Harold Camping on his 700th birthday (AP)

Funny thing is, it wasn’t the first time he made a prediction of the end of the world.  Back in 1992 he predicted that the end would be on September 6, 1994.  When the big day came and went, he admitted he made a mistake but enough people still gave him money to keep his business afloat.

Not this time around …

The Contra Costa Times reported that the ministry has sold its prominent stations and laid off veteran staffers, with net assets dropping from $135 million in 2007 to $29.2 million in 2011, according to tax records.

The newspaper said Family Radio has sold its three largest radio stations, and saw its cash on hand drop from $1.5 million to $282,880 in 2011. Since the incorrect prediction, donations have dropped 70 percent, ministry insiders told the newspaper. Records indicate the network took out a loan to keep going.

My guess is that this guy has made enough of a fool of himself that people have finally written him off as the crackpot he is.  With the loss of his donations and the sale of his major stations, this spells the end of American Family Radio, and the career of someone who made it his life’s work telling people that God decided whether they were saved or condemned before time began.

That’s a damned shame.  I’m going to miss him so much.

I remember sitting next to a devout Christian woman during one of my last business trips, and we got to talking about the entire range of topics you’d normally expect when it came out that I wasn’t very religious (“… actually, I’m an atheist.  Are … are you taking out holy water?”).  We began with evolution, where she thanked me for explaining the difference between the colloquial and the scientific use of the word “theory”, and why it carries so much weight in the scientific community.  (She actually did ask me why there are still monkeys if we supposedly evolved from them.  No joke.)  We moved on to Big Bang cosmology, the Christian co-opting of Pagan holidays, biblical versus secular morality, and finally … evidence of God.

Her proof?

Well. 

A friend of hers was hosting a family picnic, and didn’t have the spare cash to buy all of the linens they needed for the event, including a new set of fancy washcloths. Blue ones, to be exact.  So, along with her regular prayers, she asked God if it could possibly be within His divine providence to allow her to come into possession of said washcloths. Well, wouldn’t you know, after several days of praying, a friend of hers came to her door, and do you know what she had?  All of the linens she needed for the church picnic!  Including a set of fancy blue washcloths!  Just what she had prayed for!!  What do you think of that?

I’m paraphrasing because it’s been a while, but I assure you the essence of the story, in all its ridiculous splendor, is intact.  Needless to say, I remained unconvinced.

Stories like these are a fairly common occurrence, a number of which I have experienced personally.  A woman who used to work in our rental office told me she had proof of a personal, loving god in the form of an extra $100 in her bank account that she swore she didn’t have the day before.  “God provides!” she said.  “I am so blessed.”

“Uhh,” I stood there for a moment, wondering whether to bite.  Her husband was out of work, she had no health or dental insurance, and recently discovered that she was both pregnant and losing her job.  Aww, what the hell. “You think you maybe just didn’t notice the extra mon-”

“I AM SO BLESSED.”

“Got it. Blessed.”

Why do I bring these up?  Why do I care?  If someone wants to believe that they’re blessed or that there is a god who shows his love by making little good things happen in the midst of hard times, who am I to interfere?

Well.

Consider recent events regarding Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina de Jesus:

Initial police reports obtained by Cleveland TV station WKYC said kidnap victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were raped by Castro. Knight was impregnated five times during her captivity, then starved and beaten, forcing the termination of the fetuses. Berry, also impregnated, gave birth to a baby — now 6 — in Castro’s basement, according to the report.

Ten years.  For ten years, they were held captive and lived a nightmare that no one should ever have to experience.  Upon their rescue, there were countless people desperate to be the first to praise God for delivering these poor children back to their parents and families.  Our prayers were answered!  God is good!

Still no clear answer to why He sat for ten years, watching idly by, allowing them to be repeatedly raped, beaten, and starved.  This is where, and why, I have no faith.

I was writing this piece and only after I had cobbled some of it together in my head did I run into this scene from “God on Trial”.  It’s about ten minutes long, but I highly recommend watching it.

