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Why is the right wing more religious?

Dan Mellis

Thorsredballs
It's interesting that monotheistic religions which preach left wing things like "loving thy neighbour" and the sanctity of life seem to find their home in right wing politics... could it be that life is only sacred until you don't agree with their choices.... surely not....

EDIT: This is an unfair generalisation, thanks for pointing that out. I now mean this only to apply to conservatism - of course it's possible to be a leftie religious person and I'm glad of it, we need more of that sort of thing.
 
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Dan Mellis

Thorsredballs
Right wing politics and Bible religions both require a closed mind.
However neither believe in or practice, love to all men. or indeed much else of what Jesus taught in the Gospels.

I think it also has to do with an inflated sense of self-importance... "I'm a 'good' christian... unlike those atheist devils down the street. Why should my tax subsidise their heathen ways?"

That's a massively simplified version of my opinion, and I doubt its conscious usually, but I reckon that's close to the root of it.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
It's interesting that monotheistic religions which preach left wing things like "loving thy neighbour" and the sanctity of life seem to find their home in right wing politics... could it be that life is only sacred until you don't agree with their choices.... surely not....

My theory is that paying lip service to religion makes people feel better about various aspects of the right wing. I.e. self interest and greed.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I'll save my lips for things that matter, like bananas with the peel still on them. :oops:

Not saying what i save my lips for ;-) but banana peel is ok for keeping the fruit fresh but a bugger to eat
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
It's interesting that monotheistic religions which preach left wing things like "loving thy neighbour" and the sanctity of life seem to find their home in right wing politics... could it be that life is only sacred until you don't agree with their choices.... surely not....

I'm not sure if they're right wing because they're more religious or if they're more religious because they're right wing.
 

Enoch07

It's all a sick freaking joke.
Premium Member
It's interesting that monotheistic religions which preach left wing things like "loving thy neighbour" and the sanctity of life seem to find their home in right wing politics... could it be that life is only sacred until you don't agree with their choices.... surely not....

Plenty of left wing religious folk.

Islam
Pagans
Wiccans
Christian's
Buddhist
Jewish

I think that covers the most common but in sure there is plenty more I left out.
 

qaz

Member
with regard to contemporary popular culture, especially american culture, yes. left wingers are usually richer and smarter, thus more familiar with contemporary education - and therefore also its honest skepticism.
as regards high culture, though, it's the other way around. to less deluded eyes, communitarianism (socialist or national-socialist) and superstition easily overlap, either from a metaphysical and an historical perspective. christianity for example has been both a mass movement aiming to social redemption, and an irrationalistic "philosophy", introducing into the west the ideas of faith and dogma.
marginally, there has been in europe the exception of some romanticists "out of season", like the late xix and xx century irrationalists, who were right winged and religious.
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Right wing politics and Bible religions both require a closed mind.
However neither believe in or practice, love to all men. or indeed much else of what Jesus taught in the Gospels.
Right wing versions of sanctity of life leave out all compassion and reality.

Well, I'm not friend of the Christian faith but even I'd spot an over-generalization or a caricature when I see one. :D

Despite what people think even the most extreme right winger completely understands the position of opposing views they just don't like 'em. Unfortunately, I can't say the same the other way around -- often these straw-men are the only things the liberals know about their opposition. The reality is there is a lot of nuance and variation on the side of the right end of politics, especially since there is no one demanding conformity of beliefs on that side of the spectrum; whereas, leftists will typically "eat their own" in an attempt to seem much more progressive or bully others into more progressive positions.
 

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
Well, I'm not friend of the Christian faith but even I'd spot an over-generalization or a caricature when I see one. :D

Despite what people think even the most extreme right winger completely understands the position of opposing views they just don't like 'em. Unfortunately, I can't say the same the other way around -- often these straw-men are the only things the liberals know about their opposition. The reality is there is a lot of nuance and variation on the side of the right end of politics, especially since there is no one demanding conformity of beliefs on that side of the spectrum; whereas, leftists will typically "eat their own" in an attempt to seem much more progressive or bully others into more progressive positions.

