Conservatives won't abandon Walker because most religious conservatives are pro-hypocrisy

[MatthewG.]

Regarding the Walker story, it’s important not to make the mistake of believing that religious conservatives consider hypocrisy bad.

Many religious conservatives consider hypocrisy to be a ‘good’ thing. From their perspective, morality is absolute and unchanging, though not everyone can live up to that absolute standard, and it’s better to preach a moral standard one can’t live up to - or doesn’t even try to live up to - than to promote a “false” or “relativist” standard.

One conservative writer - I forget which - even said (paraphrase) “hypocrisy is a liberal sin, but it’s not one of ours.” Heck, nearly all conservatives flat out said they would have voted for Roy Moore even if they knew for an absolute fact that all allegations of pedophilia made against him were true. Why? Because they’ll say he promoted a “godly” agenda even if he was unable to live by one.

It’s largely pointless to demand that religious conservatives judge their candidates on the basis that their actions conflict with their professed morality, although some independents may be reachable on this sort of thing.

[thucythucy]

1. This despite the fact that Jesus was quite outspoken

in his condemnation of hypocrites.

[MatthewG.]

2. Good point.

Huh, good point. I wasn’t raised Christian (though I’ve read the Gospels) and I recall Jesus condemned a lot of behavior the religious right promotes, like making a show of praying in public.

[jimfields33]

10. They want the Senate! He's a vote for them that's all that matters to them.

Maybe if this came out last year, they pick somebody else. But it’s way too late now.

[Thunderbeast]

3. Modern evangelism has little to do with the teachings of their "savior".

It has everything to do with greed and bigotry.

Damn! When is that RAPTURE coming?

I can't wait for them to go!

[MatthewG.]

4. Yeah, religions change.

All religions change over time, often radically, but Christianity’s transformation into a cult of laissez-fairs capitalism and nationalist power in the United States is definitely one of the more unusual and ironic.

[sanatanadharma]

6. The Rapture came and went, no one was taken, ...

... we are stuck with them.

[maxsolomon]

5. Cons point out Liberal Hypocrisy non-fucking-stop.

They rationalized *'s Sociopathy by comparing him to King Cyrus who freed the Jews from bondage in Persia - an ungodly man who God works through.

It makes me .

[Cognitive_Resonance]

7. There's an engrained willingness to embrace an "ends justifies the means" approach when convenient

to their obsessive need to feel like they're prevailing. In their twisted worldview/belief system they have exclusive truth, are serving the will of their deity, and can cite numerous examples from their holy book of that deity using flawed and even evil people to achieve its will (whatever that is at the moment). There's always the forgiveness card, selectively played of course when needed. On and on and on.

[MatthewG.]

9. Exactly. You can't shame a group that doesn't value its own standards.

Exactly right. It’s pointless to shame religious conservatives for hypocrisy when they don’t consider it especially important for they themselves to abide by their own standards.

We should actually explicitly presuppose this when discussing conservative scandals. The framing should be:

“Everyone knows conservative Republicans don’t feel themselves bound by the standards they demand others live by, but if you’re an independent, is this really a value system you can endorse?”

[keep_left]

8. The "doctrine of cheap grace", favored by many nondenominational fundamentalists.

Just say the Sinner's Prayer and you're saved. It's like the "get out of jail" card in the old game Monopoly. "Cheap grace" is frowned upon by more mainline Christians, especially Catholics, but that has done nothing to decrease its popularity, especially in the USA. There's even a version of it for people like Newt Gingrich who converted to radtrad Catholicism after decades of busting up their marriages with affairs and other reprobate behavior: they have been "made anew" by joining the One True Church (presumably through the Sacraments, particularly Confession).

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217209819#post63
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cost_of_Discipleship

[Demovictory9]

11. We are really only vying for independents

[MatthewG.]

13. Quite true

This is true.

We should consider this when discussing conservative scandals. The framing should be:

“Everyone knows conservative Republicans don’t feel themselves bound by the standards they demand others live by, but if you’re an independent, is this really a value system you can endorse?”

[treestar]

12. this seems kind of voluntary though

paying for an abortion is voluntary and an affirmative act, not just failing to resist temptation.

[MatthewG.]

15. That's a level of subtlety religious conservatives will simply ignore.

You’re not wrong, but religious conservatives won’t care. It’s all “sin”, but none of it matters when they do it, so long as they publicly condemn it.

[LenaBaby61]

14. You mean .....

They're "pro fetus murdering" for themselves when it's convenient, but when a little girl gets impregnated by her own disgusting Father or when a woman is impregnated during a RAPE, both the lady and little girl "MUST have that baby, or they're precious fetus murderers condemned to hell."

Imagine that, a fetus murder calling a victim of impregnation via rape/incest a fetus murderer

I can't with these Reich-winged hypocritical LIARS and fetus murderers

[MatthewG.]

16. That's conservative morality for you.

Religious Conservative morality isn’t about living by standards one preaches, it’s about using the state to promote the laws one wants.