racism, not abortion, nurtures religious right

Passed along in email: Dartmouth professor Randall Balmer makes an interesting case in Politico: It was racism, rather than the abortion issue, that nourished the rise of the religious right, a once-disparate group many of whose evangelical adherents were largely indifferent to and sometimes were in agreement with a woman's right to an abortion. Written in clear English, it's worth a read.

The Real Origins of the Religious Right

They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was segregation.

By RANDALL BALMER

May 27, 2014