The Political Agenda of the Christian Right

[Coyote]

No.. they are not... and THAT is where you and the original poster are wrong... one small sub group doe snot mean the whole group.. just as what goes for catholics does not go for every christian.. just as what one attendee in a church stands for does not mean the rest stand for... just as a 1 time attendee at a church does not mean that person is tied to that church.... you are trying to paint a picture to fit your winger stance.... and the following of that agenda is obvious

I'm not a winger, for one thing.

Nor is that the only group, just one example of the groups that make up the poltiical entity known as the "Christian Right". Their positions are not shallow, though I don't agree with them I understand the motivations.

They are pretty unified on their pro-life positions, and it's not through a desire to "control" women's bodies but an honest desire to see an end to what they see as the destruction of innocent human life.

Most oppose sex ed because they feel that is the job of the family. They oppose contraception for minors as well because again, they feel that up to the parents.

Most of the "main stream" Christian Right opposes gay marriage - can you find me any examples of groups that do not?

I may oppose gay marriage as a person who is on the right side of the spectrum and considered 'christian'... but I am for equality for gay couples and for the elimination of the government in the marriage business, opting for civil or family union designations for all adult family units... and there are MANY who fit that mold on the 'christian right'... and there are many that do not

Ha....I actually agree with that.

And anything for my children/minors is indeed up to me and not to a teacher or sales clerk

Fair enough.

So what is the "Christian Right"? Do you think they, and that term is being villified and defined by their extremes in the way "Liberal" has?

 

[DiamondDave]

I'm not a winger, for one thing.

Nor is that the only group, just one example of the groups that make up the poltiical entity known as the "Christian Right". Their positions are not shallow, though I don't agree with them I understand the motivations.

They are pretty unified on their pro-life positions, and it's not through a desire to "control" women's bodies but an honest desire to see an end to what they see as the destruction of innocent human life.

Most oppose sex ed because they feel that is the job of the family. They oppose contraception for minors as well because again, they feel that up to the parents.

Most of the "main stream" Christian Right opposes gay marriage - can you find me any examples of groups that do not?

I may oppose gay marriage as a person who is on the right side of the spectrum and considered 'christian'... but I am for equality for gay couples and for the elimination of the government in the marriage business, opting for civil or family union designations for all adult family units... and there are MANY who fit that mold on the 'christian right'... and there are many that do not

Ha....I actually agree with that.

And anything for my children/minors is indeed up to me and not to a teacher or sales clerk

Fair enough.

So what is the "Christian Right"? Do you think they, and that term is being villified and defined by their extremes in the way "Liberal" has?

No.. I think it is vilifying a religion... because of the radicalism of the 'liberals'.... I would equate the demonetization of the liberal to that of the 'neocon' or 'right winger' or other political groups.. not to religion

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Care to address the agenda of the atheist left?

It isn't that much different. Religious Extremists always try to legislate their beliefs, whatever those may be.

Ahh.. but the original mention was not of 'extremists'.. merely the 'religious right'....

I'm thinking we have different definitions of the Religious Right then. I'm a Christian, and I know many Christian Republicans. I'd hardly consider them the Christian Right. To me, that group represents the Extremists. Modern day versions of the Inquisition that won't rest until they've legislated their beliefs into law.

For a lot of those folks, being Christian isn't good enough. You have to be their particular brand of Christian. If you meet them, they're scary folks.

 

[☭proletarian☭]

The agenda of Christian conservatives is relatively limited and they believe that much of it can be accomplished through the federal courts. Broadly speaking, their agenda is as follows:

They want to control the right of women to have abortions.

They see it as protecting the right to life. If one believes a human life is protected merely because it is a human life, then there is no such thing as a right to an abortion- one can only argue that it can be the lesser of two evils in medical cases.

They want to ban all forms of gay marriage.

In many religions, that's an oxymoron. The religious rights thinks of 'marriage' in terms of God's union of two people, not in terms of the legal contract recognized by the State.

They want to halt stem cell reserach using human embryos.

See #1

They want to overturn the legality of living wills.

?

 

[Dr.Traveler]

but I am for legal/governmental equality for gay couples and for the elimination of the government in the marriage business, opting for civil or family union designations for all adult family units... and there are MANY who fit that mold on the 'christian right'... and there are many that do not

This I agree with by the way. I'd personally like to see a seperation between the legal and religious aspects of marriage.

