18+ General Discussion Forum

Much of the great divide is over religious and moral values. We have experienced huge social changes over the past 50 years or so. Some people aren't so happy about them.

I think you are right, Zig, in your post where you cited Roe v Wade as a turning point. It was probably the biggest impetus for Christian conservatives to organize politically. Meanwhile, society keeps changing for the worse from their point of view. Women's and gay rights go against the Bible, in the opinion of those at the far end of the spectrum. The removal of religion( ie Christianity) from the public sphere is another slap in the face. Evolution is a dirty word.

Meanwhile another segment of society is organized around strong moral convictions of an entirely different nature. They believe the rights of individuals to control their own bodies and participate fully in society as self evident. With homosexuality no longer considered a disease and gays coming out at work, in religious communites, and government, many people have come to think of this condition as a normal variation in the human population, rather than a sin. Although this side of the divide includes many religious people, the majority of whom are Christian, they tend to believe in there being many paths to the mountain top. They don't see religious affiliation as a requirement for salvation. They make a sharp distinctions between religion and science.

The result is that one person's erosion of family values is another person's family; one person's murder is another person's personal choice; one person's science is another person's superstition; and one person's attack on religion is another person's religious freedom. It's hard to find the middle ground here.

Marcia


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