When all of the victories in the courts for social issues like gay marriage might actually stop motivating those evangelicals and start discouraging them. Even the recent Texas decision to not close so many women's health care clinics over the abortion issue went against their Talibangelical beliefs.

I hope we've reached that point. Perhaps they're finally realizing that they are NOT in the majority in their war on women's rights and health issues and will start giving up trying to vote their doctrine into law.

even with the so called polls andCN337560 people supposedly in the know trying their best to convince us that this "base" is solid, strong and will last a thousand years, on the reality front, they're just about done.
You have to keep attracting new people to sustain any movement. It aint happening for this bunch.

so that if any "fixing" needs to happen, it cannot be detected.

before you notice the only people managing to do well with Republicans in power are the preachers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Baptist_Convention_conservative_resurgence
it coincided with the Powell Memo and the surge in "think tanks" mid- and late-70s--and no sector was immune; this was when we get the neocon "peace through strength" stuff that gave us both the mujahedeen and crack, well-paid scientists yelling about how women and tribal peoples were worthless unless they were specially approved, etc.
remember, if it wasn't profitable to have the political debate determined by people who think that Celestial Seasonings tea lets Satan into their home, it would never have happened

between the clergy and those in power. It's been told before and always winds up the same way - eventually, people get wise to the lies and realize they are being taken for fools and they overthrow both. Or, they destroy themselves. The Southern Baptists have a history of using the Bible to justify subjugation of women, slavery, segregation racial purity, (look up the relation between the clan and the Southern Baptists). That is why the stock in trade for Southern Baptists is fear and hate - scare the fools, and teach them to hate anyone the clergy points a finger at, and not to ask questions. Tent preachers. Snake handlers. Fire and Brimstone. Preachers who spread their propaganda with "God says", and "God spoke to Me". They prey on the less educated, the poor who are looking for some sort of comfort and some sort of belief that, even though they are struggling here on earth, in the afterlife, they will be "rewarded", their "sins" forgiven and their enemies and non believers punished. Throw in that "hell" thing as negative reinforcement, and what you wind up with is a pliant and easily controlled mob who will vote for who ever they are told, to keep the "other" from "getting" them. Just the thing a corrupt politician wants - people who will vote against their own best interests. That is why GOP ads and politicians are long on hate, fear, smears, and accusations, and short on substance and positive results. The GOP is focused on power, greed and keeping their friends rich, and the rest of us squabbling over nickle, and fearful of the "other" and paranoid..

The Southern Baptists are a cult, probably not more than 2 steps away from Jonestown. They have gotten so crazy, that they have almost crazied themselves over the cliff. They are in the same place the GOP is - far away from reality, and lost in a prison of their own minds, and unable to see the world as it is - only through the broken mirror of their ideology..

"The Southern Baptists are a cult, probably not more than 2 steps away from Jonestown. They have gotten so crazy, that they have almost crazied themselves over the cliff. They are in the same place the GOP is - far away from reality, and lost in a prison of their own minds, and unable to see the world as it is - only through the broken mirror of their ideology."

Problem is he does actually have a mental disability which made it easy for the "church" he is in and its members to sway him so he buys the whole line of BS they spew like Obama is a muslim and all sorts of shit plus he turned into a racists and its pointless to try and talk to him because he will just start shouting and wont stop and listen.
Makes me and my older brother sad to see him like this but *shrug* all we can do is hope he comes to but we doubt he ever will.

I wonder if that was in a chain email. It probably read something like this "tips on evading indoctrination by an alinskiyte, taker," or whatever today's GOP insult of the day is: "hollar loudly so you cannot hear a word said."

When I encounter this ALEC? Luntz? Technique I immediately start talking softly about hummingbirds. It works, very effective. It doesn't have to be hummingbirds, just something innocuous and yet, interesting. Sometimes I use squirrels. Next thing I know the hollering has stopped and ears are listening to me again. Perhaps the ears are listening incredulously; yet they are listening. The hollering usually stops for a good while. It is wonderful. Everything goes back to normal for a time.

(a church she never attended except a handful of times with him and which we only agreed to in order to keep peace with him as we are following her request to take care of him or atleast try to) I found out that the church he goes to has recruited a number of similarly disabled people and it made me angry to see them taken advantage of.

Are there any non profit groups in your area that work to protect the disabled from abuse? If there are, you could check with them to see if they are concerned about this church.

so getting any 3rd part involved probably would fail.
Best we can do is muddle along and hope he comes to his senses one day.

I'm pulling for you and yours.

Prior to the Civil War the church split on the issue of slavery.

Guess which side the Southern Baptists sided which?

Every southern baptist church I have ever attended-- full disclosure, not a southern baptist, just curious-- is different. Though the fires of hell and the damnation of the wicked are a sure commonality.

The problem is obvious-- politics is fought in the mud. Religion mixed with politics gets sucked right down into that mud. Politics should be muddy, earthen and sometimes in your face. Conversely, religion in the mud is neither sacred, nor clean, but, rather wreaks of filth and snake oil.

The religious should vote, just like EVERY American of age should vote. Yet, the shepherds who seek to lead their sheep to the ballot box soil the pulpits from which they preach. There are preachers who do; and preachers who do not. (I watched it happen organically at a picnic once).

Never have I seen the cult in one. There is definitely social structure, ostracism and hierarchical control, but no cults.

Maybe they are learning to read.