Marriage should be a religious act. The legal implications should be handled in a different way.

 

[Coyote]

I may oppose gay marriage as a person who is on the right side of the spectrum and considered 'christian'... but I am for equality for gay couples and for the elimination of the government in the marriage business, opting for civil or family union designations for all adult family units... and there are MANY who fit that mold on the 'christian right'... and there are many that do not

Ha....I actually agree with that.

And anything for my children/minors is indeed up to me and not to a teacher or sales clerk

Fair enough.

So what is the "Christian Right"? Do you think they, and that term is being villified and defined by their extremes in the way "Liberal" has?

No.. I think it is vilifying a religion... because of the radicalism of the 'liberals'.... I would equate the demonetization of the liberal to that of the 'neocon' or 'right winger' or other political groups.. not to religion

But the Christian right IS a political group, that happens to be religious - they've put themselves into the political arena by choice as a block vetting candidates and running ads. As such, they are more like Neocons, Liberals or Tree Huggers in identity than Christians, Buddhists, Muslims etc.

 

[Nosmo King]

Depends on what you hold sacred.... and innocent human life I do hold sacred... but we have had other things beyond frozen embryos farmed for stem cells... and also a fact that stem cells can be obtained in other ways that do not involve eliminating a developing life... it does indeed get tricky with the way medical science has farmed fertilized eggs for artificial insemination, etc... but it is indeed a slippery slope when the door is opened... and THAT is a major concern.. much like when government opened the door for unequal taxation... or opened the door for concentration camps for select undesirable groups... or opened the door to allow for experimentation on certain groups of individuals in the past.... and that HAS to be a major concern

As a parent of a former preemie who had to fight to stay alive after a very early birth... at a time where many have still gotten abortions... I take this issue very close to heart, when it comes to developing lives

I don't believe this is a matter to be thought of as "sacred". A frozen embryo is no more human than an egg lost though menstruation or semen lost through masturbation. An embryo ain't human.

There are definite traits to human life. I'm happy your baby survived and seems, by the account you have just provided, to be doing well. But your preemie is a human. A fetus is a human. But an embryo just isn't. Not yet anyway.

And that slippery slope of which you speak. It's hardly an apt fear. No one is calling for concentration camps. No one is an evil Mengle slicing and dicing twins for his own amusement. That is genuine evil. This sort of hyperbole muddies the water of clear, honest debate.

The science involved in stem cell research is dedicated to the cure, treatment and hopefully eradication of some of life's most dreaded diseases and conditions. If you're 'Pro-Life" why aren't you for the elimination of Type I diabetes? Of cancer and dementia?

WRONG.. a human embryo is not a fully developed human that can take care of itself.. but it indeed human.... such a caveat makes it easy for those to throw away a life... just like when the Nazis considered the Jews less than human...

I am for the elimination of those diseases and many more.. just not at the expense of a developing innocent life... there are other research paths into these things.. there are other sources for stem cells... etc

Which one is the human?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

The religious right are the Jerry Falwell's, the MArvin Gormans, the Pat Robertsons, etc. If you ignore them, they are not a part of your life. The left on the other hand have infiltrated the government and are radically trying to regulate every aspect of our lives.

Big difference.

 

[Coyote]

The religious right are the Jerry Falwell's, the MArvin Gormans, the Pat Robertsons, etc. If you ignore them, they are not a part of your life. The left on the other hand have infiltrated the government and are radically trying to regulate every aspect of our lives.

Big difference.

Over the past quarter century.....umh....




no difference.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

The religious right are the Jerry Falwell's, the MArvin Gormans, the Pat Robertsons, etc. If you ignore them, they are not a part of your life. The left on the other hand have infiltrated the government and are radically trying to regulate every aspect of our lives.

Big difference.

You must have been sleeping. These guys weld enormous political clout and have their hands on all kinds of political appointees.

 

[American Horse]

They want to ban contraceptives?? Show this in proof.

<SNIP>
It also wasn't that long ago that it was illegal for married couples to obtain contraceptives in many of the States in the Union. I still recall a time when contraceptives like condoms were kept behind the pharmacy counter at the drug stores in many midwestern states.

