Mike Johnson
Speaker of the US House of Representatives

The election of Mike Johnson as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives has brought the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party to the forefront of politics. WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) by definition are racists, intolerant of any other religion, and won’t even consider the Catholic Church as legitimate.

As Evangelical Christians, they are rigid in the belief of one man, one woman as the only option in marriage. They ignore that many of the heroes of the Bible were polygamists. The word conservative implies an emphasis upon tradition and established social norms. But what does that mean if you reach back thousands of years?

They frequently attack homosexuals publicly, and especially politically. Their partners in the Republican Party have passed more than 600 anti-LGBTQ bills in state houses in the past year.

“The right-wing evangelical movement is not monolithic, and there is a range of views within it on a variety of issues. However, some of the core beliefs of this movement include:

• A belief in the Bible as the literal word of God and the ultimate authority on all matters of faith and practice.
• A commitment to traditional social and political values, such as the importance of marriage and family, the sanctity of life, and the separation of church and state.
• A belief that the United States is a Christian nation and that its government should be guided by Christian principles.

Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey © John Suddath
Hagia Sofia has been a church, a museum, and a mosque.

Buddhism evolved in India and spread to China and Japan. Over time it was practiced concurrently with Taoism and Confucianism in China and with Shintoism in Japan. Although India is a confusing mixture of dialectics and religions, Hinduism is now the primary religion. It is endorsed by the government, but it is not considered the state religion. When the Communists took over China in 1949, they officially abolished all religions, but the ancient religions are still practiced – just on a smaller scale.