Sarah Posner has a piece on the connections between the far right and the White Supremacy and neo confederate movement. It is worth a read.
But to be very clear, and I am sure Ms. Posner would agree, this is not to suggest that conservative Christians are racist. But it does suggest that there are connections that many of them don't even realize. In fact, I am becoming more and more convinced that the conservative Christians are largely ill-informed about what their politicians are doing in their name. I don't think they realize much of the insanity, and this is just another example. It doesn't excuse their ignorance, but it may explain why they have become supporters for a party that is increasingly racist and certainly only interested in the interests of the rich and powerful.
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I am becoming more and more convinced that the conservative Christians are largely ill-informed about what their politicians are doing in their name
I agree wholeheartedly, and I believe, in my vastly uninformed opinion, that it stems from the fact that so many conservative christian voters are single-issue voters. Abortion is all that matters, and they vote the pro-life candidate. This is regardless of any other position the politician holds now or in the future.
Throwing myself against my normal criticism of situational bias, I look no further than my aunt and uncle in-law. They vote the pro life candidate. When asked, by my wife and I, if taxes or any other issues weigh-in to their decision, they answer was simple: no, because if they are right on life, how can they be wrong on anything else?
Sadly, it doesn't take much Googling to find my own situation played-out again and again across the U.S. It's single-issue voters.
Around here, in their more guarded moments, I can tell you that (esp older) Christians are quite ready to conflate their faith with racial identity. Many are one issue voters also, but I don't think I have heard the N-word by anyone under 40, over 50, yea I hear it once in a while.
A couple of points. Not that I want to let Christians off the hook, but I would have to say that most voters are ignoran of what their leaders are doing. We probably don't see it as much because most of us are interested in politics and hang out with similar people. Based on some of the conversations I have with co-workers, there are many ignorant voters all across the political spectrum.
I am sure that there are plenty of racist Christians, but I suspect that their racism has more to do with other things than with their Christianity. As we saw different Christian groups on both sides of the debate over slavery, the racists were able to "distort" the Bible into supporting their position.
"I am becoming more and more convinced that the conservative Christians are largely ill-informed about what their politicians are doing in their name..."
I wish I could completely agree with you but with the amount of news coverage pointedly accusing so many of their leaders and followers of blatant racism, if they really care at all, why not investigate and when finding evidence of it, eradicate it from their ranks instead of condoning it, or at least, apathetically looking the other way? We all would like to believe that there are no people this ignorant or self deluded "deep down", but if we are honest with ourselves, we have to see that their flock is out protesting a gay soldier's funeral or burning the Quran. When things like that happen, it isn't laughable or cute, it is an abomination on the reputation of Christianity and I don't see anyone of them disavowing those actions publicly as I would have imagined that anyone with a sense of right and wrong would have.
Arizona, welcome to the blog. I hope you will return.
I think my point is that the conservative evangelicals I know would never boycott a soldier's funeral and the existence of those radicals often gives them a sense of being moderate. Further, that belief that they are moderate or not extreme allows them to continue to vote for Republicans who are extreme.
But your point is well taken. I certainly have been astonished to see the things done in the name of Christianity--including torture and racism--that have been largely ignored or tolerated by mainstream Christian conservatives.
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