Republicans... what are you doing!?

[dubious_doomhammer]

Doesn't the 1st amendment prohibit laws being made around religion? Or is it only the 2nd amendment that's taken seriously in the US?

[Jericho21]

Without Christianity the U.S. Constitution wouldn't exist.

Uhhh actually you're wrong. "Under God" wasn't added until the 1940 or 50's. The Pledge of Allegiance didn't have "Under God" in it until...yep...the 1940/50's. The US was founded upon religious freedom and not have the gov't held in check by a religion. Separation of Church and State. Kind of written by the Founding Fathers, by the way. Most of said Founding Fathers either weren't religious at all or just enough lip service to it to get by.

Repubs, if they stay this course and with Trump at their head, will entirely screw themselves for quite a long time and very easily for the next 8 years with HRC as POTUS. Let that sink in Paul Ryan, you fuckery schmuck.

[Breccia]

The GOP has been swayed by the religious right more and more. Smaller government, a strong military, and personal responsibility are not, inherently, Christian values, nor are they bad ideas to have. Problem is, that wasn't enough to keep them in power. So the Republican Party, which by virtue of being for less govt oversight would not normally be against things like gay marriage and abortion, decided to add these to its platform to attract the conservative religious crowd. Which is no small feat, considering they've been against government aid to the poor, sick, and hungry but pro-war.

Once the conservative religious base was on board, the Republicans were able to keep things closer to 50/50 depending on the year etc. However, and this is where things got wonky, the conservative religious base realized that the Republican party needed them to keep things 50/50. So they became more of the forefront over time. The best demonstration of this is Ted Cruz, by all accounts a douchebag +1 flametongue, getting such huge proportions of the vote against moderates like Kasich and, erm, "nonstandard" candidates like Trump.

If the conservative religious base decided en masse to go Democratic, siding themselves with the government taxing more but providing more benefits for its most downtrodden members (one might say a very Christian approach...) then together they'd likely have a 2/3 majority and could steamroll over everything. Whether or not that's good for the country is open to personal interpretation, but the Republican party was so desperate to prevent this they made accomodations, like the ones the OP quoted.

The OP is correct: they're out of touch with the majority of their voter base. Problem is, that's not who they need to focus on. So you're seeing very logical conclusions.

[Detritivores]

It's called bait and switch. The RNC puts that language in there to get the Christians in a frenzy so they think Baby Jesus is guiding the country if a Republican becomes president.

Then the RNC turns around and ignores half of it. Christians in turn forget that Republicans are just using them for cannon fodder and a piggy bank for nothing in return.

Repeat

see Abortion x40 years. OMGGG WE HAVE TO STOP ABORTION! (4 decades later) OMG DESPITE YOU ELECTING US MANY TIMES, WE STILL NEED TO STOP ABORTION! ALSO HOLY SHIT GAY PEOPLEEEEE"

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If the conservative religious base decided en masse to go Democratic, siding themselves with the government taxing more but providing more benefits for its most downtrodden members (one might say a very Christian approach...) then together they'd likely have a 2/3 majority and could steamroll over everything. Whether or not that's good for the country is open to personal interpretation, but the Republican party was so desperate to prevent this they made accomodations, like the ones the OP quoted.

This is what gets me. By any rational assessment the Dems are more "christian" in their approach to governance and social welfare. If I still believed in the sky god, I would at the very least realize that the Dems are doing his work way harder than the GOP. But that's just me.

[Mormolyce]

Without Christianity the U.S. Constitution wouldn't exist.

Well sure, in a sense... without Christianity we wouldn't have had anything to rebel against, to begin the Reformation, Renaissance, Age of Reason etc. that ultimately led up to the Revolutionary era and inspired the US and French Revolutions, and later developments that ultimately formed the modern world.

Of course, we might've gotten to that point centuries earlier without Christianity in the way.

[Powerogue]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/us...on-issues.html

By this point I think the Republican party leaders are out of touch with the majority of their voter base.

An excerpt from the article:

"The platform demands that lawmakers use religion as a guide when legislating, stipulating “that man-made law must be consistent with God-given, natural rights.”

It also encourages the teaching of the Bible in public schools because, the amendment said, a good understanding of its contents is “indispensable for the development of an educated citizenry.”

The pornography provision was not in an initial draft that the Republican National Committee drew up and released on Sunday. But delegates added it on Monday at the same time they were inserting many of the amendments opposing gay and transgender rights. It calls pornography “a public menace” that is especially harmful to children".

It's like they are deliberately trying to lose the election as evidenced by trying to adopt far right policies in the past or to push away any moderates they had left.

Also since when is the US a theocracy?

I always knew there were ass-backwards people in that party, but I did not know it was this prevalent. I thought this sort of thing was reserved for far-right zealots almost no one took seriously.

"god given natural rights" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. Your only "right" that's god-given is the "right" to do exactly what He says (or more accurately, what the bible says He said) without question under threat of eternal damnation. Humans invented the idea of rights. I'd think as religious people they'd know this. Well, unless they're so deluded they think the constitution purely reflects biblical values.

