Republicans, family values and sex

Rick Perlstein, at CFA.com, has an explanation of why homosexuality matters so much to right-wing Christians. Here's the post:

Loving Christianity, Hating "Christians" (Part Two)

By Rick Perlstein on August 31, 2007 - 2:31pm.

"Deep Faith," my conflicted Christian Right-bred source from Louisiana, writes to respond to my reflections on why homosexuality has become the only sin that matters to conservatives:

There's a wrinkle that makes the gay thing even more potent. The Christian right is pretty much awash in sexual sin at this point--all pastors know that huge percentages of their own ranks, not to mention their congregations, are hooked on Internet porn. This is something that comes up in evangelical publications again and again, and I've even heard my pastor reference it from the pulpit. Internet porn is to the evangelical clergy what homosexuality is to the Catholic clergy--we're talking the majority of pastors, or so the rumor goes from at least two ministers I've talked to.

And then there are the statistics of how conservative Christians are much more likely to get a divorce, have an out-of-wedlock baby, or have pre-marital sex.

So when it comes to biblical sexual morality, conservative Christians are on the whole much, much worse off than their secular, college-educated counterparts.... hence the total hysteria about gays.

So it's like, "I may be a fornicating, porn-addicted, twice-married church-goer, but I ain't no queer! That would be REAL sin!"

Truly, the more secretly depraved, selfish, bloodthirsty, and downright sinful conservative Christians get, the more they're going to focus their public outrage at their own plight on one or categories of sinners.

Anyway, while I'm ranting about church people, know this as well: all the women are on psychotropic meds. You have to be, in order to be able to deal with the spiritual bankruptcy of Jesusland.

He adds: "I love Pentecostals—they're my people—but they've given up on the Bible, and on really trying to live it. Instead they're settling more and more for a toxic mix of brand identity andnationalism—it's truly a golden idol that they bow to now."

Deep Faith is angry. He's become an apostate to conservatism, the better to honor his Christianity. I wonder how many more of him are out there?

In the same vein, there are people on the Web keeping score. Here's a listing from Radar Contact, of Republican sinners, who because of their constant trumpeting of 'family values,' also qualify as hypocrites. Enjoy:

Republican Hypocrisy Revealed

* Republican legislator Ted Klaudt was charged with raping girls under the age of 16.

* Republican city councilman Joseph Monteleone Jr. was found guilty of fondling underage girls.

* Republican congressional aide Jeffrey Nielsen was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy.

* Republican County Commissioner Patrick Lee McGuire surrendered to police after allegedly molesting girls between the ages of 8 and 13.

The list goes on and on, here.