I can’t speak for my own future, but neither can I imagine that I will have faith when I get there.  Eleven million people died in death camps during the Holocaust.  Tens of millions more during Stalin and Mao’s regimes.  Today, AIDS is ravaging sub-Saharan Africa and rape is regularly being used as a weapon of war by government soldiers.  In Eastern Europe, young girls are being sold into prostitution as young as ten years old, where they will be forced into a life of sexual abuse and drug addiction, only to be discarded when their usefulness is expired.

Yet, in spite of this, I am expected to listen attentively to the testimony of my flight companion and the miracle of her fancy washcloths, or the rental office manager’s previously-unnoticed bank deposit, or the long list of countless trivial personal events that take place in the steel-grey backdrop of profound human suffering … and believe that God exists, and He loves me.

I consider the situation and find myself desperately hoping that God does not exist.  If there is no God, then we are the ones who perform acts of utter cruelty and selfless love.  In each of our own lives, good and bad things happen, and we notice coincidences not because of divine intervention but because that’s what our minds are simply evolved to do.  Most importantly, it is up to us to improve the world for the next generation and make it a better place.

For if we are to assume for a moment that there is a personal God, then I think we can say with certainty that He is not good.  Any divine being who remains silent and unmoving for years while unspeakable tragedy unfolds around the world should not be praised when it finally ends at the hands of His creations.  His inaction in response to such horrific events alone should be interpreted as complicity, but that would require that we ignore His hand in creating them to begin with.

I have no capacity for faith in a god who exists in this fashion, and whose presence is validated by the occurrence of trivial favorable events in the lives of First World suburbanites.

For decades, the public schools in Muldrow County have had plaques of the Ten Commandments in every single classroom.  All of that changed recently when a junior in the school contacted the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which then contacted the school and asked them to have the plaques removed in order to avoid a lawsuit.

Muldrow High School … the latest casualty of the ATHEIST MENACE.  (from newson6.com)

As Huffington Post reports, there was a tremendous public outcry in response to the news.  Students, parents, and clergy all weighed in, claiming once again that their religion is under attack and, in effect, that Christianity is the only source of practical morality in the modern world.

Multiple petitions have been signed by hundreds of people, pray-ins have been held at the school, pro-Christian messages lit up Twitter with the hashtag #FightForFaith, and church officials and politicians have railed against the request to remove the religious postings.

“A nation that refuses to allow educators to teach children right from wrong will become a corrupt nation, where sin prevails, evil abounds, and everyone does as they please,” said Republican state Rep. John Bennett, according to the Sequoyah County Times.

“It’s Christianity under attack,” Muldrow First Baptist Church Pastor John Moore inveighed. “It was promised in the scripture [that this would happen].

A local church even bought hundreds of T-shirts, printed with the Ten Commandments, and offered them for free to students to wear to school.

Over time, the identity of the student who complained to the FFRF was being slowly narrowed down.  Eventually, he came out in order to protect others who had been harassed and threatened by their presumably faithful and devout Christian classmates.

“Good Guy Gage” Pulliam, who wouldn’t let his friends take the heat after he contacted the FFRF. (via The Friendly Atheist via Facebook)

He actually wanted to remain anonymous. But on Thursday, when students were reacting to this obvious discrimination against Christians, other students began getting blamed for alerting FFRF, including some of Gage’s atheist friends. He didn’t want to be the hero (to us) or the target (of the bullies), but he couldn’t bear to see his friends getting treated badly for something he did. That’s when he began telling the students who were pointing fingers in the wrong direction that he was the one who started this. He hoped that this post would help take the heat off his friends, too.

I guess in focusing on the Ten Commandments, they may have overlooked the parts of the bible where Jesus told them to love their enemies and turn the other cheek.  Probably wasn’t convenient at that particular moment.

Anyway, in a new development, the plaques have been permanently taken down, with the school acknowledging that they could neither afford nor win a court battle.  The news article I linked to in the header – along with the accompanying video – makes for a good read, if only to see exactly how everyone involved has so completely whiffed on the real issue.  For example, in the segment, the word “tradition” must have been used about a half dozen times, with reactions from the public focusing on the fact that these plaques have been a part of their lives for decades:

The parents say, after 20 years of having the Ten Commandments signs up, it doesn’t make sense to take them down now.  But the district’s lawyer says they can’t afford a lawsuit.  It’s a tradition the school says dates back decades.

