Inspired by the brilliant portrayal of the conflict between the religious left and right in America:
"Christian Right Vs. Christian Left: Conversations with Conservatives" by
Tom Ball at
Political Strategy.
Thank you!
I am a very spiritual person, but my philosophy is what sets me (and most progressives) apart from the religious right and what gives rise to my resentment of religious fundamentalism. I believe that people should be good and otherwise there spiritual beliefs are inconsequential to me -- a typical frame of the religious left. In contrast, the right seeks to infuse and control with their ideological dogma. What others believe supercedes their actions...and what they believe must conform to the right-wing perception of an ever-vengeful creator.
This makes it painfully simple to understand why the religious right is able to see past Bush's many failures and dubious goals -- focusing instead on his proclaimed belief in Christ as savior.
George W. Bush: 'God-Mandated, 911-approved'
-- Tom Ball, www.PoliticalStrategy.org
The war for the hearts and minds of the American public has been fought on every battleground imaginable. Unfortunately, one of the many fields dominated by the right includes a foundation issue in our nation -- 'faith'.
It is a battle that receives far less attention than warranted -- a battle that deserves our unmitigated focus.
Why?
First, Christian conservatives are LIARS: According to them, Jesus must have been kidnapped, undergone a 'Clockwork Orange' type brainwashing and re-released unto the world as a vengeful, judgmental, hateful presence.
Scripture makes clear that Jesus was a compassionate, loving, caring, wise presence on this Earth -- the type of person respected and adored by everyone, regardless of his or her faith.
He was a good person, a great teacher and humanitarian, and if you are a Christian, then you also believe him to be the savior of humanity....but that step is not necessary to appreciate the progressive nature of his actions and words.
Indeed, Jesus was a great progressive. He never said we should 'hate faggots', 'kill diaperheads' or 'enslave ni**ers'. This was the creation of the religious right.
Second, election success will rely, in part, upon how the masses perceive the left's view of faith and religion: Although the religious-right extremists might or might not determine the outcome of any national election, the frames that the religious right have been able to press upon the general electorate have been impressive -- no doubt influencing untold numbers of religious, but otherwise moderate, voters to look for an alternative to the Democratic party.
They have effectively generated a national image of the Dems as a party of the Godless and faithless.
Of course that is a lie.
So how could the progressives have lost a battle to which their victory was so entitled? Every description of faith and religion, in a general sense, seems to describe progressive values -- compassion, charity, humanity, tolerance and hope. How do these things fall on the conservative agenda?
They don't. They have only made their way to the right through outright theft by rightwing 'framers' -- the Frank Luntz, Karl Rove, Limbaugh, Moonie, Scaife cabal.
They've hijacked everything that rightly belongs to the left, but appeals to the masses. This is their legacy for the conservative movement.
As with most other issues, the right has effectively framed the subject in favor of conservatives and against progressives -- ignoring facts and commonsense, and feeding off prejudice and fear.
This issue in particular has been perpetuated as a frame of religious conviction by the right and religious rejection by the left. Although completely off target, it is a frame that endures and grows in strength.
It is time that the left re-assume the moniker of faith...as is their rightful position in the American ideological landscape. Perhaps then, we would no longer be forced into 'Wars of Lies' in the name of God and religion.