"bible in public schools" We have enough problems with the public education system already. Throwing out valid science in favor of creationism would be about as sane as throwing out astronomy in favor of astrology. Do they want to go even further than that, and teach kids english by forcing them to memorize bible verses? Where would this end?

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Oh my god the article gets so much worse than what you linked.

"nodded to “conversion therapy” for gays by saying that parents should be free to make medical decisions about their children without interference"

That's not just mentally torturing gay people, that also blankets allowances for people to not vaccinate their children or to substitute prayer for a trip to the doctor!

[Eviscero]

As cool as I am with a man getting an abortion, I suppose.

This guy believes 'marriage' is an institution established by God that can only occur between a man and a woman and therefore no law can violate equal protection for gay people since whatever 'thing' it is they engage in, it isn't the same thing as 'marriage.'

This guy doesn't recognize that his interpretation is just one of many and that establishing laws based on his personal beliefs is directly in conflict with the premise that ideally, a limited government should be maintained so as to not infringe on individual rights.

This guy is the dying breath of the smallest-minded, most internally inconsistent and hypocritical group of willfully ignorant Bible thumpers, made manifest.

[Xyonai]

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Oh my god the article gets so much worse than what you linked.

"nodded to “conversion therapy” for gays by saying that parents should be free to make medical decisions about their children without interference"

That's not just mentally torturing gay people, that also blankets allowances for people to not vaccinate their children or to substitute prayer for a trip to the doctor!

The plot thickens!

[Merkava]

It also encourages the teaching of the Bible in public schools because, the amendment said, a good understanding of its contents is “indispensable for the development of an educated citizenry.”

So what's wrong with that statement, exactly?

[caervek]

It also encourages the teaching of the Bible in public schools

America doesn't have that already? They seem more religious than the UK and it's standard practice here...

[vastx]

Its been the dream of Republicans for several decades now to create a theocratic utopia filled with guns in the US... You know, kind of like the Middle East, but with even more guns.

I'm astonished at how many people don't know what a theocracy means. Drama, drama, drama.

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America doesn't have that already? They seem more religious than the UK and it's standard practice here...

Leftists think any mention of God at all in public schools damages the integrity of the constitution. The same constitution they piss on and many would love to change altogether.

[Gumboy]

It's called bait and switch. The RNC puts that language in there to get the Christians in a frenzy so they think Baby Jesus is guiding the country if a Republican becomes president.

Then the RNC turns around and ignores half of it. Christians in turn forget that Republicans are just using them for cannon fodder and a piggy bank for nothing in return.

Repeat

You mean the exact same thing democracts do with minorities?

I like how bashing, insulting posts are straight up allowed as long as they are bashing the "Right" party

[Deleted]

So what's wrong with that statement, exactly?

That it most certainly is not indispensable.

[Merkava]

That it most certainly is not indispensable.

I would disagree with you, and so would a celebrated atheist as well.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/20...itchens-201105

Though I am sometimes reluctant to admit it, there really is something “timeless” in the Tyndale/King James synthesis. For generations, it provided a common stock of references and allusions, rivaled only by Shakespeare in this respect. It resounded in the minds and memories of literate people, as well as of those who acquired it only by listening...A culture that does not possess this common store of image and allegory will be a perilously thin one.

[dubious_doomhammer]

So what's wrong with that statement, exactly?

If it was taught as literature rather than science, then I don't think you'd see the backlash that you do.

[Deleted]

Republicans that ive seen who usually use the "religion" card arent even real christians, theyre cherrypicking hypocrites, that pick the parts from the religion they like while conviniently discarding others(like for example, the words of Jesus on the rich and poor).

[Adam Jensen]

Christians voted Democrat in the 1950s. The religious right is a creation of Reagan in his first successful election, in 1979. He saw a huge demographic that nobody cared about and flipped them all his way. The problem is they shrink the party 2 people for every 1 they bring in. Actual conservatives and libertarians have no voice in this government.

What's hilarious is that the GOP is killing themselves over the religious right. If they dropped the social conservatives, they'd probably gain enough moderates to win back the white house.

But so long as they keep the religious crazies, I don't think they'll be winning anything much longer. Hammering against gays and screaming about God is going to net fewer and fewer people over the next few decades.

[Daethz]

Well it's a good thing trump is just a security-extreme liberal then.

Religion kills the GoP

Consider the ideals of an atheist conservative.

[Gsara]

What is the GOP doing? The exact same thing they have been doing for decades, this platform isnt something new. If they want to keep their party alive they need to realize that building the platform for the christian conservative right wing white voter is only going to bring a slow demise over the next few decades for the GOP.

[Merkava]

Republicans that ive seen who usually use the "religion" card arent even real christians, theyre cherrypicking hypocrites, that pick the parts from the religion they like while conviniently discarding others(like for example, the words of Jesus on the rich and poor).

I think that's pretty much all followers, of all religions. Put it this way, I'm sure there are people who don't cherrypick and take every instruction literally, but let's just say I wouldn't wanna be sitting next to them on an airplane.

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If it was taught as literature rather than science, then I don't think you'd see the backlash that you do.

My point is that, from the statement of

a good understanding of its contents is “indispensable for the development of an educated citizenry.”

seems more they're emphasizing the cultural and literary importance rather than being a religious endorsement.