“The commandments have been there ever since I can remember, ever since elementary school,” said Muldrow senior Blakely Palafox. “I think it’s actually kind of stupid to take away something so important to our school. Those Ten Commandments have been there forever.”

But some students can understand why the school is taking this decision.

“It might be better for them to take them down, just so they don’t lose a bunch of money that they need to buy books and everything we need,” said senior Darian Preston.

This issue has nothing to do with the cost to the school.  This is not about “tradition”, the “way things have always been”, or “just leaving it alone”.  It’s also not about a bunch of loudmouth atheists who want to get some attention.  Most of all, the Ten Commandments are not “what it means to be an American”.  If you want an old document to hold close to your heart and tell you what it means to be a citizen of this country, why don’t you try the US Constitution?  In it, you’ll see that the very thing you’re fighting against is protected by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  You’ll realize that while you may be saddened that these plaques are being taken down, they should never have been placed in public school classrooms to begin with.  This is the heart of the matter, and this is something these students need to understand.  The Ten Commandments maybe an important part of your lives as members of the community in Muldrow County … but as citizens of the United States, you should also understand that the US government – and, by extension, the state governments – cannot do anything that shows an establishment or advocacy of any religion.

Maybe they can take the money they’ve saved by not going to court and spend it on a mandatory civics class for the entire student body, including an in-depth analysis of the Constitution.

This is re-blogged from “Kids Without Religion”, both because it’s an interesting read and I didn’t have the time to post anything original. I did participate in the comments, though, so there’s that. As you can see, I have trouble shutting up in other people’s blogs too.

Oh, there is one new thing … Brazil – the world’s most populous Roman Catholic nation – just legalized same sex marriage! How do you say “woo hoo” in Portugese?

Celebration in the Minnesota State Legislature. (Image Credit: Jim Mone/AP Photo)

Now, we need Oregon and California to finally get on board, and we’ll have all of New England and the West Coast.  Kind of like playing Risk.  Meanwhile, we all kind of knew that something like this would make Michelle Bachmann’s head implode, if only just a little.  While not directly related to the aforementioned legislation, this video shows her at a prayer event at the US Capitol, in which she claims that both September 11th attacks on the nation were the result of God’s judgment. No word on what Obama’s election and the growing insanity of the GOP represents, other than maybe God forsaking them in favor of people a little less unhinged.

It’s really kind of freaky since she’s speaking in the Capitol Building as if she were in a church … which, given her religious leanings, I’m not too sure she’s capable of telling the difference. According to her, we’re supposed to believe that the solution to the “decline” we’re experiencing in the United States is to “humble ourselves before an Almighty God”, “repent of our sins” and to “seek [His] ways”.

TAKE ME NOW O LORD! I’M READY!
(from The Advocate)

And, to further facilitate this, she proposes another day of prayer on September 11th of this year: 9-1-1 Pray … because, according to her, “is there anything better we can do on that day other than to humble ourselves and to pray to an almighty God”.

I can honestly think of quite a few things more useful and productive to do on that day – or any other – than to kneel down and mumble to yourself while begging the mercy of a God who clearly didn’t mind allowing all of these horrible things to happen in the first place. I honestly don’t think appealing to his sense of compassion is really going to make a difference in light of everything he’s done to the entire world to date – plagues, war, famine, natural disasters, etc.  But hey, give it a shot. Personally, I think my time would be better spent donating to a food bank or Goodwill, giving blood, or some other activity with real, tangible goals and measurable results. I’m sure praying makes some people feel better, but it doesn’t withstand scrutiny when focused towards mass events like hunger, terrorism, or disease.

And let’s not ignore the fact that Bachmann – a US Congresswoman -  is calling everyone to prayer inside the Capitol Building.  I’m assuming people are aware that this kind of behavior runs afoul of the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution … but at this point I’m not sure anyone cares because it’s Michelle Bachmann.  It’s kind of what she does and people have stopped paying attention.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, we have something far more disturbing.  23-year old Vladislav Tomovoi of Volgograd (southern Russia) was beaten to death by his “friends” after revealing to them that he was homosexual.  (WARNING:  this is pretty graphic):

The perpetrators reportedly inserted beer bottles in his private parts and cut his penis. Investigators say the victim’s head was smashed with a 20 kg rock, making it difficult for the authorities to identify the mutilated body.

