Conservatives vs. Conservatives and the Religious vs. the Religious

There is a terrific article out yesterday in the Kansas City Star about "The two leading Republican candidates for Kansas’ open Senate seat Tuesday night clashed on a central question: Who is the strongest conservative in the race? And this, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what has been going on in this country and the world far too much in the last decade or more. If you're "Conservative", you have to be ultra-conservative--and prove it, in both religion and politics. If you're a Christian, by gosh, you want to prove that you're out-doing all the other religious people in the world, let alone your own church. I had a roommate once who was raised in an uber-religious, Christian, right-wing family. Fortunately for him--and it was the only way I could have lived with him--he got an education and got away from all that crap. But here's the funny thing--"Mom and Dad" raised the kids to be ultra-religious. Predictable, right? So the other son (there were 2 boys) becomes a minister, for heaven's sake (pun intended). It just couldn't get any better than that, right? But here's the rub: Sonny-boy Minister becomes Uber-Uber right-wing, religious and conservative. What a hoot. He thinks he's more--probably much more--religious, "close to God", conservative, fundamentalist and "holy" than the folks. They've been outdone. It's insane. Each one trying to outdo the other, in a competitive, religious way. And that is what is, fortunately for the rest of us clear thinkers, tearing apart the Republican Party, what with the breakaway Libertarians and now the "Tea Party", etc., etc. They all want to go further "Right" and outdo the other. And that's just what Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran did last night, apparently, at this debate. And that's what the Sunnis and Shii'as do in the Middle East, in Iraq and thereabouts. Only they kill each other. You'd just be very hard pressed to get the Republicans, either of these 2 candidates or any Christian or group of Christians to see the similarities between them and the Muslims killing one another. Did you know there is incredibly little difference in doctrine between the Sunnis and Shii'a Muslims? Yeah, there is. BUT THEY KILL EACH OTHER. It's insane but it's what they do and, to date, there is no stopping them. Same with Republicans, in a lesser way (--though no killing. Yet. That we know of). They keep shredding their political party but there's no stopping them, God bless their shiny little heads. We got rid of Communism, virtually worldwide and its supposedly life-threatening nature and at first I thought it was going to be the gays that would get demonized to the exclusion of all others but no. It's conservatives and fundamentalists in religions and political parties that are tearing each other apart. And you know what? May they have at it as long as they wish. Link to original story: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/06/2067255/moran-and-tiahrt-debate-whos-the.html