It struck me the other day that there is a commonality between the Republicans and Christian religion more than most people think. To me it’s more than a coincidence that many who are to the right in the political spectrum tend to be both religious and Republican. There is also a shared cultural phenomenon and process going on.
The Christian religion tends to promote a particular view of the world and uses a rigid system of teaching dogma to promote and maintain that view. Every week in Christian churches across the country the pastor indoctrinates the congregation on this view and it is reinforced over and over with very little allowance for opposing views. Sure there are Sunday school sessions and other “Bible Studies” but they tend to be opportunities to squelch differing views before they cloud the mind of the believers. The over riding theme seems to be “I know this doesn’t make sense, but just believe it.” In fact the convoluted attempts to make sense of the Bible and other religious tenets, have created confusion and spawned other sects who see the dogma just a little bit differently.
Republicans use the same tactic when it comes to political views. They are entrenched in certain dogmas, i.e. no abortion, less taxes, less government, etc, and for the most part put their hands over their ears when ever anyone offers a different view. Many Republicans tends to see and hear only what they want to see and hear just like the congregations on Sunday.
The GOP is very good in reducing issues down to clever phrases or ideas and they work like crazy to enrage the populace, just like a revival meeting. Take the hype about the “death panel.” The right has latched onto this and uses it to support their dogma of “less government.” “The government wants to kill your Grandma”, they scream! Whether it’s true or not (it’s not), they use this to support their dogma of less government involvement in individual lives.
What can you do? Not much except to get out as much of the facts as possible and hope some will alter their view – somewhat. As much as you try to point out contradictions in the bible, believers will still stick to their belief despite logic. The same is true with Republicans. Logic takes a back seat in the GOP.