I hope and pray that it will be the start of the pendulum swinging further away from such an extremist position that is so hateful to so many people. I think that the pendulum is starting already, especially with th Canadian Government's regulations on equal rights for same-sex couples for example, but we've still got a long way to go.

When a Democrat takes office in 2008, THEN the RR will begin to sink away. It is because of Dubbya that groups like Focus on the Family are so powerful.

I feel that the religious right will remain a force in Christianity but not in the non- religious community. The sad thing is that there are so many people out there who loathe the church because of the very vocal views espoused by the religious right. I certainly was one of them for many years. I don't really know how to stop that as I am not someone who is comfortable with evangelism (be it right wing, left wing or down the middle) however; the fact of the matter remains that it is people like Jerry Falwell who represent to many what Christians believe. Given the hate filled views that he espoused, there is no wonder that so many right thinking individuals would never even consider attending a church. Hopefully places like this site will help to change that perception. Elis

I do think the era of the religious right is coming to an end. I don't mind Christians who hold conservative views, though I don't agree with them on most issues. The problem is when either conservative or liberal Christians insist that their way is the only way. Whether left or right, rigid dogma limits the possibilities that God has to work with and is a sign of lack of faith. It's more human than divine to trust in ideology. This problem was amplified by the Christian Right in the States because they sought to enforce their views and opinions with political power. In many ways this effort backfired on them and exposes a lot of hypocrisy and greed in their camp----unfortunatley, I think this is now what most non-church people think of the Christians now. Hopefully we've all learned something from this.

I suspect that while the Religious Right may not be as extreme as they once were, they will still be a powerful political force for years to come. The election process seems so drawn out in the States that every candidate is under the media's microscope for months on end before anyone goes to the polls. Any slip of the tongue is magnified and reguritated until it reaches ridiculous proportions. Both democrats and republicans seem to be so squeaky clean and the difference between them is so small, that the whole process is a joke.

Just like it would be political suicide in Canada for a politician to support private health care or criticism multiculturalism, in the States it seems like no one dares criticize their military industrial complex, or really wants to fight for universal health care. Every political option seems to be reduced to shades of the same colour. Sad.

So, what we're stuck with is a bunch of wannabes who cater to the traditional Christian audience - where are the atheist leaders? Are there any candidates who are proudly Muslim? Buddhist?

The Religious Right is perhaps one of the greatest examples of evolution available. Their influence isn't going to wane as much as some people would like to think. As a former evangelical I know that it's extremely difficult to leave behind the comfortable certainties one has come to rely on for so long. The RR has been extremely adept at utilizing mass media for its own sake; hence, it has very successfully encapsulated its followers in a bubble where the voice of true intellectualism is stifled.

The RR has already poisoned the waters strongly; with the prevalence of the intelligent desing movement, real scientific authority has been put into question. As a veteran at arguing with evangelicals on Facebook, I've seen first-hand just how easily they can shroud their beliefs in pseudo-intellectualism, isolating themselves from any real skepticism. 45% of Americans believe in young-earth creationism. This is a bubble that will be extremely difficult to burst.

The RR will continue to evolve. As we saw before with creationsism, they stopped flat-out dismissing the science; instead, they created an entire movement revolved around using pseudo-science to forward creationsim. They may have had several setbacks right now but they're still a potent force.

The Jerry Falwells will be back...

The RR, like other segments, probably will continue to be a series of ups and downs as world events occur and time moves forward. As a part of christendom, we should remember that most other religious groups also have their "left, centre and right" components.
I would hope for a world where the majority of each religion follows a middle , moderate course that is open to other people and their beliefs.
Jews , Christians and Muslims all look up to One God . And I do not think that "God" - whatever she/it/he is - is choosing between us as to whether a person follows Jewish, Muslim or Jesus traditions.
The really dangerous people are the powerful people who think they have been 'called by god' to carry out his will as they see it (or as fits their purpose).Geo Bush, Muslim extetemist leaders, white supremacy movements,....in my view .... they all represent religion gone horribly wrong!!
Thanks for listening.

Unlikely, although I hope so. These are very entrenched interests.

I agree with Bernie that these interests are extremely entrenched. Pointing to the death of a single individual, Falwell, or the loss of a single election as evidence of the waning of the Religious Right is a fairly superficial political analysis.
No one in the US has sincerely addressed the factors that lead to this sort of ideology developing; the dispossession of the middle-class, fear, social isolation and rampant individualism (the castle-mentality), which has led to a culture of despair. It is this sort of environment that breeds fascism. Even if the RR has been delt a temporal blow, the Ur-fascism they embody will persist until the conditions that incubate it have been addressed. So far, they haven't been.

Personally, I think the era of the religious right will be, like the poor, always with us. Unless evolution (which the religious right disavows) makes some improvements on the fanatic mind, I fear they will only get stronger and more militant.

The military complex feeds right into the fears and desires of the religious right who now seem to have a grip not only on the US presidency, but upon the governing conservatives in Canada as well.

Save us all!!

I'm thinking out loud right now (metaphorically). I'm thinking we are in a time of great swings. We have some serious right wing thinking that will not go away as our modern era is actually driving some people away from thinking for themselves. At the same time we have a swing left and we even have a growing apathy towards religion in some countries. Maybe we are polarizing more?

The religious right was on the wane before Falwell's death though that event way well liberate them to move slightly to the centre. They will, however, always be with us. Indeed their presence has caused the entire church to be loathed by so many. Attending a Gay Labour Confernece a few years back reference was made to the 'right wing church". I learned that what was relly meant was the entire church. When I tried to make reference to the 'left wing church' I was met with incredulity and wonderment. I was truly the weird one in that conference.

I reallly don't know what to say. So many things way on this subject . . . RR is taken so litterlly and often dangerously by some and yet is tossed aside like garbage by others.

The Religous "Right" likes to be associated with the word "Right". But so much of Christian religion is about what is considered the "Left" of the spectrum. Looking after creation, caring for your fellow humans, not worrying about profit and earthly gains. The "Right" also does a lot to promote hatred and "you aren't worthy" as opposed to "forgive us our transgressions as we forgive others". This is not a self-sustaining approach but it does get money into the offering plate. I will take the United Church with its "all are welcome" approach and its open, accepting congregations.

I wish that the dangers of narrowness of thought, intolerance of others' beliefs or lack thereof, were coming to an end. Now I simply fear that this defines the human condition, and the "religious right" is seeking consensus among themselves and therefore feel safer to express aloud what others know they are thinking. Sounds a bit convoluted, but no, I don't think the attitudes behind the "religious right" are coming to an end, even if the movement is not as visible.

If there is any relief in sight, it would only take another 9-11 to stampede people back to their right wing views.