Sheilaism

[Just Saying]

Sheilaism became synonymous with the view -- held by 80 percent of Americans at the time, according to a Gallup poll -- that "an individual should arrive at his or her own religious beliefs independent of any churches or synagogues." Even many of the people who do show up in the pews, Bellah said, "are Sheilaists who feel that religion is essentially a private matter and that there is no particular constraint on them placed by the historic church, or even by the Bible and the tradition." So at the same moment when fundamentalist leaders allied with Reaganauts were transforming right-wing positions on social issues into matters of religious doctrine, an overwhelming majority of Americans in fact felt that choosing what to believe or not believe about God -- and also, arguably, about God's political views -- was legitimately a matter of individual personal freedom.

Sheilaism, in other words, was a political threat, a challenge to power that the right reframed as a challenge to religion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/reaganism-capitalism-and-_b_3704958.html

Is it any wonder Republicans think there's a war on Christianity? When we oppose them politically, they see it as an attack on their religious beliefs.

[monmouth3]

1. As a Sheila in real life, I approve this message..LOL..n/t

[RockaFowler]

2. As another Sheila - I concur!!

[ladyVet]

3. Third time's the charm!

Weird, the thing that gets me to log in after so many years.

[Just Saying]

4. I suspect that poll done now would have similar results to the one in the article

With most Americans as Sheilas. But I thought the article brought up the interesting suggestion that the GOP in the 80s successfully wrapped social issues in religion and convinced their party that attacks on their platform were attacks against God. They don't just disagree with us, but think we're wrong to the level of sinful and that God is somehow on their side.

More from the link:

The transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top, a hallmark of Reagan economic policy, was cloaked in moral terms, a righteous restoration of the rugged risk-taker's rewards, while the poor and vulnerable among us -- far from being people the community have a responsibility to care for -- were rebranded as loafers and takers unworthy of compassion or concern. Before long, defending the country from a phony war on Christmas became the cover for waging a real war on government.