I'm in Indiana, and my teen years were in the fifties. Condoms were kept behind the counter in drug stores for security reasons. During the sixties they were my mainstay as a married man, and I bought 'em in local drug stores routinely. Only the &#8220;brave&#8221; would ask for them, but they were provided to anyone on request. They were always (in the forties and fifties) available to anyone with a quarter-dollar in the men's rooms in "gasoline filling" stations in Indiana.

I think that the church people I know only want young people to avoid pre marital sex AND outside of marriage to avoid the syndrome we see so much of; a couple living together, and beginning to raise a family with the female tied to the male for reasons of security, with the male avoiding marriage for reasons of insecurity.

Sometimes they have several children in this situation. He can always threaten to walk away or throw her out on her ass. When I would hire these guys, I harassed them about that issue, telling them that they were not real men. I had several young men, one who was a Seven-day Adventist who had THREE children and was still unmarried.

 

[txlonghorn]

And the political agenda of the liberal left is much shorter...

Whine, bitch and moan about things that haven't yet and probably wont ever come to pass.

As far as I know,

women still get to have abortions.

There are gay marriages.

They are teaching safe sex in schools and home schooling is a personal option with no mandates.

Contraceptives are used EVERYDAY and are free at many community clinics.

stem cell reserach continues.

The teaching of evolution continues and the teaching of intelligent design will never surface in public schools.

God was in the public square from the beginning...and the 10 commandments are etched into the wall in the Supreme Court

Living wills live on

Sexual content of the airwaves and the Internet is impossible and increasingly gets worse.

They CAN'T eliminate an "activist" judiciary that limits or impinges on their agenda by placing God-fearing judges on the bench who will promote their sincerely held beliefs because it's not their appointment.

It has been said here over and over and over...the religious right are dying off and getting smaller and smaller...so what are you so concerned about? If there's power in numbers, then you have no problems.

So, now that you've been relieved of all your worries...how about worrying about things that can be changed....

 

[ole miss rebel]

I am a conservative Christian and I take issue with your broad statements.

First of all, I believe in the sanctity of human life: that means babies(they are NOT fetuses), elderly, and those who have special needs. Abortion is the chicken way out. If you are responsible enough to have unprotected sex, then belly up to the bar and be responsible and have the child. Let it be adopted. Abortion is your drug of convenience to take care of a "problem". It is not the child's fault. It is a scourge on our nation and we are paying for it in spades. Just think 45 million babies aborted--that is 45 million people paying taxes, paying into social security. What about all of the inventors, doctors, lawyers, teachers who have been killed because someone chooses to get pregnant and not be bothered with the responsibility of a baby. God forbid. There again we have raised a generation who have NO idea what personal responsibility means.

I believe as a Christian that the only safe sex is ABSTINENCE. Sex outside of marriage is wrong. Does it happen? Yes it does. I also believe that it is the responsibilty of the parents and NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OR SOME SCHOOL SYSTEM to teach my children about sex.

In a perfect world, I would like for creationism to be taught and that only. However, I have to live in the real world where there are those who love Darwin and his drivel. Why would it be so hard to teach both equally with the same respect? No liberals don't play that way. It is their way or the highway. And the way the school systems look now and the poor quality of MANY teachers, homeschooling is looking pretty good for lots of children and not just in Christian homes either.

As a Christian gay marriage is wrong. Marriage is sanctioned by God and NOT ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE is it suggested between anyone other than 1 man and 1 woman.

Like it or not, our country WAS founded on Judeo-Christian values. It is amazing to me, we have taken God out of everything and yet in Washington D.C. God is everywhere.

I don't understand how the Christians are the intolerant ones and yet the liberals can get away with calling us whatever they would like and paint us as the hate mongers. It is the same old song. One word for them HYPOCRITES.

 

[Political Junky]

The agenda of Christian conservatives is relatively limited and they believe that much of it can be accomplished through the federal courts. Broadly speaking, their agenda is as follows:

They want to control the right of women to have abortions.

They want to ban all forms of gay marriage.

They want to prevent the teaching of safe sex in schools and to encourage home schooling.

They want to ban the use of contraceptives.

They want to halt stem cell reserach using human embryos.

