Brainstorm

[Mister Agenda]

Religion declines as education improves. It is logical enough to assume that this trend will continue worldwide, and the problem will take care of itself. Our lifespans are usually too short and fleeting to see significant change, but significant change has happened before us and will continue on after us.

Now, fuck religion. Let's brainstorm how we're going to feed the world as desertification accelerates and human population continuing to rise.

History says otherwise. Religion never, ever withers and rolls over, it doubles down and it rallies its goons with a vengeance. Have you really not noticed what's been going on in Texas, California, and Tennesee? Our chances of having evangelical asshat Cruz in the White House a year from now just became ~50% likely in Iowa!

I'm not looking to start a fight, I'm just saying we really can't afford to be so confident or cocky about this - the more that progress is made, the more there will always be the need for greater vigilance.

History is where he's getting it from: generational change. You're looking at current events and you see the power that Evangelical Christians have, and it looks like things can only get worse. But what you're seeing is death throes. Evangelical Christianity is not declining as fast as other forms of Christianity in America, but it is declining. They know it, they see their power slipping away, and it motivates them to vote in high percentages, but if the Millenials voted in the same proportion as the Baby Boomers, it would be a sweep for Democrats, and the percentage of Millenials who vote is only going to go up.

It's possible that Cruz might win the presidency, but demographically, the window for someone winning by pandering to Evangelicals is closing, if it hasn't already.

Baby Boomers will be mostly gone in 20 years (though I hope to still be around at age 74, I was born near the end of the boom). We already have Generation X people running for president. You're right about being vigilant, it's very important that this election in particular not go to any of the Republicans (not least because of the likelihood of SCOTUS appointments), but it's going to get better. The Republicans at some point will have to moderate their social conservatism or they'll never get the presidency again.