The man was drinking with two of his friends aged 22 and 27 when the attack took place. His friends pounced on him as soon as he revealed he was gay, according to police. “The motive for the crime was the [victim's] non-traditional sexual orientation,” said senior official Andrei Gapchenko. 

While two suspects are in police custody, a witness has also been got hold of. Local reports said the attackers even attempted to burn the body.

Vladislav Tomovoi, the victim of the attack (Reuters)

The two suspects are facing 15 years in prison for murder … and it’s being prosecuted (or at least admitted) as a hate crime, which is progress considering the severity of homophobia-related assaults that take place there on a regular basis.

For me, this is just something to keep in mind for a little perspective.  There’s a nationwide struggle going on here to ensure members of the LGBT community are treated equally – in the workplace, in their homes, and in their marriages.  It’s a long, tough fight, but we’re making progress.  It’s even been surprisingly rapid in recent years.  Even with the difficulties and setbacks we encounter, it’s articles like this I read from other parts of the world that make me realize how (relatively) minor they are when viewed through the eyes of a person living in places like Russia, Iran, or sub-Saharan Africa.

They also offer creme brulee French toast.  Need I say more?

Anyway … after we left, we headed down to 3rd and Oak, where we had heard that the Scientology building was about to open to the public.  Unfortunately, the actual ceremony wasn’t, and was blocked off by police tape, actual police officers, and an unsettling number of 7-foot tall potted plants to obscure the view from the street.  I’m not even joking.  I guess they didn’t want anyone on the outside hearing what they were saying.  They certainly made a big deal of it on their press releases, though …

On Saturday, May 11, the Church of Scientology Portland celebrated the grand opening of their new home in the city’s historic downtown quarter. More than 2,500 Scientologists and guests joined city and state dignitaries for the dedication ceremony.

In recognition of Portland’s new Church, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, led the dedication. His inaugural address spoke to the history of Scientology in Portland and specifically the events surrounding a first Scientology Freedom Crusade of 1985:

“Portland was our test,” Mr. Miscavige explained. “It was a test of our resolve, our fortitude and determination to avert a grave assault on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. So when you look at where we stand today, remember it was all because our voices were heard 28 years ago.”

I would recommend everyone nearby look where they stand, because the first thing I noticed when I saw the pictures on their website was that it looked like they had Photoshopped a shitload of people on both sides of the building to boost their supposed “attendance”.  A guy could disappear if he’s not careful.  This suspicion was confirmed when I happened upon Tony Ortega at The Underground Bunker, who showed a comparison of the Scientology site’s photos and those from the event taken by non-members or attendees.  The first is from their website, showing that the crowd extends past the edges of the building by about half a block on both sides:

My God, it’s full of people!  Ah, if only it actually happened.

The following two photos are from Tony’s blog, showing that the boundaries of the crowd are limited to the width of the Scientology building itself.  I can also attest to this because we were there for a short time and saw the same thing.  There were rows of trees not only coming from the sides of the building, but another row about half a block away to keep people from getting too close.  (I guess it also made things easier come Photoshop time.)

About half a block’s worth of shrubbery buffer on the south side of the building …

… and only one layer on the north side. Dammit, I wish I knew this on Saturday.

One of the protesters at the opening ceremony. Must be a Reddit fan.

Other photos showing basically the same thing can be found at the Daily Mail.  As Tony said, the folks in the Scientology biz appear to have a reputation for doing stuff like this, so it’s not too surprising.  It does seem a little bold considering the number of passers-by there to witness the event, and the prevalence of social media.  Still, I’m not too sure who these people are targeting with this kind of stuff anyway.  The only people who could probably afford to go are the ones who have already been sucked in.

After a short time, we just kind of wandered off, since there was not much more to see, and we couldn’t actually hear any of the speakers.  That, and one of the protesters I was standing next to started annoying the police officers nearby, and I didn’t feel like getting tazed.

