In the book Left Hand of God, Rabbi Michael Lerner revealed that Reaganomics facilitated a pervasive atmosphere of, "what is in it for me?" The question to ask yourself in any work relationship was, "How financially profitable can another person be to me?" Individuals realized that employers felt the same way about them. You were only valuable to the extent you make money for the employer.
Lerner discovered that this attitude transferred to non-work settings as well. Personal relationships were also being based on the question, "What is in it for me?"
This pervasive atmosphere created a spiritual crisis. Individuals felt like they were cogs in a machine rather than contributing to the greater good of humankind.
Individuals could not put their finger on it but something was very wrong. Something was eroding the values of society.
Some of these troubled individuals found their way into rapidly growing evangelical and fundamentalist Christian congregations. These congregations recognized the yearning for genuine fellowship and provided it. Some congregations built huge community-center buildings with social and athletic activities encouraging people to come back on weeknights and Saturdays. Soon, individuals were insolated within a "church community."
And on Sundays their ears would perk up when preachers would say, "There is something terribly wrong with our society."
Yes! I can feel it, too!
"Would you like to know who is causing the problems in our society?"
Yes, please tell me so we can make it better.
The cause of all our problems is (fill in the blank). Choose from any or all of the following list: abortion, gay marriage, activist judges, flag burning, illegal immigrants who steal your jobs, and those damned Muslim terrorists. They all are trying to destroy our way of life!"
Evangelical preachers have been successful in diverting attention away from the economic policies that caused the spiritual crisis.
And when these troubled individuals turned to the political arena, Republican politicians echoed these themes.
Georgia Republican Gary Bauer told the New York Times, "Joe Six-Pack doesn't understand why the world and his culture is changing and why he doesn't have a say in it."
Even people who did not discover these Christian congregations found that Republicans were articulating what they knew at a deep level, "Something is wrong with society and we're the ones who can fix it."
But when these individuals turned to Democratic candidates during the last 25 years they heard themes like these:
"We need to make reparations for all the things we have done wrong. Our ancestors perpetrated genocide, slavery, racism, and sexism. The middle class may be hurting. But the poor are suffering even more.
"There is no spiritual crisis in America . This ‘crisis' is a trick by conservative Christians seeking to erode the separation between church and state."
It was not an attractive message if you happened to be white male.
Hey, its not my fault! Go talk to my great-grandfather about reparations!
Meanwhile, evangelical Christians had a different message:
"Regardless of what you have done (or not done), you can be made whole again. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and all your sins will be wiped clean."
So, evangelical Christians helped convince many individuals that all they needed to do was to vote for Republican candidates and everything would be better.
To be a good RepubliChristian, you need to vote for all the Republican candidates in each election. Then you go home (or to church) and not pay attention to what is happening in our nation's congress, state legislature, county council, city council, or local school board. Totally trust that your elected officials are voting in your best interest and according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
