What we’re seeing today in these attempts to regulate women’s behavior is a simple extension of religious fundamentalism and patriarchy that goes back as far as ancient Samaria...
Jesus said " Love thy neighbor as thyself." He said nothing about abortion. We have millions of unwanted kids in foster care and living on the streets. This is a personal health issue.
The answer would be yes as much of Christianity is based upon guilt regarding sex and pent up frustration against non-compliant women. It should be duly noted that Joe Biden was in favor of The Hyde Amendment for decades, perhaps one of the most misogynistic and racist policies in our history, denying government funds for women's reproductive services related to abortion and contraception. He only withdrew his support for his 2020 presidential run. Barack Obama meanwhile promised to pass the Freedom of Choice act when running for president in 2007, even standing in front of Planned Parenthood workers and telling them is was his highest legislative priority. But two years later, instead of codifying Roe into law with a supermajority, he said “I believe that women should have the right to choose. But I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on.” The most important thing he could have done was to do as he promised. But then again, the lies and equivocating of the Democrats allow the Republicans to do their worst. We do indeed have short memories.
Jesus had his longest conversation in the Bible with the Samaritan Woman at the Well. She, who Jesus knew had 5 husbands and the man she was living with was not a husband, was not judged by Jesus and was the messenger to thousands of Samaritans. Jesus did not 'condemn' the alleged woman adulterer; he didn't even judge her. Jesus just said, "Go and sin (def: to miss the mark) no more." Jesus condemned Pharisees who refused to support widows. Fast forward to the book of 'Revelation' written at least 90+ years after Jesus' death. Not written by anyone other that some dude in the ORTHODOX church. Ch. 7, Ch.14 speak of the 144,000 men from the tribes of Israel who will be in the Kingdom as virginal men 'undefiled by women' (a/k/a mysogynists). Ch. 17 refers to Rome (probably) as the 'Great Prostitute' and says all sorts of horrible stuff about her. My point is, all of these 'religions' are horribly mysogynistic and have been since around 30 CE. Paul, in his letters actually respected women and spoke very highly of them as co-founders of 'The Way' (see Philippians). Paul was crucified, along with Peter, by Nero; so much for liking women. Abortion is an extremely private, agonizing decision that should be made between a qualified medical provider and the woman. All Jesus ever wanted was for women to be healthy and free from oppression.
"“The sexual revolution ushered in a world where an individual is ‘an autonomous blob of Silly Putty unconstrained by nature or biology’ and where ‘marriage, sexuality, gender identity and even the unborn child must yield to the erotic desires of liberated adults.’”"
Spoken by a man whose mother beat him when she caught him masturbating as a child.
This guy is a toxic combination of sexual priggishness and misogyny, as are all the bible-thumping men who espouse the "barefoot and pregnant" ideology of the GOP.
A judge's job is to interpret the law, but they also think they can determine morality and sexual identity.
Never mind kids' books. Let's get rid of all the religious books.
Naturally if they can get away with their current efforts the "long game" won't stop there. I expect another next planned target is overturning Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control. Perhaps also on the agenda is reversing Loving v. Virginia, which allowed interracial marriages, though that would be harder to justify. But first on this hit parade is Dobbs v. Jackson. Gay marriage? This bunch will gladly line up with Putin against it.
"I know several “pro-life” people who contribute to or volunteer for adoption programs, show up to help with births, or raise money to buy diapers and baby food for low-income women. Others work to fund birth control programs and push for legislation making both sex education and contraception more widely available."
Sorry, if they are "pro-life," they are anti-woman because they mostly support efforts to take bodily integrity from women. This reminds me of the quote: "As Camara put it "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." Supporting controls on women's bodies, while giving a nod to contraception and sex education, is the same to me - feeding the poor and ignoring the large issue.
RE: "Although most of the high-profile leaders, fundraisers, politicians, litigators, and power brokers in the forced birth movement have been and continue to be men, this lust for domination is more about wielding religious power than it is about the gender of the people running it."