They want to stop the teaching of evolution and/or to start the teaching of intelligent design.

They want to bring God into the public square and eliminate the separation of church and state.

They want to overturn the legality of living wills.

They want to control the sexual content of cable and network television, radio and the Internet.

They want to eliminate an "activist" judiciary that limits or impinges on their agenda by placing God-fearing judges on the bench who will promote their sincerely held beliefs.

From "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John W. Dean (p. 109)

I don't know about y'all, but this doesn't sound too good to me.

Comments?

Obviously you don't know much about Christian Conservatives... LOL
Either that or the person you get your information from doesn't... LOL

Just because you believe in something doesn't mean to want to control everyone else.

As a Christian Conservative I believe in God and the Constitution of this country... If that is bad then I am confused...

The information comes from John Dean ... a republican.

 

[WillowTree]

The agenda of Christian conservatives is relatively limited and they believe that much of it can be accomplished through the federal courts. Broadly speaking, their agenda is as follows:

They want to control the right of women to have abortions.

They want to ban all forms of gay marriage.

They want to prevent the teaching of safe sex in schools and to encourage home schooling.

They want to ban the use of contraceptives.

They want to halt stem cell reserach using human embryos.

They want to stop the teaching of evolution and/or to start the teaching of intelligent design.

They want to bring God into the public square and eliminate the separation of church and state.

They want to overturn the legality of living wills.

They want to control the sexual content of cable and network television, radio and the Internet.

They want to eliminate an "activist" judiciary that limits or impinges on their agenda by placing God-fearing judges on the bench who will promote their sincerely held beliefs.

From "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John W. Dean (p. 109)

I don't know about y'all, but this doesn't sound too good to me.

Comments?

you be a moron!

 

[Kalam]

In a perfect world, I would like for creationism to be taught and that only. However, I have to live in the real world where there are those who love Darwin and his drivel. Why would it be so hard to teach both equally with the same respect? No liberals don't play that way. It is there way or the highway. And the way the school system look now and the poor quality of MANY teachers, homeschooling is looking pretty good for lots of children and not just in Christian homes either.

One is a falsifiable biological mechanism; the other is a belief that comes from a superficial understanding of scripture. They don't demand the same level of respect in a science classroom.

As a Christian gay marriage is wrong. I am not trying to be funny I am serious. Marriage is sanctioned by God and NOT ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE is it suggested between anyone other than 1 man and 1 woman.

Not so. The Bible permits polygamy, see Exodus 21:10.

 

[ihopehefails]

For once I wish we can sit down with people and have an argument about what is true rather than what is the correct bias to have about things. An accurate interpretation of the constitution prevents bias agendas from happening because the 'evil christian right' is prevented from twisting the constituion to suit their political aims and, at the same time, prevents the 'evil communist left' from instituting their political aims.

An honest court system is the greatest limitation on government power.

 

[jillian]

Most of those items would qualify them as central authoritarian leftists, save for the political affiliation and standard irrational leftist fear and loathing of evangelicals.

it would be really nice if that had even a modicum of basis in reality.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Oh and if you want to teach ID then it shouldn't be in science class because it isn't science.

no?....i would think that a "God" would need to know a HELL OF A LOT about Science to create things ...especially living things....try it sometime....see how it goes....

 

[George Costanza]

For once I wish we can sit down with people and have an argument about what is true rather than what is the correct bias to have about things. An accurate interpretation of the constitution prevents bias agendas from happening because the 'evil christian right' is prevented from twisting the constituion to suit their political aims and, at the same time, prevents the 'evil communist left' from instituting their political aims.

An honest court system is the greatest limitation on government power.

Bias does not necessarily distort truth, provided the bias is correct. As Steven Colbert once said: "The truth has a well known, liberal bias." So true, wouldn't you agree? The trick is to find the correct bias and implement it into an accurate interpretation of the Constitution because, after all, the Constitution is, or should be, a self-executing document.

I agree with you that an honest court system is the greatest limitation on government power. Of course, when "activist judges" infiltrate an otherwise honest court system, then the bias you refer to creeps into Constitutional interpretation and implementation thereof can have a reverse effect. After all, without inward speculation, no Constitutional system can survive for long, absent a dedicated effort on the part of both the legislative and executive branches of government.