Selective Morality

Ever since the Republicans blind-sided half the country with their supposed moral mandate in the 2004 presidential election, I've been wondering how they were going to continue to claim the moral high-ground by ostracizing those who support gay lifestyles and abortion while continuing to ignore other important moral issues such as aid to the poor, civil rights and the U.S. health care crisis.

But then I heard an interview with author Rick Warren who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life", which, despite its lack of coverage in the mainstream media, has sold over twenty million copies. It's a big seller at Wal*Mart.

During the interview, Warren conveniently divided morality into two camps: Social Morality, which includes things like aid to the poor, civil rights and health care which Liberals tend to support; and Personal Morality, which includes things like opposition to gay marriage (i.e. those who support traditional marriage) and opposition to abortion that conservatives tend to support.

We all on the same page now? Social Morality for liberals and Personal Morality for conservatives. Divide and Conquer; a purpose-driven strategy for evangelical conservatism in the 21st Century.

Now, who's up for a good 'ole traditional book burning?