The Religious Left - a factor in Nov?

[whiskeytown]

an increasing large number of Republican Constituants who could be labeled the "Religious Right" are defecting from the Republican party.

I've seen no less then 3 articles this month talking about the "Religious Left" - it has it's issues - since they don't wave the threat of "losing your salvation" and since they aren't all Christians, they won't have a consensus behind one issue - except maybe not to vote Republican.

I guess they couldn't reconcile the "Love one another" teachings of Christ with the vehemant anti-christian rhetoric of the hardcore Fundamentalists.

works for me - [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

FYI, you could call me a member of the Religious Left - voted Religious Right until recently when I literally lost my faith - then when I refound it I figured I was more on the side of guys like Martin Luther King Jr. then GWB

so I could be considered one of the defectors who are gathering strength and using their voice -

waiting for the first hardcore fundie to email me a death threat in 5...4...3...2...

RB

[irvman21]

[ QUOTE ]
an increasing large number of Republican Constituants who could be labeled the "Religious Right" are defecting from the Republican party.

I've seen no less then 3 articles this month talking about the "Religious Left" - it has it's issues - since they don't wave the threat of "losing your salvation" and since they aren't all Christians, they won't have a consensus behind one issue - except maybe not to vote Republican.

I guess they couldn't reconcile the "Love one another" teachings of Christ with the vehemant anti-christian rhetoric of the hardcore Fundamentalists.

works for me - [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

FYI, you could call me a member of the Religious Left - voted Religious Right until recently when I literally lost my faith - then when I refound it I figured I was more on the side of guys like Martin Luther King Jr. then GWB

so I could be considered one of the defectors who are gathering strength and using their voice -

waiting for the first hardcore fundie to email me a death threat in 5...4...3...2...

RB

[/ QUOTE ]

I like to refer to my family as the religious left, other people just like to refer to them as "Jews".

[jman220]

If Jesus Christ were alive today he would be a liberal democrat. And its not even close.

[canis582]

The religious left has always been there, but it has become subverted and marginalized by well funded groups of right wingers. Jimmy Carter appealed to religous folks because he was a kind, generous man. GWB or any of his ilk would never build a house for someone unless a camera was there.

The religious right plays into people's bigotry: God hates gays and brown people. Check out townhall.com, it sez: tolerance bad, education bad, war good. Oh, and women dont have any rights. I was at a wedding where the pastor made sure to say three times that the woman was the mans servant.

Or check this out, its tangentially related. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/30/153115/873

Are people waking up was your question/point, Russ. I'd say we'll see if the same gay marriage on the ballot trick works again.

My Pastor is liberal, but a wuss. He'd never say anything political.

[JackWhite]

Not quite sure I understand, Whiskeytown. If mixing politics and religion is horrible when Republicans do it, why is it acceptable when Democrats do it?

[whiskeytown]

[ QUOTE ]
The religious left has always been there, but it has become subverted and marginalized by well funded groups of right wingers. Jimmy Carter appealed to religous folks because he was a kind, generous man. GWB or any of his ilk would never build a house for someone unless a camera was there.

The religious right plays into people's bigotry: God hates gays and brown people. Check out townhall.com, it sez: tolerance bad, education bad, war good. Oh, and women dont have any rights. I was at a wedding where the pastor made sure to say three times that the woman was the mans servant.

Or check this out, its tangentially related. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/30/153115/873

Are people waking up was your question/point, Russ. I'd say we'll see if the same gay marriage on the ballot trick works again.

My Pastor is liberal, but a wuss. He'd never say anything political.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think they will bring up the dead horse to get a few more beatings out of it.

there is speculation that the Ohio 2004 vote was rigged - but there is also documentation that shows an underground "get out the Republican vote" at several mega-churches around Ohio - which, if true, should disqualify them for non-profit status - seeing as how these churches rake in more money then most town businesses, that would be fitting.

the intolerance of the Religious Right on dissent is fun as well - I like this article but there are several I'm aware of.

RB

[canis582]

Great point about the non-profit status of those churches. My mouth waters at the prospect of yanking that from them.

Using nonprofits as political vehicles has been a calling card of the right wing money men.

[chrisnice]

[ QUOTE ]
Great point about the non-profit status of those churches. My mouth waters at the prospect of yanking that from them.

Using nonprofits as political vehicles has been a calling card of the right wing money men.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate the religious right as much as anyone, in fact I have a bumper sticker on my car that states, "The Christian Right is Neither", but lets face it, the democrats use churches as political get out the vote machines much more than republicans. The republican churches they use are just much more dispicable, though much smaller in numbers.

[whiskeytown]

in 1992, I was at a Fundi Religious college - The college govt. faith group was chastised by the head pastor of the college for not being "College Republicans" -

there were MN voters values guides in the vans the Christian College used to transport kids from there to campus - it didn't say Republican candidates, but those were the endorsements -

and we had Republican candidates speaking to our kids in the lobby after chapel - (invited by the administration or not, I do not know, but the stats in the newspaper showed he did fairly well in the districts where the Christian Colleges were.

a serious examination of how these churches/religious instituations abuse their non-profit status might straighten a few of them out.

RB

[whiskeytown]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Great point about the non-profit status of those churches. My mouth waters at the prospect of yanking that from them.

Using nonprofits as political vehicles has been a calling card of the right wing money men.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate the religious right as much as anyone, in fact I have a bumper sticker on my car that states, "The Christian Right is Neither", but lets face it, the democrats use churches as political get out the vote machines much more than republicans. The republican churches they use are just much more dispicable, though much smaller in numbers.

[/ QUOTE ]

smaller in number isn't even close - the rise of suburban Mega-Chruches - (some now rent out stadiums) is directly connected to the increase in Religious Right activity on the political forum.

Maybe in 1960 - the Democratic party hasn't thrown any serious effort behind the churches in yrs. - and the Religious Left in question isn't really trying too hard to find a political identity.

Mostly we're so [censored] repulsed by the folks on the Religious Right we feel we have to say something to keep people from thinking Christian = "homophobic warmongering fundie bigot who wants women barefoot and pregnant all the time and wants to kill/imprison anyone who disagrees with them"

RB