I’m a Christian. In fact, I am married to a (female) minister. So, just as Muslims are constantly embarrassed by “Islamic” extremists (e.g., al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIL), I am constantly embarrassed by the “Christian” Right wing. I have been opposed to them since they arose as a movement c. 1979 with the Moral Majority. I find it weird that I often have more in common politically, and even culturally, with agnostics, atheists, and secular humanists than with my fellow Christians. Even belonging to progressive religious organizations (as I do) like The Fellowship of Reconciliation (which is an interfaith organization that works for peace with justice by means of grassroots nonviolence), The Alliance of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB) (which advocates for LGBTQ justice and inclusion from a faith perspective and in churches, as well as outside), The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) (which works as a counterpoint to groups like The Christian Coalition to defend religious pluralism and church/state separation in the USA), and The Network of Spiritual Progressives (founded by Rabbi Michael Lerner, it shows that one’s choices aren’t limited to a “religious right” or a “secular left.”)—even this isn’t enough to keep from being depressed at the actions of the Religious Right, especially since they are both numerous and loud.
But one thing I try to do consistently is to call out their hypocrisy and their betrayals of the faith they claim and proclaim. Here is the latest example. A pastor from MO, who has criticized gun-free zones, has just shot and killed a woman for refusing to have sex with him. Yeah, nothing says “the love of Jesus” like a pastor killing his mistress. [Correction: As pointed out in the comments, one source implied the woman was the pastor’s mistress, but the evidence in the story itself suggests nothing of the sort. I apologize for inadvertently maligning a woman of whom I know nothing. I was furious about the story and didn’t stop to see if I was correctly characterizing the victim. In doing so, I victimized her again, for which I am deeply ashamed.]
These idiots have to be stopped.