Today a had a little break from work and noticed a reply from on a Facebook post which I expanded. The reply stated that some Christians call “Being called out for their behavior” as “Persecution” when in reality, they are being “Called on the Carpet” for specific behaviors which are damaging to others and the country. I am going to expand that idea here. Those specific behaviors are related to cruelty, ruling by force, slander, spreading misinformation, and “hating our neighbor who is different than us.”
When I call out the Religious Right/Catholic Right for their behavior, I am very specific about who I am addressing. I am NOT calling out all religious people, all Christians, or even many conservative Christians/Catholics. I am specifically calling out those who have been directly and intentionally involved melding the Church and state into one flesh for the purpose of dictating doctrine through minority rule, by force, on the rest of the nation. This is done at the cost of harming and endangering the lives of others while using abortion and same-sex marriage as the only two criteria for being a Christian.
I am sorry to say that I voted Republican for many years, and I allowed my vote to be abused and coerced for their political gain. I am ashamed that I allowed myself to be influenced by these people in any way. The day Trump mocked the disabled reporter, my life was never the same since I am an Educational Therapist who serves disabled populations. This day of mocking in 2016 started a spontaneous political deconstruction and progressive theological shift, from conservative traditionalist Catholic circles to the social justice wing of the Church with the Jesuits and other religious and non-religious progressives of many kinds.
Let’s describe the kinds of behaviors progressive religious and non-religious people are referring to. From my personal blog over three years ago and another paragraph from an article I published called Op-Ed Catholic Republican to Catholic Democrat, Which is More Pro-Life?
“This is also my analysis of the last 50 years of American history in regards to the marriage of the hard political right and Christians of different kinds, many (not all) White Evangelicals, a little less than half of White American Catholics, including myself, and many White High Church Protestants. Yes, there is a huge racial component to voting. In short, many White Christians have taken the one issue of abortion and a few others related to religious freedoms and sexuality, and they have used these as weapons to coerce other Christians to vote Republican out of “Christian Duty” to the point of abuse. They have done this in exchange for life-giving services and safety for millions of Americans over 50 years: disability, nationalized healthcare (not socialized), Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, WIC, food stamps, living wages, gun safety, environmental safety, etc….and they call these safety nets and safety precautions “Socialism” or even “Communism” yet we are the richest country in the world who can well-afford to care for the most vulnerable in our society, and we can well-afford to keep our citizens safe. Yet, they discard all of this in the name of fruitlessly saving the unborn and voting against people instead of for people. The Church/non-profit cannot and will not do all of these things alone. I know this from serving disabled children in my profession, raising a disabled son for 20 years, and battling Parkinson’s Disease myself. Then to boot, the Religious Right/Catholic Right elected the most abrasive, dishonest, corrupt, hateful, un-Christian bully they could possibly elect in the name of Jesus Christ to “get even” with Democrats (including the most vulnerable) while mimicking his cruel and hateful behavior to others who do not agree with or look like us.
It’s for the same reason 60 percent of the American Catholic Church, 76 percent of Hispanic Catholics/other Christians, and 95% percent of Black Catholics/other Christians are Democrats and never vote Republican – because I believe, especially at this point, the current “Trumpified” GOP abuses take more lives than an abortion rate which has declined steadily over the last 50 years.
I am also changing my party affiliation because I believe the right-wing of the Republican party has taken 15 to 20 Bible verses that talk about women being quiet, sexuality, and allowing women to make choices, and they have waged war on the poor and the disenfranchised who are supported and defended by 2,000 Bible verses and Catholic Social Teaching.”
These exerts show just some of the reasons the Religious Right/Catholic Right hates being called out, but I believe they need it, especially coming from the Religious Left, the only ones of us who can truly hold them accountable.
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