Deliver us all from THEIR temptation... (A theory about Fundie mentality)

[elfwitch]

This quote encompasses a thought I have been having for quite some time. Have you ever noticed how often the conservatives/Republicans/religious right try to legislate morality or try to restrict things that consenting adults do in their own private lives? Everything from restricting an adult's ability to buy sex toys to forcing "Creation Science" in to the classrooms.

So here is my thought... Maybe what they are trying to do is create laws to keep themselves from having to take responsibility for their own temptations and failings. they create unreasonable, let's say, marijuana laws because they are afraid that if the laws weren't in place they might over-use or abuse it? They ban or censor porn or erotica or sex related items because they have some sort of addiction or obsession with it. They want to ban gay marriage because they have an unnatural fascination with all things gay.

Basically their guilt about wanting to do things they are told are wrong (sex, drugs, rock-n-roll) forces them to want to create laws to keep everybody from doing the things they themselves want to do. Instead of leaving the decision up to all individuals about whether they want to look at porn or smoke a joint or read a comic book or watch a TV show or whatever... because they cannot resist such things themselves - they take away your right to make that decision for yourself.

Am I crazy or am I on to something?

[hunter]

1. Exactly...

They want to ban the "forbidden fruit."

[elfwitch]

5. It seems that way to me too...

They can't resist whatever temptation they have been convinced is evil (porn, alcohol, weed, music) so they make it impossible or illegal for anyone to have access to it.

Is this a failing of the person (mental/chemical imbalance) or is it a failing of their "moral" upbringing (their church/political affiliation)?

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. As though that will save them. If they really want to sin, they will sin.

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. I've always felt that those gay-bashing repugs...

were closet cases themselves, they are just too afraid to admit it (Especially Asscroft). They definitely project their own fears off on others

[SonofMass]

3. It's brought on by a fierce addiction to Old Time music.

[salinen]

4. Do you ever get tired of being aware?

Linking sex with sin is the key to domination. When I think about girly bits, Jesus will be angry. But I cannot stop thinking about girly bits, and I know Jesus is hearing and seeing my horrible fantasies.........aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[elfwitch]

6. Man do I ever get tired...

I hate being able to put this kind of stuff together. Once I'd like to be right about something cool like winning a million dollars or scoring the dream job of my life by being at the right place at the right time.

[Th1onein]

7. I agree and I disagree.....

Yes, they want to do it, but can't because of their religion, BUT they are jealous of the rest of us being able to do it, because we don't subscribe to the same religious precepts. That's why they are always trying to "save our souls."

[elfwitch]

9. Why can't they understand that some of us...

don't want to be SAVED by THEM? Do they really think they are better judges of what is good for me than I am? Do they really think I need to be saved from myself?

the part that irks me the MOST is when you see these types of people on their little "Moral Crusades" to save all us sinners from ourselves and then they turn out to be drug addicts or child pornographers or WORSE!

[hunter]

12. Moral Crusader Bill Bennet comes to mind...

Remember when he was all over television telling everyone how to live?

So what was he doing when he wasn't writing or pontificating on television? Oh yeah, he was gambling all his money away and ogling the cocktail waitresses as they poured unlimited drinks and junk food down his gluttonous throat.

[ChickMagic]

8. A lot of fundies already do those things

I think that the reason they want to ban it is to appear righteous, but in their own private lives there's all sorts of debauchery. Same old thing - hypocrisy.

[ihaveaquestion]

10. It's basic human psychology

that people are afraid of what they are familiar with or can imagine. You can't be afraid of something you can't conceive of. So it stands to reason that these are the things that repugs see as evil in themselves. The same reasoning is used in religion. The baser instincts are the things all religions seek to address/repress, i.e. the racism, hatred and violent urges we all experience in varying degrees.

Therefore, when the fundies seek to repress sexual promiscuity, porn or drugs, these are the urges they are seeing in themselves.

[HallowsEve]

11. INTERESTING theory....

What about the control factor? Control for the sake of control which in turn develops a culture who is USED to being controlled. Self-discipline, REQUIRED if all of these things if legalized AND de-stigmatized, is not a desireable trait if you are controlling a populace...kind of like that Falun Gong thing in China. There is a difference between UNDERSTANDING why one should avoid or moderate exposure to a thing and FEAR of that thing (or a punishing authority). A thinking and discerning populace is also undesirable if you are trying to control that populace.

And, heck, if people smoked marijuana, they might not be as interested in the average 60-70 hour work week (40 my ASS) needed in order to be an economic and military superpower. They might not be interested in being a superpower at all.

10~31 ~O~

[LittleApple81]

13. SANTORUM is one of those... but then he wants to force everybody

else to be delivered too... what a jerk.

[elfwitch]

14. that is exactly it...

I find that especailly the "born again" ones tend to be bigger jerks on the second time around.

[knitter4democracy]

16. I think it's more that

they want to keep their children from doing it, not so much a fear for themselves. Many can control themselves (almost entirely by avoidance), but they know, deep down, that they cannot control their children. They really do think that those things are sin, and they are worried that they'll lose their children to sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (among other things, most notably the "gay agenda," whatever that means). If they lose their children to sin like that, it means that their children are turning their backs on God and going to Hell. They don't want to take away their right to make a decision but their children's rights.

As Guy Dowd, an evangelical preacher said, "There's no such thing as a second-generation Christian." Each person has to choose the faith for him or herself or choose to walk away from it. The idea of losing their children from their version of Christianity keeps many of these people up at night. That's why they're so pushy--they tell themselves that they don't want anyone they know to burn in Hell, so they'll do almost anything to convince you to choose their version of Christianity.

Thankfully, there are other versions of Christianity out there for those of us who can't take their cant, and thankfully, we can avoid them if we work at it. ;)