Republican party uses religion to manipulate voters

[Rainforestgoddess]

While there are many ways to manipulate people, religion seems to be the tool most often used to control large masses of people. After all, isn’t that why we have “organized religion” in the first place? Christianity is a great example of this. Within the United States we have many different denominations of the Christian faith. Yet within each of these variations of Christianity, we often seen drastically different rules from one “Christian” organized religious denomination to another. What it breaks down to is somewhere along the line some human decided to cherry-pick what they found important within the Bible. They often did this because they craved power and control over others. It’s why as a Christian I don’t subscribe to any form of organized religious following. Every Christian religion follows the Bible. Every Christian who knows how to read can read the Bible for themselves. So why does any Christian need human-made rules to tell them what to believe? It’s just something that’s never made a whole lot of sense to me. But I believe a long time ago the Republican party identified that religion was going to be their tool to manipulate tens of millions of Americans into supporting economic policies that don’t benefit them. Because that’s exactly what’s happened. - See more at: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/conservatives-wake-republican-party-uses-religion-manipulate/#sthash.5PMu7jl8.dpuf

[AtheistCrusader]

1. "religion seems to be the tool most often used to control large masses of people"

'Not a bug, Working As Intended.'
/Close bug report

[Rainforestgoddess]

2. Situation normal... N/t

[trotsky]

5. Perfect. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

9. exactly.

[msongs]

3. churches use religion to manipulate voters. only natural repubs would do the same nt

[SamKnause]

4. A Corporate owned Theocracy is

their agenda.

They want to replace the Constitution with the Bible.

They are very brazen about their plans.

They are not shy.

They are not trying to hide it.

They have corporate owned right wing media pushing their agenda.

The airwaves are filled with lunatic, right wing, religious, zealots pushing their agenda.

Their agenda has infested the public educational system.

They are rewriting history to fit their agenda.

They will not stop until the U.S. is a Christian Theocracy owned by Corporations.

They are the greatest THREAT this country faces.

[cbayer]

6. I am convinced that the neocons used religion to manipulate the

fundamentalists in this country, and they did it extremely effectively. He and I are in strong agreement there.

But I don't think that is why we have "organized religion". There are many reasons that people gather with others and the fundies were organized before they become politically motivated. Much of his description of organized religion is very simplistic and reflective of his personal experience and POV. This detracts from his piece, but his point is still valid and still stands.

[edhopper]

7. I think organized religion

can be looked at at least two different ways. One is through the organizers and the other the organized.
This has more to do with the "organized" part than the "religion" part.

[cbayer]

8. I think organized religion can be looked at in an infinite number of ways.

So can organized anything.

It was the neo-cons that were organized in the political way. They saw an opportunity to co-opt the already organized but relatively apolitical fundamentalist population.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. That is not true.

The fundamentalist population became political as the religious right before "neocons" existed as a political force. Both forces emerged independently and they suffered a marriage of convenience within the republican party.

[Rainforestgoddess]

11. Any group that has in its purpose telling people what to think

Is a dangerous entity. It is inevitable that the ones in control will eventually try to influence the political situation.

[okasha]

12. The easiest way to manipulate a population

is to convince them they're under attack. It doesn't much matter who the designated hate object is, and the neocons have attributed the supposed threat to African Americans, Hispanics, LGBT's, feminists, you name it. Scary Muslims worked so well that Islamophobia is common even among "progressives."

[cbayer]

13. And that is the truth.

That's when people will circle the wagons and shoot anything that moves.

[Jim__]

14. Yes.

Hermann Göring:

Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

[mmonk]

15. Water is wet.