So it would appear that even in the liberal, godless haven of the Pacific Northwest, we’re not immune to the likes of Xenu and all of the money flowing from the church of L. Ron Hubbard.  I am seriously in the wrong line of work.  If I ever want to retire before the age of 70 I should start a religion and let the rest take care of itself.

I also give you Brick Stone interviewing the Westboro Baptist Church, with amazing results:

Apparently, before the ruling, women were able to pray at the wall, but the interpretation of the law meant that they weren’t allowed to wear prayer shawls, phylacteries, or skull caps.  For the first time they were able to use these while praying, and … well … it wasn’t taken too well.

Women’s prayer at Western Wall sparks protest

Dressed in black hats and coats, mobs of young ultra-Orthodox men tossed eggs, water bottles and coffee cups at members of Women of the Wall as their leaders led a group of 100 men and women in prayer. [...]

They also apparently threw stinkbombs, too.  One protester threw a goddamned chair.  Stay classy, guys.

… hundreds of Israeli riot police held back the ultra-Orthodox men, who blew whistles, shouted insults and chanted in an effort to drown out the prayer.

Police, whom the youths called “Nazis,” arrested five men for disrupting the peace, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. As the women departed, some were pelted with rocks.

Haredi youth protesting the Women of the Wall (Getty Images)

I don’t really have a horse in this race from a philosophical perspective, even if I’m glad on principle that the women were allowed by the court to pray as they wanted.  The problem I do see is that we have adults – who are supposedly these deeply religious and devout individuals – acting like a bunch of spoiled little brats who throw temper tantrums every time they don’t get what they want.  Tossing eggs, water bottles, coffee cups, and even stinkbombs?  Shouting insults and chanting in order to drown out other people’s prayers?  Pelting women with goddamned rocks?  Look, I know throwing large, heavy things at people who violated ancient Levitical law was a big thing for a while, but it’s not anymore.  That kind of stuff is against the law in secular society.  It’s the 21st century, and most of the civilized world moved beyond that.  They might want to consider doing the same.

This article goes into a little more detail about Orthodox Jews and their relationship with the remaining 90% of the population (check out Page 2):

The ultra-Orthodox make up about 10 percent of Israel’s 8 million citizens. For most of the last three decades, they have served in coalition governments, securing vast budgets for religious schools and exemptions from mandatory military service for tens of thousands of young men in full-time religious studies.

The system has bred widespread resentment among the secular and modern Orthodox majority. It became a central issue in January parliamentary elections, and ultra-Orthodox parties were eventually left out of the government.

Many Israelis also feel the ultra-Orthodox attempt to impose their values on the rest of society, with their activists pushing for gender-segregated buses and sidewalks, and trying to force women to dress modestly.

Boy, that last section sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?  Thankfully, the moderate members of the community are working hard to ensure the safety of these women.  Tzipi Livni is currently drafting a bill that would make the more outrageous responses seen during the protests the other day (throwing of objects, insults, chanting, etc.) illegal, while the attorney general is trying to find a way to set aside part of the Western Wall for both men and women to pray together.  It’s encouraging to see that Israel is taking steps to bring Judaism into the 21st century and not cowing – at least too much – to a rigid fundamentalist minority that is obsessed with living as if most of the last 2,000 years haven’t really happened.

First, the good news!  As expected, the bill to legalize same sex marriage in Minnesota has passed the state House of Representatives 75-59, and is due to go to the state Senate on Monday.  Given the Democratic majority there, it’s expected to pass and get signed into law shortly thereafter.  As is standard with bills like this one, there is an exception to allow churches to deny ceremonies to same sex couples if they wish.

Second, the bad news!  Well, sort of.  Back in October I wrote about the cheerleaders at Kountze High School in Texas putting up these huge banners at the beginning of every football game showing bible verses like “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. -PHIL 4:13.”  At the time I said I was a little torn, since it was the students – not the teachers or the faculty – who were putting these messages together.  On the other hand, they were displaying them during football games with other schools in situations where they were representing said school … so in that sense, they could be in trouble.

Well, State District Judge Steven Thomas didn’t appear to agree with my armchair legal appraisal, and ruled in favor of the cheerleaders:

A Texas judge on Wednesday ruled that the “Bible banners” waved by cheerleaders during football games in a small school district are constitutionally protected free speech and that the tradition will be allowed to continue.

