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MEDIA ALERT
February 15, 2005
"Treat Right Wing Religion as an
Addiction"
Religion Professor Says
(Kansas City, MO) In his latest national monthly column,
Dr. Robert N. Minor, Professor of Religious Studies
at the University of Kansas, charges that much of the
religious right wing is addicted to their religion.
"Dealing with the right-wing's religious/political
lifestyle and its evangelistic agenda," says Minor,
"is like dealing with an alcoholic or hard drug
user."
"Like all addictions, when right-wing religion
dominates one's life obsessively, it tells people how
to feel rather than getting in touch with their real
problems," says Minor. "It also prevents the
addicts from understanding the harm they are doing to
those around them."
Minor advises readers in his "Minor Details"
column that "no matter how hard this might be to
accept, strategies that try to embrace, excuse, or move
toward the religious right-wing are the actions of enablers."
Enabling is a common response by family members to addicts
that reinforces their addiction.
"While addicts are expected to be in denial about
their addiction, creating a mythological view of the
world to maintain it and 'protecting their stash,'"
Minor said in an interview about his column, "enablers
are the ones making excuses, arguing with the addict,
covering up for their addiction, and refusing to do
the unpopular, confrontational work of intervention."
Addiction specialists have been discussing "process
addictions" for a generation and often have listed
religion along with sexual addiction, romance addiction,
workaholism, and relationship addiction as a cultural
problem.
Dr. Minor's widely-read book Scared Straight: Why
It's So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It's So Hard
to Be Human, addresses how religious arguments
are used against gay people to keep those who are prejudiced
from facing their prejudices. "Instead of realizing
their attitudes are prejudices rooted in deep-rooted
fears they don't want to examine, they blame God and
the Bible."
"'I wouldn't be against gay people,' they are
arguing, 'but God's against gay people. So I have to
be. I'm really a nice guy, God's the rat.'" That's
the irresponsible language of addiction, Minor argues.
"All addictions are progressive and fatal."
Minor advises "what we've got to do is treat addictions
as addictions, stop enabling, take a clear, uncompromising
stance, and model a non-addictive lifestyle that values
personal responsibility, open communication, and all
humanity."
To read Minor's column go to http://www.fairnessproject.org/Religious_Addiction.html
Minor Details is also carried in various publications
including:
http://www.libertypress.net/kansas/ksminor.php
http://www.nazmen.net/feb_2005_newsletter.pdf
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2005/1601.htm
Professor Minor makes a lively, insightful guest. For
a media kit and copy of the book contact the distributor,
“The Fairness Project,” at the above address
email or fax number, check out www.fairnessproject.org,
or contact the author directly at rminor@ku.edu. |
