I originally wrote this in September 2010, before the midterm elections. I was attempting to show what it was going to be like if the Republicans came to power in the midterms. Sadly, I was correct. With the contraception debate going on, it is even more relevant now.
This is the second of two articles exploring religion in our politics and the influence it has and still does have on our national policies.
The contraception debate is a religious one. Being against contraception, or access to it, is a religious stance only. Having laws on the books against contraception is to have religious laws in this country, which is unconstitutional. In my opinion, if religions want to influence public policy, they need to start paying taxes. Politicians shouldn’t preach, and preachers shouldn’t politick.
My question is this: Why is it that religious extremists, regardless where they are or what language they speak, always go after women? What is it in their DNA that makes them think women are property and as such must do whatever a man tells her to do? Why do you want to subjugate women? Personally, I want women to be independent and strong with their own opinions, and I most certainly want them to have access to birth control.
When this article was first posted, I took a little heat because I was told it was a bit extreme. I was told that comparing the two religious organizations was a stretch to say the least. I think what has happened since the 2010 elections has proven the point of this article.
Since this article was posted, the Religious Right, through the Republican Party, have accelerated their desire to control women and our government and I am including some updates at the end of this article.
As you can see from this series of questions here, there is no difference in the agenda of the religious right regardless of the geography they operate in, or the language they speak. They may call themselves the Republican Party, but they are actually just the American Taliban.
I am going to ask a series of statements. See if you can determine which group each statement applies to.
1). This group wants to dominate women and tell them how to act. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
2). This group wants there to be a national religion, barring other religions from the country. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
3). This group wants prayer to be a prominent part of education. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
4). This group wants to dictate their morals to the rest of the population, with severe penalties for non-compliance. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
5). This group is not interested in freedom of religion. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
6). This group wants their “law” to be the law of the land, regardless of what the people might want. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
7). This group wants to convert the entire world into their way of thinking. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
8). This group thinks homosexuality is an abomination and should be eradicated from the face of the Earth. Taliban? Or Religious Right?
If you answered both to every one of these statements, then you are correct. As you can see, other than the country they are operating in, there is little, if any, difference between the two groups.
The Religious Right of days gone by, are the Tea Party of today. If the Tea Party, having taken over the GOP, (a dream they have had for decades), gets into power, this is the agenda they are going to pursue. Along with getting rid of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and all of the safety nets that were put into place to keep people from ending up on the streets.
*UPDATE*
The Republican Party and the Religious Right did take over a lot of state governments in the 2010 midterm elections and because of that, we have some of the most restrictive anti-contraception and anti-choice laws we have ever seen.
To be fair, the Religious Right is not as far down that road as the Taliban. However, they are on the same road. The difference between the two is only the degrees of extremism, but it is still extremism. But, give them a chance. They haven’t been imposing their will on people for thousands of years; only a couple of hundred years. If they were allowed to, I believe that the Religious Right would have America where the Taliban is. Once you start down the road of extremism, the natural progression of things is more and more extremism.
Read more about this subject and find the reference links for this article here: Religion In Politics
