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Christians, why do you vote Republican?
I know all Christians don't vote Republican, however, those who claim they are Christian overwhelmingly vote Republican. Why is that? The main answer is to change the Supreme Court about abortion. But, I think it goes deeper than that. Part of the answer can be found in Sara Diamond's books on the Christian Right and the Christian Right's leaders' deals with the Republican Party leadership to bring in votes to the Republican Party.
This works very well in the Evangelical Churches, because rightwing political hot button issues are continually inserted in sermons and it will continue to increase until the election is over.
I attend an Evangelical Church and last week we got to hear about--9/11, abortion and homosexuals in that order. Yet abortion, homosexuals and 9/11 aren't all that convinces many of these individuals to vote Republican. Sure, we all get Dr. James Dobson inserts (and believe me for many of the people who he says to vote for, that is who they vote for).
One of the underlying issues these individuals vote Republican is they believe Republicans "make us strong," regardless of the evidence whether at home (economy) or abroad (Iraq). It is a very bizarre thing.
But, as a Christian, what is really confusing is Biblically, we are an empire like Egypt, like Babylon, like Rome, just like all the other empires that came and fell before us. What these Christians fail to realize is, as Republicans, they have come to love the Empire. They love the Empire more than they love Jesus. In their love of Empire, they have selected (been brainwashed) to vote Republican.
I would suggest for you, if you feel so inclined, to attend an Evangelical Church, listen to the sermons, get to know the people. They are good people, but mostly, totally devoid of any foreign or domestic policy knowledge. They listen to rightwing Christian radio or rightwing political radio. In church, at least, they will be kind enough to listen and have a discussion. I am not sure it would change their opinion, but I have talked with some at length and they didn't really know anything about our foreign policy.
Just a suggestion: if you are going to do this, make sure you have your facts, because they will check on them.
Comments (12)
Just finished Upton Sinclair's "Oil!". He has an evangelical preacher being encouraged by the oil men, since the sermons tended to be about not fighting for money (to possible union members) and accepting the status as unimportant worldly questions.
The exploitation of personal religion by conservatives is not new. "Render unto Caesar", if it encourages disdain for the messiness of government and policy, allows the manipulators to operate unhindered.
September 20, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
On this issue, here is a site I like to visit because it's not your typical 'foam-at-the-mouth' right-wing fundie & it gives me some insight into the republican mindset (some of it at least). And weirdly I sorta like the gentleman who has the blog.
Also this take from Chris Hedges is interesting. It, too, explains some of that christian mind-set that makes so many of them pick the Right.
September 20, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gregg,
Your question prompted me to expand my answer in to it's own post titled, "Because They Are Zealots".
Rec'd
September 20, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I live in TN but was born and raised in CT. Shortly after I moved here I had a job as a lomo driver. About 75% of my clients were evangical Christians. They would fly into town on private jets, keep us drivers waiting for long periods of time, then blame us because they were running late. Usually, we drove them to what is referred to Trinity City, a compound of condos, recording studios, television stations, etc. These are the so-called Cristians who beg money from their television viewers. They always had an entourage with them, pretty much groupies. They talked down to the help, as if we (the ones waiting on them hand and foot) were dirt on the bottom of their expensive shoes. Sometimes, we would drive them to their homes. Homes that are in gated communities that are worth $2/mil. and up.
Among us drivers, there was always a problem on who would want to take care of these peculiar people.
This kind of "Christianity" is completely bogus. They do NOT live what they preach. All that they care about is the Almighty Dollar!
Anyone and everyone who think these people are the real deal are being totally conned.
This should be reason enough that they should not be able to tell their parishoners on how to vote. They vote rethug because the rethugs just help them to get richer. They do not help the community at all.
This is also a reason to get rid of faith based programs. If you are in some kind of financial trouble and need help, they will only help if you are one of them.
(they don't tip, either)
If I had not seen how they are with my own eyes, I probably would not have thought them to be so extreme. But they are. They are no different than any other organized religion. They are EXTREMISTS!
Beware of false prophets. The south is full of them!
September 21, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
sorry about my spelling errors!
September 21, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gregg, I wish you were right. My experience, and admonitions from Scripture, suggest otherwise.
I made the mistake a few years ago of suggesting to someone in a Christian bookstore that the Scriptural position is that human life begins at first breath, not at conception. It resulted in me being shouted at vociferously. So much for being listened to.
I see two levels of things going on in the Religious Right - two kinds of "delusion" (2 Thess. 2). The first is that they worship the wrong god - capitalism instead of the one true God. The second is that they dismiss the primacy of the spirit, and that's where the abortion delusion comes in. To believe that life begins at conception, one has to dismiss that there are two aspects to life - spirit and flesh - and assign all importance to the flesh, dismissing the spirit. It's easy position for an atheist, but should be impossible for a Christian.
Both the old and New Testament say directly that spirit is the source, even the definition, of life. (Gen 2:7, Eze 37, John 6:63, John 3:8, and more.) But the RR's argument is not a scriptural one.
There's a third thing, by the way. Romans 13 suggests what it is. Governments are indeed instruments of God, whether good or bad. To oppose them is to oppose the socialization that God would have us collectively live under.
Abortion is not murder, any more than cutting one's fingernails is murder, because a fetus has no life of its own until it breathes, when its own spirit joins with its flesh. That's what a Christian should believe, and if they don't, how can they believe in a life after this one that is both spirit and flesh (1 Cor 15)?
September 20, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
God said, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5
Give it up, your defense of abortion based on scripture is unsupportable.
September 20, 2008 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
John, on the subject of capitalism, Gordon Bigelow wrote an interesting article called Let There Be Markets: The Evangelical Roots of Economics, which explains the origins of that 'worship'.
In the England of the 1820s and 30s, as Adam Smith and David Ricardo became entrenched in the political economy, the middle class evangelicals saw their concepts of markets as a
...
At this point the ties to Republicans become more understandable. Read the whole thing, it's interesting all the way through. The link that ptw provided to the Chris Hedges essay fits right in too, I think.
I appreciated your post, Greg. Usually I avoid the religious ones. :-)
September 21, 2008 4:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think you might be surprised to find out how many seemingly reasonable people are one-issue voters when it come to abortion.
A friend of mine, smart, a college graduate, and a person who I have a lot of respect for wrote this to Mike Huckabee on Facebook:
September 20, 2008 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here:
http://www.beforeiformedyouinthewombiknewyou.com/
go to this site, look at the pictures, tell me if you are surprised that a lot of people 'seemingly reasonable' oppose this.
September 20, 2008 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
What a relief! Jesus and God spoke and speak English!
I'm relieved I needn't learn some foreign language.
September 20, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks everybody! Great comments. It is my understanding that this weekend some preachers (mostly conservative or maybe all conservative) are allegedly "fighting" for their free speech rights by endorsing John McCain in their sermons.
I don't really understand what this has to do with free speech since any of these pastors at any time can state they support John McCain. However, to do it from the pulpit goes against separation of church and state and I think violates any kind of tax exempt basis these churches may have.
As I noted in the original post, these churches do it anyway and it is not veiled. What is the big deal that these conservative pastors are pushing?
Another Republican campaign of distraction?
September 26, 2008 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
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