1) Conservatism is a misnomer for many of these people and beliefs, as is reactionary. Most of what they seek to create or restore never actually existed or is actually offensive to a majority of Americans.
2) The myth of social conservatism is that we were once all god-fearing Christians who obeyed the commandments a…
1) Conservatism is a misnomer for many of these people and beliefs, as is reactionary. Most of what they seek to create or restore never actually existed or is actually offensive to a majority of Americans.
2) The myth of social conservatism is that we were once all god-fearing Christians who obeyed the commandments and the country prospered because we were exceptional in our godliness and moral/civilizational culture--it is the same basic theme that runs through the prosperity Gospel and that is a predominant theme in the Old testament (God punishing or rewarding Israel for their behavior). It often comes up when a natural disaster strikes--well, God is punishing them for X.
The reality of America is that it was our greed and aggressiveness that won us a continent and built a powerful economy based upon our conquest of that (bountiful) content. It was our decidedly non-Christian behaviors and attitudes that got us where we are. (This is something of an oversimplification, but you get the point).
People paid a lot of lip service to religion, just like today. They probably weren't. on average, any more or less Christian than us in a substantive sense (part of this is the whole rather lose American approach to religion (which Tait mentions WRT Sheilaism). Everybody kind of has THEIR Christianity, which often does not line up well with "actual" Christianity.
Regardless of motivation or accuracy of belief or understanding of history, the social "conservatives" are kind of screwed. Barring enforcement at backed up by guns, that stuff is NOT coming back (that is why they are working to get those guns (the government) on their side. enforcing that stuff at gunpoint will ultimately destroy what little legitimacy they have and destroy that set of beliefs. That doesn't mean they won't try or succeed, merely that in the longer run it is a vain effort and destructive to us and (moreso) to them.
The NatCons don't care much about religion other than as a vehicle of tribal identity and a set of rituals and rhetoric to provide a cultural foundation. They will destroy religion even more swiftly than the social "conservatives" or "godless" progressives.
They are worse than progressives because a lot of the moral content of progressivism has its roots in Christianity, as does a lot of policy. The NatCons are kind of the mirror universe, Spock with a goatee version of Christianity in that they are actively opposed to most of its social tenets and morality.
Their gods are power and masculinity--and making sure that everyone knows who has the power and who the Real Men are--so they can be suitably submissive. There is also what appears to be a strong thread of social Darwinism or racism/sexism dressed up as that. These people are even bigger pieces of shit than a lot of the Religious Right.
WRT Tait's article:
1) Conservatism is a misnomer for many of these people and beliefs, as is reactionary. Most of what they seek to create or restore never actually existed or is actually offensive to a majority of Americans.
2) The myth of social conservatism is that we were once all god-fearing Christians who obeyed the commandments and the country prospered because we were exceptional in our godliness and moral/civilizational culture--it is the same basic theme that runs through the prosperity Gospel and that is a predominant theme in the Old testament (God punishing or rewarding Israel for their behavior). It often comes up when a natural disaster strikes--well, God is punishing them for X.
The reality of America is that it was our greed and aggressiveness that won us a continent and built a powerful economy based upon our conquest of that (bountiful) content. It was our decidedly non-Christian behaviors and attitudes that got us where we are. (This is something of an oversimplification, but you get the point).
People paid a lot of lip service to religion, just like today. They probably weren't. on average, any more or less Christian than us in a substantive sense (part of this is the whole rather lose American approach to religion (which Tait mentions WRT Sheilaism). Everybody kind of has THEIR Christianity, which often does not line up well with "actual" Christianity.
Regardless of motivation or accuracy of belief or understanding of history, the social "conservatives" are kind of screwed. Barring enforcement at backed up by guns, that stuff is NOT coming back (that is why they are working to get those guns (the government) on their side. enforcing that stuff at gunpoint will ultimately destroy what little legitimacy they have and destroy that set of beliefs. That doesn't mean they won't try or succeed, merely that in the longer run it is a vain effort and destructive to us and (moreso) to them.
The NatCons don't care much about religion other than as a vehicle of tribal identity and a set of rituals and rhetoric to provide a cultural foundation. They will destroy religion even more swiftly than the social "conservatives" or "godless" progressives.
They are worse than progressives because a lot of the moral content of progressivism has its roots in Christianity, as does a lot of policy. The NatCons are kind of the mirror universe, Spock with a goatee version of Christianity in that they are actively opposed to most of its social tenets and morality.
Their gods are power and masculinity--and making sure that everyone knows who has the power and who the Real Men are--so they can be suitably submissive. There is also what appears to be a strong thread of social Darwinism or racism/sexism dressed up as that. These people are even bigger pieces of shit than a lot of the Religious Right.