No law “prohibits the cheerleaders from using religious-themed banners at school sporting events,” State District Judge Steven Thomas wrote in a two-page final ruling. He had temporarily ruled in favor of the cheerleaders in October.

The more I think about the issue this time around, the more unsettled I am about the ruling the way it stands.  If we were talking about a Christian youth group that met within the school, then that would be one thing.  To have these kids decking out their own stadium (or someone else’s) with bible verses when other schools come to visit, I keep thinking that starts to present a real problem.

It’s not as if this is without precedent, either.  From the October article:

In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe that student-led and student-initiated prayers conducted over a loudspeaker during football games were unconstitutional because they implied school sponsorship of the prayers.

Nine years later, cheerleaders at a Georgia high school who held nearly identical signs to those used in Kountze were also forced to stop by school officials who referred to the Santa Fe case.

So, I personally don’t think this is over yet.  Given the precedent set by the Supreme Court, I think Judge Thomas’s ruling is going to be overturned, and in the future we’ll less frequently see football banners that look as if they would have been carried into battle with divisions of heavily armed cavalry riding behind them about 1,000 years ago.

Aw hell Ted, let’s just forfeit and get the hell out of here. These folks’re nuts.

]]> http://crimesagainstdivinity.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/this-aint-ovah/feed/ 3 crimesagainstdivinity http://crimesagainstdivinity.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/smell-the-love/ http://crimesagainstdivinity.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/smell-the-love/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:08 +0000 Senator Jason http://crimesagainstdivinity.wordpress.com/?p=2691 Continue reading →]]> I know, I’m late in writing about this, but I can only complain or cheer about one thing on a given day, so things might get backed up.  Actually, today there are two.  First, the Delaware State Senate passed a bill to allow same sex marriage, making it the eleventh state to do so.

“It’s a great day in Delaware,” said Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat, who signed it within minutes of passage before an overjoyed crowd of activists. “I am signing this bill now because I do not intend to make any of you wait one moment longer.”

Same-sex couples will be eligible for marriage licenses on July 1.

During three hours of emotional debate before the vote Tuesday, State Senator Karen Peterson, a Democrat, said she had lived with a female partner for 24 years, and she challenged opponents of extending marriage to gay couples. “If my happiness somehow demeans or diminishes your marriage, then you need to work on your marriage,” she said, eliciting cheers and laughter.

Looks like New Jersey is beginning to get outflanked, even if they do extend equivalent rights to same sex couples through civil unions.  No all we need is Pennsylvania to get into the game and I think Jersey will have to switch over just by default … kind of like city allegiances change in Civ 4.  In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to settle for Minnesota, which is fighting for the title of State Number 12:

Gay rights advocates in Minnesota believe they’ve locked up enough votes in the state legislature to legalize same sex marriage ahead of a scheduled House vote Thursday.

“Thursday’s vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives will be a historic victory for thousands of same-sex couples and families in our state,” Richard Carlbom, campaign manager for Minnesotans United For All Families, said in a statement Tuesday. “We are confident that the necessary votes to extend the freedom to marry for same-sex couples have been secured and that HF1054 will pass the House floor.”

Now, it still has to pass the House and the Senate, so it’s not a guarantee, but advocates are pretty confident it will get through both chambers.  House Speaker Paul Thissen said that the process of getting the votes hasn’t exactly been difficult and that it’s mostly been a matter of getting legislators to “listen to their hearts”.

I think if it does pass, we’ll all be able to listen to Michelle Bachmann’s head explode.  I have to admit I’m kind of looking forward to that.

One last note:  these steps forward were made possible in part by donors within the GOP who are working to provide support to politicians who support same sex marriage:

American Unity PAC was formed last year to lend financial support to Republicans who bucked the party’s longstanding opposition to gay marriage. Its founders are launching a new lobbying organization, American Unity Fund, and already have spent more than $250,000 in Minnesota, where the Legislature could vote on the issue as early as next week.

The group has spent $500,000 on lobbying since last month, including efforts in Rhode Island, Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia and Utah.

Nice to see that those within the party who don’t want to pander to the religious right now have other options in order to stand a chance during election season.