Progressives often marvel at how
focused, coordinated and aggressive our conservative opposition is. They
seem to fall into lockstep and march, building large organizations and
executing complex strategies with an astonishing rate of success. We may
be smarter, better educated and more reality-based -- but they seem to
have a cohesion and a discipline that eludes us. What's going on here?
There are a lot of answers to that
question. But I'd suggest that some intriguing answers might come from a
close study of conservative religious paradigms, which play an
essential role in giving conservatives a unique kind of emotional and
social durability.
Conservative faiths -- particularly
evangelical Protestantism, but orthodox Catholicism and Judaism also
include similar teachings -- inculcate
a worldview that equips people with extra tools to work with in face of
large-scale change. The same qualities that lead non-believers to
deride faith as a crutch also give believers very real psychological
support in turbulent times -- the kind of sure footing that makes
organizing for political and social change easier, more effective, and
more gratifying for those who are operating off this sturdy base.
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