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poltr1One of the questions that was asked by exit pollers was what the most important factor was in voter's decisions for their candidates. 21% said moral values, 20% said the economy, 18% said terrorism.
So....what are 'moral values'? And whose morality are we talking about here? As I interpret them, moral values are those espoused most vocally by the Christian Right (or as the Religious Reich, as pagan author Issac Bonewits often calls them). Such as these:
- Marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman.
- Abortion and stem cell research are Just Plain Wrong.
- Homosexuality is an unnatural aberration.
- The Bible is the word of God. (Especially the KJV version of 1621.)
- We do not want our children exposed to sex, pornography, etc.
Many of these people live in rural areas or predominantly agricultural states. They've never been exposed to other faiths. Their faith is all they know, and they're deathly afraid of exposing themselves to anything outside of the box they've drawn for themselves.
If I mentioned polyamory to them, they'd look at me quizically or respond with emotionally charged words such as "adulterer", "fornicator", "deviate", or "unnatural". If I had a dime for every time I heard "Adam and Steve" or "Sodom and Gomorroah", I could live comfortably for a few months.
The gay marriage amendment in several states, including Ohio, also contributed to drawing out the cultural conservatives to the polls.
I, on the other hand, grew up in an upper-middle-class neighbood outside of Buffalo, NY -- a predominantly Catholic town. My dad was a union man (UAW Local 774), so my political orientation early on has been democratic -- that is, for the blue-collared working guy on the assembly line and not the white-collared executive guy in the office down the mahogany-lined hallway.
My concentric circles of friends include people of various faiths (varing flavors of Christianity including Catholicism, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Wiccan, other various flavors of paganism, even atheist), racial backgrounds, and sexual orientations. I know gay and lesbian people -- some in commited relationships, some not. Some folks I know are into non-traditional relationships such as polyamory. I am fortunate to have been exposed to so many varied human beings. Sometimes those differences have challenged me. But despite those differences, I have embraced these people. Socially, I am a liberal, or a progressive.
Mitakuye Oyasin. It is a simple Lakota prayer that means "We are all related." Read more about it.
At that, in a nutshell, is the difference between me and the Christian Right. In my judgement, they are so fucking scared of getting outside of their comfort zone and being challenged by the differences.
So....what are 'moral values'? And whose morality are we talking about here? As I interpret them, moral values are those espoused most vocally by the Christian Right (or as the Religious Reich, as pagan author Issac Bonewits often calls them). Such as these:
- Marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman.
- Abortion and stem cell research are Just Plain Wrong.
- Homosexuality is an unnatural aberration.
- The Bible is the word of God. (Especially the KJV version of 1621.)
- We do not want our children exposed to sex, pornography, etc.
Many of these people live in rural areas or predominantly agricultural states. They've never been exposed to other faiths. Their faith is all they know, and they're deathly afraid of exposing themselves to anything outside of the box they've drawn for themselves.
If I mentioned polyamory to them, they'd look at me quizically or respond with emotionally charged words such as "adulterer", "fornicator", "deviate", or "unnatural". If I had a dime for every time I heard "Adam and Steve" or "Sodom and Gomorroah", I could live comfortably for a few months.
The gay marriage amendment in several states, including Ohio, also contributed to drawing out the cultural conservatives to the polls.
I, on the other hand, grew up in an upper-middle-class neighbood outside of Buffalo, NY -- a predominantly Catholic town. My dad was a union man (UAW Local 774), so my political orientation early on has been democratic -- that is, for the blue-collared working guy on the assembly line and not the white-collared executive guy in the office down the mahogany-lined hallway.
My concentric circles of friends include people of various faiths (varing flavors of Christianity including Catholicism, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Wiccan, other various flavors of paganism, even atheist), racial backgrounds, and sexual orientations. I know gay and lesbian people -- some in commited relationships, some not. Some folks I know are into non-traditional relationships such as polyamory. I am fortunate to have been exposed to so many varied human beings. Sometimes those differences have challenged me. But despite those differences, I have embraced these people. Socially, I am a liberal, or a progressive.
Mitakuye Oyasin. It is a simple Lakota prayer that means "We are all related." Read more about it.
At that, in a nutshell, is the difference between me and the Christian Right. In my judgement, they are so fucking scared of getting outside of their comfort zone and being challenged by the differences.