I am sure both left and right understand each others positions and arguments very well indeed.
Both do their best to enshrine their own positions into the law of the land at every opportunity.
Enforcing such laws is hardly bullying.
Of course there are nuances in peoples positions. but the necessary compromises applied in turning Ideas in to laws,
ensure that virtually all nuances are removed, in the name of certainty.
This is the way Law works.

Discussions like these "on Generalities" necessarily use and encompass "generalities"
 

Dan Mellis

Thorsredballs
Plenty of left wing religious folk.

Islam
Pagans
Wiccans
Christian's
Buddhist
Jewish

I think that covers the most common but in sure there is plenty more I left out.

I've made a mistake here. I maybe should clarify - I mean my criticism to be of right-wing conservatism rather than of religion as a whole.
 

Dan Mellis

Thorsredballs
I am sure both left and right understand each others positions and arguments very well indeed.
Both do their best to enshrine their own positions into the law of the land at every opportunity.
Enforcing such laws is hardly bullying.
Of course there are nuances in peoples positions. but the necessary compromises applied in turning Ideas in to laws,
ensure that virtually all nuances are removed, in the name of certainty.
This is the way Law works.

Discussions like these "on Generalities" necessarily use and encompass "generalities"
Well, I'm not friend of the Christian faith but even I'd spot an over-generalization or a caricature when I see one. :D

Despite what people think even the most extreme right winger completely understands the position of opposing views they just don't like 'em. Unfortunately, I can't say the same the other way around -- often these straw-men are the only things the liberals know about their opposition. The reality is there is a lot of nuance and variation on the side of the right end of politics, especially since there is no one demanding conformity of beliefs on that side of the spectrum; whereas, leftists will typically "eat their own" in an attempt to seem much more progressive or bully others into more progressive positions.

I'm going to clarify my OP :) I accept that I have over-generalised and have changed my view.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
Right wing politics and Bible religions both require a closed mind.
However neither believe in or practice, love to all men. or indeed much else of what Jesus taught in the Gospels.
Right wing versions of sanctity of life leave out all compassion and reality.

The commandment to love your neighbor was only if your neighbor was also Jewish.
 

Erebus

Well-Known Member
I've made a mistake here. I maybe should clarify - I mean my criticism to be of right-wing conservatism rather than of religion as a whole.

If we're talking about conservatives rather than the right as a whole, it generally boils down to traditionalism and a desire to preserve what they see as cultural values. In the West, that typically means the focus is on Christianity as that's been the dominant religion for a long time and still informs the values and morals of a large chunk of the population.

At it's most basic, the difference between conservatives and progressives is that conservatives tend to idealise the past and progressives tend to idealise the future. A common complaint among conservatives is the degradation of traditional values. Progressives on the other hand tend to argue that it's those traditional values that are causing problems.

This is of course a very general rule of thumb and not intended as a description of every conservative, progressive or Christian.

I've also tried my best to keep this as neutral as possible which usually means upsetting everybody!
 

wellwisher

Well-Known Member
A Conservative, or someone on the right, tends to favor time proven traditions. Conservation land is land that is preserved in its natural state. The major Religions, the nuclear family and the traditional roles of men and women are among those time proven traditions that are being conserved. These have been common to most humans for thousands of years.

Progressives are more faddish. They are not content with what has worked for centuries. Instead they prefer the latest fad, even if unproven.

Those on the right have a more confident sense of self, due to Conservative values having more data support, due to its longevity. Progressives tend to over compensate; loud and radial. This is needed to overcome the inner doubt connected to the smaller data support of novel and faddish beliefs.

The concept of fluid gender identity is less than ten years old. Whereas, male and female, period, is thousands of years old. It is easy to be confident in thousands of years of data, than a decade of data.

Big Government is more important for the left, since Big Government can be used like a hammer to force fads down everyone's throat, even if there is little in the way of long term data support. Small Government and freedom is more for those on the right, who have the benefit of long term common sense and data, that works today and tomorrow.
 
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