One would have to be ” blinded by the light,” not to recognize that on average most self-proclaimed Fundamental Christians are dogmatic and conservative.?There is a strong body of research surrounding this phenomenon inspecting the connections between vigorous religious convictions and cognitive personality attributes.?This body of research has shown that strongly religious people are intolerant of perceived out-groups, authoritarian, ?and bellicose.
What is Authoritarianism?
“Authoritarianism is something authoritarian followers and authoritarian leaders cook up between themselves. It happens when the followers submit too much to the leaders, trust them too much, and give them too much leeway to do whatever they want–which often is something undemocratic, tyrannical and brutal. In my day, authoritarian fascist and authoritarian communist dictatorships posed the biggest threats to democracies, and eventually lost to them in wars both hot and cold. But authoritarianism itself has not disappeared, and I,m going to present the case in this book that the greatest threat to American democracy today arises from a militant authoritarianism that has become a cancer upon the nation.”[Bob Altemeyer]
Do you remember back in grade school when the teacher would leave the room and before she did she would ask who wants to take names? I remember hands going up left and right. These type of people want to be a tyrant for just once in their lives. In a democracy, the only way we allow for tyrants is if we allow them. Moreover, if we follow them. Right Wing Authoritarian Followers—Is a condition in the human mind. This condition has been around as long as man himself. The authoritarian follower conforms to the perceived norms of the authority who has him or her under their control.
If you have been a person staying abreast of these issues or just learning of them now, these people are real as real can get.
“Liberals have stereotypes about conservatives, and Conservatives have stereotypes about liberals. Moderates have stereotypes about both.Anyone who has watched or been a liberal arguing with a conservative (or vice-versa)knows that opinion and rhetoric can be had a penny a pound.”
“So a right-wing authoritarian follower doesn’t necessarily have. Conservative political views. Instead, he’s someone who readily submits to the established authorities in society, attacks others in their name and is highly conventional. It’s an aspect of his personality, not a description of his politics. Right-wing authoritarianism is a personality trait, like being characteristically bashful or happy or grumpy or dopey.” [Bob Altemeyer]
I think it fair to say the War Protester Hippies were right in their ?protest, and their positions were held valid as well. The collective human voice made a difference. ?The Nixon Crowd [Authoritarians] were calling these people radical protesters a bunch of “loud mouths” showing their ignorance. The Ted Cruz Crowd [Tea Party] would have woman promise to obey their husband at the altar. Our country needs Ted Cruz, this mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy every sinful and liberal viewpoint which is ruining America. I can hear it already.
Ted Cruz, Gays, and Lesbians are just as healthy and moral as anybody else!
There is a never-ending search for the ” Holy Grail.” When do you follow man’s law or GOD’S Law? How do you contain the noisy rabble-rousers who are trying to create doubt in people’s minds? I can tell you this Atheist and others who have rebelled against organized religion are no doubt every bit as good virtuous as those who attend church regularly.
In closing, when put to study the only way this country can get through some of this drama brought on by the haphazard Republicans is not to do the Authoritarian Follower Way, which revisits the traditional bombs-away mentality; and, more importantly, tries to silence the troublemakers telling WE THE PEOPLE what a BAD idea this return would be for America. Yes, the ” Fundamentalist Authoritarians Define Religion Today,” and the reason Americans are leaving organized Christendom in droves.
