Posted by
Playful Walrus on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:06:34 AM
I’m presenting a series here called Exposing the Religious Right.
The introduction/first installment is the post just below (prior, chronologically to) this one.
Below, you will find my second installment.
What Motivates the Religious Right?For the most part, it is
not fear or hate. It is love of God, love of family, love of neighbor, and love of the U.S. (including the freedoms, rights, self-determination, and Judeo-Christian heritage therein). There may be some people who identify with the RR who do so because of hate or fear, but they are kidding themselves if they think the majority of the RR feels the way they do. And, like any group, there are likely some who have joined in without bothering to learn what the RR really believes/does and why.
So what core, underlying principles does the RR have that causes them to advocate the positions they do? What are the starting points?
1. The Bible is authoritative in how to have a relationship with God, and in moral concepts and prophecy, and it accurately describes the human condition. This would be why they are called “Bible-thumpers”. This principle underlies much of the RR.
2. There’s a God to whom everyone is accountable, and he’s not going to let things stay this way. Some think humanity will embrace God and thereby usher in a pleasant end to history as we know it. A more popular belief right now is that everything is going to “go to Hell” and will get really, really bad before Christ returns to usher in His glorious eternal reign - some think true believers will not be here for the worst of the worst, some think they will. And still others think that whether things get better or worse, Christ will return and instantly usher in the final judgment and his glorious reign. No “mainstream” RR leader advocates “helping” the process along by intentionally making the world worse.
3. Every human being is of value because we are created in the image of God. Conversely, the Left exalts the state, or considers humans to be a plague on Mother Earth. But the RR also believes that we are also sinners who need family, peer, and government control when our self-control fails.
4. Everyone has a personal choice to reject or accept God (please no arguments about “election”). You are free to reject God and the Bible, but do not ask the RR to hide, stifle, or deny their faith, or support what goes against it. That’s Freedom of Religion
5. Parents should have ultimate authority over their children, and the state should not interfere unless there is a real threat to the child. A “real” threat would be beating the kid up, trying to kill them, starving them, etc. Teaching the kid to save sex for marriage and that God had something to do with bringing them about isn’t a real threat.
6. Marriage is holy matrimony. It is something important to God and is a holy sacrament, and can’t be redefined by judges, lawmakers, or even a democratic vote of the people.
7. Authority should be respected and followed, except where it conflicts with the Ultimate Authority. Our elders might not always be right, but they probably know more than we do. Government, which is ordained by God, and civic law, first given by God, exists to restrain evil, keep order, protect life, property, and rights.
8. Although individuals have rights and freedoms, no person is an island and loving thy neighbor includes discouraging him or her from doing wrong. Outlawing something discourages it, and it is a legitimate function of the government to restrain some behaviors. It’s up to the democratic, representative systems to decide some of the things that should be illegal.
9. Civic participation is a right and an obligation. The RR generally esteems the U.S. Constitution.10. Believers are called to voluntarily and cheerfully help others - by giving their “time, talent, and treasure.” In addition to providing for basic physical needs such as shelter and food, it is also helpful to others to share religion and morality with them.
Once you understand that these are the motivations of the RR, it is easier to see the reasoning behind the political positions of the RR. We’ll get into those in another post.