As John Dean has documented, the GQP is dominated by individuals with one of the three authoritarian personality types: follower, social dominator, double high. This authoritarian personality is represented by authoritarian Christianism, which you have documented in detail above, and authoritarian white supremacy.
As authoritarians, these two groups share the core value of punishing those not like them. They both share a social hierarchy and use severe punishment to maintain their imaginary ranking of inequality.
At the top of their hierarchy is a ‘male’ God, followed by white, heterosexual, homophobic, racist, misogynist, wealthy men, followed by those who rank lower and lower based on how far they stray from the 'ideal' of those at the top.
In defense of women's autonomy and personal dignity we should propose laws mandating castration for any man who is convicted of rape or incest or sex with a minor. This may sound extreme but it at least requires due process legalities before government action.
Many of them , hate filled, and eager to punish anyone that doesn’t follow their rules.
Take Ron De santis , who
cannot just insist everyone do his bidding, without also punishing them w jail and loss of their teaching licenses.
This is beyond believable, that in this year , 2023 people are forced to bend to the will of a sadistic, twisted leader who hides
behind an ‘Authoritarians
Right’ to insist people do his bidding.
Wait, and he’s running for president .
Against yet another sadist, Donald J Trump, who authorized the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans through his misunderstanding of Covid( or perhaps his understanding of Covid) the point was the thirst for power.
This ushered in a certain acceptability of hateful meanness.
Which has penetrated the GOP Maga’s.
The Democrats are said to ‘not know how to use power’.
It seems like every religion I have studied of the years includes authoritarian narcissistic dictators who presume to speak for the gods. They torture and even murder of women for various transgressions/sins. That seems like a means for brutal high priests to discourage other women from stepping out of line - the line being not content to be baby factories, housekeepers, and nannies. In the 60s we called that women's lib.
Males such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are borderline frustrated incel reactionaries who strut machismo to reassure their own masculinity. So often their stories include brazen rejection of their affection or having to work "under" a female boss/supervisor. Aside from hatefulness, there also seems to be a need to have the loudest pickup and Harley on the block - and of course - lots of loud guns.
The creators of the U.S. Constitution knew the dangers of mixing religion with the government and were students of history (Crusades, Hundred Years War, Spanish Inquisition, etc.). Our right wing government opposes Muslim extremists but actively supports Zionist and right wing pseudo Christians. Even in more modern times with the rise of Hitler as the leader of Germany, which required both the support of the 25 wealthiest men in Germany, and the active support of the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII. Without the profit minded elites and Catholic Church, Hitler could not have taken control of Germany.
There is the mistaken assumption that people are basically good and that religions are a force for good when history shows this is not true. Religion has been used to justify the taking of power by a few men who say they speak for god which should be a justification for putting them in a mental health facility and not in positions of power.
When it comes to these religious authorities, it's no more fear, just loathing. The harder they try, the more women will rebel and vote against them. And it's the YOUNG women that can do the most damage at the ballot box.
I'm sorry they have to fight for their right to have autonomy over their reproductive health, but it is a fact.
I honestly think this is a very stupid tactic on the part of the fanatics. When has keeping a drug out of someone's hands ever been successful? Watch the movie Call Jane if you have time.
There are three ways to raise a child. The right way, the wrong way and not at all. The right wingers go heavy on the wrong way. Heavy on negative reinforcement, criticizing, yelling, hitting, beating, belittling, bullying, scolding,...while lying and being a hypocrite in front of the child.
About the only pleasure sadists get in life is making other people's lives a living hell. You cannot reason with a gqp or a sadist. Biden, is blowing it. He needs to keep the military as far as possible away from control of the Republicans.
Mifepristone is so safe it ought to be repurposed. The entire problem would be circumvented if it was a 'reboot your cycle' medication. Menstrual cycle are often irregular and mifepristone, as a progesterone inhibitor, can be easily seen as a way to regulate them. No pregnancy test is needed—just a few days late, take a pill, and reboot. Just like you cellphone when it malfunctions.
