Three new words came to my attention during the Trump era, Gaslighting, Patriarchy, and Misogyny. Since these words were new to me until 2018, I will define them here from Google Dictionary.
1. Gaslighting– manipulating someone using psychological methods into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning. The hard right MAGA is a master at this skill, typically doesn’t apologize spontaneously, typically doesn’t want to be held to account for anything, typically turns full blame on the other person he abuses and coerces, and many times attempts to destroy anyone who dares to question him. This is gaslighting at its fullest; it’s outright abuse.
2. Patriarchy–I found two definitions for this one. 1. a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line. 2. a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Coming from traditional circles, I don’t mind the first definition if men love and respect women, including if that man is a moderate Republican who listens although he may disagree. I have now experienced that the second definition is used to abuse and subjugate women. It’s a tough reality coming from mostly all-male white Church leadership over my lifetime. I met my first Protestant female minister at age 51 and think well of her. I also love and respect male clergy and laity who love and respect women, like my husband. The key litmus test is, “Did they coerce and abuse the female vote?” If these men didn’t, this is a good sign that they respect women. If they did coerce the female vote, I have some choice words for them after the next definition.
3. Misogyny—dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. Misogyny has been most evident in the way many clergy and laity have abused and coerced the female vote for the last 50 years. This blatant truth leads into the rest of this piece.
For those clergy and laity who have abused, coerced, and forced people (especially women) to vote Republican over the last 50 years, they need to think about what they have done. Not only did they usher in borderline-fascism through Donald Trump, they disrespected the hearts, minds, and personal conscience of every day laity and the broader population (mostly women) which violates Catholic teaching and the teachings of Christ. Threatening laity with eternal damnation or alluding to it for not voting Republican has been downright reckless to the spiritual lives of the Catholics/Christians they are called to serve, especially since Trump increased the abortion rate while Democrats have reduced it over the last 50 years. We will know what is true by its fruits.
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. Women’s Suffrage was a movement to not only give women the right to vote but give them fairer opportunities. I do not think the effort to overturn Roe was about the unborn or the Sanctity of Life. If this were true, than lives outside the womb would matter to the current-day hard right MAGA Republican which are not all Republicans. This is about the subjugation of women and coercing women to think and vote like them as I was subjected to for many years. Many conservative males in my life inside the church, with the good exception of my husband, coerced and abused my vote into straight red Republicanism. Coming from very conservative faith circles, I would have never understood the abuse of the conscience until we went to urban Catholicism during COVID. Soon after our arrival, I spoke with the clergy at the downtown Cathedral. I couldn’t believe that I was allowed to vote my conscience, get a tattoo, choose my own friends, stand up for the social justice causes which were dear to me, and serve where I am actually created to serve. My priest actually signed off for me to earn a lay certification in Social Justice. He actually respects my work and service to the disability/neurodiverse, and LGBTQ communities even though his politics are more conservative than mine.
I believe that laity and clergy who have attempted to abuse free will of the vote by coercing and abusing the free will among other things should not be serving in ministry, ordained or lay ministry. Now we have a former president who has near-wrecked and totally divided the country. He is also under criminal investigation with four charges for invoking an insurrection on our Nation’s Capital which many people conveniently deny. It amazes me that the hard-right MAGA have acted in such abusive ways over decades, and then when the time finally came after 50 years to hold these MAGA’s to account, they think outright denying it will “get them off the hook.” Not only do they deny everything they’ve done, they turn around and gaslight those they have abused and coerced into voting Republican for five decades.
One thing is for certain, if I see a clergyman or lay leader telling laity how to vote again, I will report them to the IRS, request for them to loose their tax exempt status, and write about it in Patheos.
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