On the "Religious Right"

A good friend and I had an argument the other day about the "Religious Right."

It started with a post in a forum we both frequent.  Someone said they know no group of people more dangerous in the United States than the "Religious Right."

I posted a ridiculous troll of a post stating "except for the extremely liberal left."  My friend called me on it (as he should) and our war of words began (and lasted, I might add, for at least 1/2 hour on the phone).  In the end it came down to this:  I simply don't like the choice of words used to label the group of people who represent the "Religious Right."  Why?  Because a) I am religious and b) I am conservative.  Ergo, I am a part of this "Religious Right" simply by the connotation based on the meaning of the words that comprise this label.

If you are a person who does not keep up with the times and does not know the meaning of this label, you too would be offended.  I suspect many people are and this actually helps to sustain the current left-right conflict in this country.

In the end we both agreed that, as usual, I got worked up over nothing but also he conceded that the label is not the best.  I believe Chris Hedges calls these people "Dominionists," which I much prefer.