Jesus said " Love thy neighbor as thyself." He said nothing about abortion. We have millions of unwanted kids in foster care and living on the streets. This is a personal health issue.
The answer would be yes as much of Christianity is based upon guilt regarding sex and pent up frustration against non-compliant women. It should be duly noted that Joe Biden was in favor of The Hyde Amendment for decades, perhaps one of the most misogynistic and racist policies in our history, denying government funds for women's reproductive services related to abortion and contraception. He only withdrew his support for his 2020 presidential run. Barack Obama meanwhile promised to pass the Freedom of Choice act when running for president in 2007, even standing in front of Planned Parenthood workers and telling them is was his highest legislative priority. But two years later, instead of codifying Roe into law with a supermajority, he said “I believe that women should have the right to choose. But I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on.” The most important thing he could have done was to do as he promised. But then again, the lies and equivocating of the Democrats allow the Republicans to do their worst. We do indeed have short memories.
Jesus had his longest conversation in the Bible with the Samaritan Woman at the Well. She, who Jesus knew had 5 husbands and the man she was living with was not a husband, was not judged by Jesus and was the messenger to thousands of Samaritans. Jesus did not 'condemn' the alleged woman adulterer; he didn't even judge her. Jesus just said, "Go and sin (def: to miss the mark) no more." Jesus condemned Pharisees who refused to support widows. Fast forward to the book of 'Revelation' written at least 90+ years after Jesus' death. Not written by anyone other that some dude in the ORTHODOX church. Ch. 7, Ch.14 speak of the 144,000 men from the tribes of Israel who will be in the Kingdom as virginal men 'undefiled by women' (a/k/a mysogynists). Ch. 17 refers to Rome (probably) as the 'Great Prostitute' and says all sorts of horrible stuff about her. My point is, all of these 'religions' are horribly mysogynistic and have been since around 30 CE. Paul, in his letters actually respected women and spoke very highly of them as co-founders of 'The Way' (see Philippians). Paul was crucified, along with Peter, by Nero; so much for liking women. Abortion is an extremely private, agonizing decision that should be made between a qualified medical provider and the woman. All Jesus ever wanted was for women to be healthy and free from oppression.
"“The sexual revolution ushered in a world where an individual is ‘an autonomous blob of Silly Putty unconstrained by nature or biology’ and where ‘marriage, sexuality, gender identity and even the unborn child must yield to the erotic desires of liberated adults.’”"
Spoken by a man whose mother beat him when she caught him masturbating as a child.
This guy is a toxic combination of sexual priggishness and misogyny, as are all the bible-thumping men who espouse the "barefoot and pregnant" ideology of the GOP.
A judge's job is to interpret the law, but they also think they can determine morality and sexual identity.
Never mind kids' books. Let's get rid of all the religious books.
Naturally if they can get away with their current efforts the "long game" won't stop there. I expect another next planned target is overturning Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control. Perhaps also on the agenda is reversing Loving v. Virginia, which allowed interracial marriages, though that would be harder to justify. But first on this hit parade is Dobbs v. Jackson. Gay marriage? This bunch will gladly line up with Putin against it.
Brilliant and extremely important observations! Thom -- you have the best words and the best insights!
"I know several “pro-life” people who contribute to or volunteer for adoption programs, show up to help with births, or raise money to buy diapers and baby food for low-income women. Others work to fund birth control programs and push for legislation making both sex education and contraception more widely available."
Sorry, if they are "pro-life," they are anti-woman because they mostly support efforts to take bodily integrity from women. This reminds me of the quote: "As Camara put it "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." Supporting controls on women's bodies, while giving a nod to contraception and sex education, is the same to me - feeding the poor and ignoring the large issue.
Authoritarian Core Beliefs
RE: "Although most of the high-profile leaders, fundraisers, politicians, litigators, and power brokers in the forced birth movement have been and continue to be men, this lust for domination is more about wielding religious power than it is about the gender of the people running it."
As John Dean has documented, the GQP is dominated by individuals with one of the three authoritarian personality types: follower, social dominator, double high. This authoritarian personality is represented by authoritarian Christianism, which you have documented in detail above, and authoritarian white supremacy.
