breaking radio silence from work

[tree_talking]

An Open Letter to All Republicans From a Former Religious Right Activist

THIS.

I often try to explain to people why I am not on the Religious Right (in any way, shape, or form) anymore. This man explains it so well--if a little snarkily. But you see, you deal with this sort of pain with snark.

This doesn't even begin to come close to my own personal story. That one is full of my stupid naivete, my betrayed trust and a semi-nasty case of brainwashing. What it does explain is what is wrong with the Republican party as I see it, and specifically, the Christian Right.

(I'd have NO problem with the Republicans if they would just be fiscal conservatives, and stop trying to make this a "Christian nation"--which it NEVER was. They certainly are not right now, no matter what they say.)

As for what I am right now, I am an Episcopalian. That was what I was raised in for the first 13 years of my life...and now it feels like I am back home. My priest saw my hubby's Obama button and gave him a high five. It feels so good to be able to be a liberal--even in church.

Comments

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Party affiliation wasn't always such a divisive thing. It certainly has its foundations in ideology, and that's a wonderful thing. People aligning with one side or another because of the social issues that were represented.

Now I think that (certainly not all but) some people align or don't out of fear of backlash, or because they think it's what's expected of them, or for a whole host of other reasons I don't need to go into here. I've been both Democrat and Independent but I always vote for the candidate I believe will do the best job and who best represents my interest regardless of their party affiliation.

I remember when "liberal" wasn't used as a slur, too, and those who self-identified as liberals were free to be proud of it. Now so many are afraid of having their phones illegally tapped and getting reported for baking the wrong kind of cookies for their weekly book club meeting, where they're reading subversives like Thomas Jefferson and Ernest Hemingway. We live in a weird, weird world.

I am all for change.

[shellebelle93.livejournal.com]

When I was fourteen, I was told that "I could not be a Christian and a Liberal (Democrat)"...it made a big impression on me, shall we say?

Honestly, I think I was born Democrat, but got sidetracked along the way. ;) I'm not sure when "Liberal" became a dirty word, but I think it was when the R.R. got hold of the term and used it to denote "people from Hollywood" and "Hollywood morals".

Weird world? Definitely.

Change would be good. I have to admit that I'm more pessimistic than I really want to be at this point. It grieves me to see what has happened to our country over the past 8 years.