Right Wing Hijacks Right Wing??

You know what (also) irritates me? When anyone says that Republicans or neocons or right-wing extremists are hi-jacking Christianity, or using it as a cover to push an extremist agenda. No, this isn't going to be a defense of a "pure and good" Christian ideology, taken advantage of by the Right Wing. Christianity -- except in it's most tempered, benign and, thereby, useless form -- is a right-wing extremist agenda! To wit, does James Dobson want women to be able to choose for themselves to have control over their own health? Does Jerry Falwell want equal rights for homosexuals? Does Pat Robertson want all religious views treated with equal weight and validity? Fuck no. Christianity isn't being used or manipulated, it is what it is: a point of view too often left unchecked to be as dangerous and extreme as it pleases, especially when allowed into government institutions.

And why do we treat religious belief with such kid gloves? Why does an intellectually and morally bankrupt psychotic belief get a pass from the reality-based community so long as it's cloaked in the revered robe of "faith"? What's so sacred about faith, anyway? It's just another way of saying, "I don't know what's real and I'm too lazy/stupid to try to overcome my ignorance so I'm going to make some wild-assed shit up, and, by the way, you can't challenge it because, no matter how ludicrous my explanation of things I don't understand, it's 'holy' ". Of course, I'm glossing over the fact that a lot of the wild-assed shit they made up coincidentally allows for the control and manipulation of the masses. How convenient. In any case, shouldn't right-wing Christians all be in either prison or psych wards for the way they treat women, people of color, non-heterosexuals, and those of differing -- and especially no -- religious belief? Speaking of women and ethnic/sexual minorities, how can any of them belong to a group as degrading to them as Christianity? Why would women support a belief structure that demeans and marginalizes them? Take my dad's sister. Please. (Old joke). No, take her for example. She's a militant feminist Christian. I know, right? That's like being a militant black Klansman.

Because secular humanist philosophies engender as much -- arguably more -- compassionate, moral behavior, I think it's time we stopped allowing Christianity and every other self-righteous, bigoted faith a preferential place in society. In fact, if it was up to me, they'd have no place at all.