If you need further proof that the religious right in America has trashed the reputation of Christianity for an entire generation, check out this new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: “Nones” –– that is, people who are open to the idea of God but claim no religious affiliation –– have doubled in number during the last twenty years to 19.6 % of the population. They now tie white evangelicals in demographic size and are the second biggest “religious” group in the country.
I say, “Amen, brothers and sisters.” It’s no wonder that so many otherwise smart, spiritual, compassionate people are embarrassed to call themselves Christian. The stands taken by politically active right-wing Christians –– anti-reproductive rights, anti-gay rights, anti-science, intolerance for other faiths –– seem not only ignorant but mean-spirited. My one caveat to believers and non-believers alike is: Don’t blame Jesus Christ for the sorry state of public Christianity. His teachings have always been radically different than what you’ll find enshrined in the Republican Party platform.
I can remember thinking a couple decades ago, when the “religious right” became a powerful political force, that they’d come to rue it. Cast your mind back to the movies and TV shows of the 30s to the 60s: when a character was a priest or preacher, the audience automatically assumed they were selfless, giving, non-judgmental, and sympathetic. Today, you assume they are the villain — venal, narrow-minded, political. A whole generation has grown up under this paradigm.