So tired of these “I can’t believe republicans who oppose abortion are for killing people for the economy” takes. It was never about sanctity of life y’all. It’s always just been a power play with “life” as the lynch pin.
Short thread:

When I was in high school, I went through an insanely conservative “Worldview” course. For multiple years I took classes and attended two week training camps every summer.

I remember so clearly being told over and over and over agin that to win the abortion debate, you needed to make sure that the word “life” was used because no one could logically say they didn’t want someone or something to live.

We framed the debate always around the word “life”. Because to be pro-choice etc, meant I could box you in as “anti-life”. Thus turning you into a nazi or a monster during any debate or conversation.

That is all terrible enough, but here’s the weird part. The course was taught and run by an extremely “conservative” anti-communist named Dr David Noebel. And Noebel hated the commies. Now, why would a “Christian worldview” teacher hate communists so much?

I’ve done a lot of thinking about this, and my thought always returns back to my original tweet here. None of Noebels teachings were truly about a Christian worldview. They were indoctrination into a culture war that the post WWII conservatives had been fighting since 1945.

They warned us constantly about the dangers of moral relativism. That it was the basis for the downfall of society. And if we could just hold onto the principles they taught us, we would be well equipped culture warriors like them.

But what was beneath the surface, as in all religion and politics and economics, was power. To win this struggle for power against the foes of the Christian world was their only goal. So we were taught “strategies” and “tactics”.

One of those tactics being, “Life”.

So, when I see the hot takes from the left side of the spectrum about how these people are being hypocrites about “life”, I know that it was never about “life” to begin with. It has, and will forever be about power and control.

And they will keep saying whatever they need to, and making any justification they need, to acquire and maintain power. If you can see that game, you can move past their hypocrisy and start actually engaging them in the true struggle, which is for control.

I have so much more to work through with this idea, but it’s been on my mind for years as I deconstruct the “faith” I was taught. I recommend @JeffSharlet for a deeper dive into the higher halls and prayer breakfasts of power.