As authoritarians, these two groups share the core value of punishing those not like them. They both share a social hierarchy and use severe punishment to maintain their imaginary ranking of inequality.
At the top of their hierarchy is a ‘male’ God, followed by white, heterosexual, homophobic, racist, misogynist, wealthy men, followed by those who rank lower and lower based on how far they stray from the 'ideal' of those at the top.
In defense of women's autonomy and personal dignity we should propose laws mandating castration for any man who is convicted of rape or incest or sex with a minor. This may sound extreme but it at least requires due process legalities before government action.
We are here , yet again.
The point is the cruelty.
The Republican Party is sadistic.
Many of them , hate filled, and eager to punish anyone that doesn’t follow their rules.
Take Ron De santis , who
cannot just insist everyone do his bidding, without also punishing them w jail and loss of their teaching licenses.
This is beyond believable, that in this year , 2023 people are forced to bend to the will of a sadistic, twisted leader who hides
behind an ‘Authoritarians
Right’ to insist people do his bidding.
Wait, and he’s running for president .
Against yet another sadist, Donald J Trump, who authorized the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans through his misunderstanding of Covid( or perhaps his understanding of Covid) the point was the thirst for power.
This ushered in a certain acceptability of hateful meanness.
Which has penetrated the GOP Maga’s.
The Democrats are said to ‘not know how to use power’.
They need to find out .
It seems like every religion I have studied of the years includes authoritarian narcissistic dictators who presume to speak for the gods. They torture and even murder of women for various transgressions/sins. That seems like a means for brutal high priests to discourage other women from stepping out of line - the line being not content to be baby factories, housekeepers, and nannies. In the 60s we called that women's lib.
Males such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are borderline frustrated incel reactionaries who strut machismo to reassure their own masculinity. So often their stories include brazen rejection of their affection or having to work "under" a female boss/supervisor. Aside from hatefulness, there also seems to be a need to have the loudest pickup and Harley on the block - and of course - lots of loud guns.
The creators of the U.S. Constitution knew the dangers of mixing religion with the government and were students of history (Crusades, Hundred Years War, Spanish Inquisition, etc.). Our right wing government opposes Muslim extremists but actively supports Zionist and right wing pseudo Christians. Even in more modern times with the rise of Hitler as the leader of Germany, which required both the support of the 25 wealthiest men in Germany, and the active support of the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII. Without the profit minded elites and Catholic Church, Hitler could not have taken control of Germany.
There is the mistaken assumption that people are basically good and that religions are a force for good when history shows this is not true. Religion has been used to justify the taking of power by a few men who say they speak for god which should be a justification for putting them in a mental health facility and not in positions of power.
When it comes to these religious authorities, it's no more fear, just loathing. The harder they try, the more women will rebel and vote against them. And it's the YOUNG women that can do the most damage at the ballot box.
I'm sorry they have to fight for their right to have autonomy over their reproductive health, but it is a fact.
I honestly think this is a very stupid tactic on the part of the fanatics. When has keeping a drug out of someone's hands ever been successful? Watch the movie Call Jane if you have time.
There are three ways to raise a child. The right way, the wrong way and not at all. The right wingers go heavy on the wrong way. Heavy on negative reinforcement, criticizing, yelling, hitting, beating, belittling, bullying, scolding,...while lying and being a hypocrite in front of the child.
About the only pleasure sadists get in life is making other people's lives a living hell. You cannot reason with a gqp or a sadist. Biden, is blowing it. He needs to keep the military as far as possible away from control of the Republicans.
Mifepristone is so safe it ought to be repurposed. The entire problem would be circumvented if it was a 'reboot your cycle' medication. Menstrual cycle are often irregular and mifepristone, as a progesterone inhibitor, can be easily seen as a way to regulate them. No pregnancy test is needed—just a few days late, take a pill, and reboot. Just like you cellphone when it malfunctions.
They're not anti-abortion..they're anti-sex without the consequences.