now hold much more influence in the Republican Party now than they did then? Is or is not Rick Perry a right-wing extremist with very strong apocalyptic political-religious connections? Is he or is he not now leading in the race for the GOP nomination?

If the Commander and Chief of the greatest military power the world has ever known also happens to be part of a religious-political movement that has apocalyptic notions about living in the end of time and also believes that they and America have a vital military role to play in facilitating the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the world, is that or is that not a perilous threat to America and the entire world?

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. how can one be too alarmist about a movement that believes America MUST provoke world war?

Almost all leaders in the fundamentalist right believe that America is commanded by God to push for the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the purpose of provoking an apocalyptic world war with the Arab and Islamic world to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ. They REALLY, REALLY do believe this. Now this is not the belief of most Evangelicals or even all fundamentalist. But it is most certainly is the belief of almost all leaders of the religious right. It most certainly is the belief of the branch of fundamentalism that both Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann subscribe to.

What are the potential consequences of having a commander and chief of the greatest military power the world has ever know who subscribes to this belief system?

I am reminded of a famous political add from 1964


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkWAhuXtalw


This is not alarmist. These ARE the stakes!!


.

[ThomWV]

12. +1

[stuntcat]

15. ty

We've had people knocking on our door with bibles lately, on a dark night. Then yesterday when I was walking I saw two women start 'ministering' (more like harassing, to me) a lady waiting at a bus stop!!!! wtf
My husband and I are practicing what to say to these people, like how to answer their questions.

Religion is the reason most Americans will not ever bother themselves to protect the environment, I am convinced of it. And I've seen plenty, for years, no one will ever be able to tell me otherwise.


We are fycked. Thanks Religion. The only thing I'm glad of is being 40, my time watching this embarrassing shame is half over..

[JoePhilly]

28. +1

[DFW]

35. After what happened in Iran in 1979 AFTER the revolution, how can anyone ignore this? n/t

The Spanish Inquisition coupled with 21st century technology.

Like Ammonium nitrate and oil--always a potentially explosive mix under the right (no pun intended) circumstances.

[Karenina]

37. If you don't know the name Rushdooney or Weyrich

or have never heard of Christian Reconstructionist ideology, you are woefully uniformed and as such at risk.

There are many sites stashed on this board that can bring you up to speed. http:www.theocracywatch.org is just one. There's more money than you ever imagined dumped in these ideologies. I got wind of then in the early 80's. You DENY their influence at your own peril.

Tante K. is jus' a lil' ol' black lady in a phone booth who been watching this shit for decades. ;-) As such, my comment is as reliable as RT, Press TV, Le Monde, The Guardian or AlJazeera, being one of them expat "blame America first" others. :rofl:

Octafish has all the goodies and the skills to access them.

Don't take MY word. ASK HIM!!! Please... for your own sakes...