Finding Out [Whoever] Believes in God

[Ryantology]

That is, the reason that conservatives have a higher incidence of bad policy regarding religion is merely because there are a higher portion of conservatives that are religious.

That doesn't mean that religious conservatives are more prone to bad religious policy than religious liberals.

Suppose that there are 100 conservatives and 100 liberals. Suppose further that 50 of the conservatives are religious, but only 10 of the liberals are.

That's really all you had to type to mirror my suggestion a conservative is more likely (by a factor of five times, as you have it) of making bad religious policy, as I believe that any policy which promotes religion in any way is bad policy, and a pool of conservatives is, again according to you, five times as likely to produce people to push for it as an equal number of liberals.

Ah, so if we're in a casual debate, I should just accept as true anything that you describe as "common knowledge".

Of course not. You're free to dispute it. It is worth noting that you have not done so. Am I to assume tacit agreement, then?

It's a sample of, what, 5 people? From the last year? And that's a good representative sample of how Republicans think in general?

How do you even know how Republicans reacted to these remarks? Didn't all of these campaigns crash and burn before the primaries?

What is the objective number I have to provide?

Yes, they did all crash and burn. That they all launched campaigns of many months, each earning millions of primary votes and millions of dollars, suggests quite well how Republicans reacted. It doesn't matter that these five lost. The guy who won is every bit as bad.

That's...I don't even know what to do with that.

First, showing that the incidence of religious opposition to same-sex marriage among liberals is at least as high as among conservatives does nothing to disprove that "Republicans are largely proud of viewing homosexuals as less than human".

Fair enough, it does not prove that particular point. Perhaps I would have better stated that Republicans are far more likely to be proud of etc. Which is every bit as important, really.

Second, suppose the incidence of religious opposition to same-sex marriage among liberals is low, but the incidence of the violent torture and rape of homosexuals is incredibly high among liberals. By your standards, that would show that "Republicans are largely proud of viewing homosexuals as less than human" is false.

What evidence do you have that the 'violent torture and rape' you indicate is specifically directed at the victim because of their homosexuality, and not because of any other reason at all? Are you arguing that a liberal is more likely to sexually assault a homosexual on principle? That's a rather amazing claim to make. Didn't you just lecture me about making unfounded statements?

Whether Republicans are largely proud of viewing homosexuals as less than human isn't equivalent to whether Republicans oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Maybe Republicans actually support same-sex marriage (on principles of limited government), but viscerally hate homosexuals as being unnatural. Maybe Republicans oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds (on principles of theocratic government), but think that homosexuals are just as human as anyone else.

I absolutely refuse to accept any self-serving justification for the willful denial of equal rights to another human being on the basis of their sexuality. I consider that, unequivocally, to be contemptuous and wicked behavior one only practices against people they claim to be inferior human beings. It is irrelevant if the bigot denies his bigotry.