On her blog Tiny Cat Pants, Aunt B attempts to find reason within the minds of Tennessee's Biblical Republicans, and comes back with an interesting thesis: God will only assist the state when Tennessee proves it deserves it.
That's her explanation for why Republican pols tend to ignore meaningful legislation for the sake of cultural touchstones, like abortion and gay marriage, etc. Under the theory, God is really into these kinds of things, so pushing them at the expense of more practical concerns shows their commitment to God. And once God buys their commitment, He'll magically fix the state's more pressing problems. Writes B:
I think it doesn't matter tha these things won't do anything to help the State, because I think they believe that the State will get help from God when God has decided that we deserve it. And the fact that these things aren't resolving themselves is only proof-not of failed tax policies, not of failed governmental policies, not of anything secular at all-that we have not yet pleased God enough to fix our problems.
Who knows if she's right. But it would explain why Mumpower & Co. seem so dedicated to issues like abortion when we're lurching toward depression with massive state debt, rising unemployment, and a host of truly "family" concerns that would seem to tug at a good Christian's soul.
