The rise of the religious right coincides with this shift. There is no better way to keep the downtrodden brainwashed and voting against their interests than convincing them it's God's will.
This isn't directly related to the OP, but I though it apropos to share here. I'm linking a nice summary of the actual history behind the rise of the religious right.
The Real Origins of the Religious Right
They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was segregation.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133.html#ixzz3acBKzXzv
This isn't directly related to the OP, but I though it apropos to share here. I'm linking a nice summary of the actual history behind the rise of the religious right.
Quote:But the abortion myth quickly collapses under historical scrutiny. In fact, it wasn’t until 1979—a full six years after Roe—that evangelical leaders, at the behest of conservative activist Paul Weyrich, seized on abortion not for moral reasons, but as a rallying-cry to deny President Jimmy Carter a second term. Why? Because the anti-abortion crusade was more palatable than the religious right’s real motive: protecting segregated schools. So much for the new abolitionism.
The Real Origins of the Religious Right
They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was segregation.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133.html#ixzz3acBKzXzv
