Giving Up On God: Armband Religion is killing the GOP

Conservative writer, Kathleen Parker from the Washington Post, joins the postmortem discussions on what exactly has happened to the GOP and why  supporters seem to be leaving the party in droves.  In her recent column, Giving Up on God, Ms Parker opines that in order to survive as a viable political party, the Republicans are going to have to address the “Gorilla in the pulpit”, aka the evangelical wing of the party. She makes the case that demographics, religious diversity and the changing nature of our national culture is leaving the GOP behind.   The Republicans are going to need a new base or the nation may need a new party.The column is witty and insightful. The link is worth a click and a read.  Here are a few snips of Parker’s piece:

As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit. Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D. I’m bathing in holy water as I type.

To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

Suffice it to say, the Republican Party is largely comprised of white, married Christians. Anyone watching the two conventions last summer can’t have missed the stark differences: One party was brimming with energy, youth and diversity; the other felt like an annual Depends sales meeting.

But, like it or not, we are a diverse nation, no longer predominantly white and Christian. The change Barack Obama promised has already occurred, which is why he won.   More


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