How did unfortunate slaves manage to get through the day, when they knew their lives were laden with suffering for as long as they walked this cursed planet? They turned to church. Religion provides solace for those who are afraid of the unknown, wrought with suffering and are desperate for a source of hope.
Religion is much more prominent in countries with lower levels of income and education. The exception to the rule? The United States of course. Fox and Friends, supporters of Republican policies, know that millions of Americans have little hope of a decent life, so they spotlight the role of religion as a means to preserve hope and faith.
Many Fox 'News' viewers identify as Christian, so the producers booked a Hollywood actress who specializes in God's little miracles. Roma Downey, co-producer of the miniseries A.D., and star of the CBS show Touched By An Angel was plugging her latest project called Answered Prayers. It's a six part miniseries that will air on TLC featuring stories from faithful Americans who resorted to prayer when there was no where else to turn. The people who survive the mass shootings that plague us are blessed when they avoid death, the issue of God allowing the proliferation of guns is never addressed.
TLC used to be The Learning Channel. As we have seen, there's hardly any learning going on. Why not feature a program devoted to people who have had tragedies averted by some divine intervention, or at least that's what they think? Americans trapped in Red States, highly susceptible to tornadoes, present the perfect example to show how a belief in the supernatural can help you get through the tough times.
The producers at Fox News assume their audience believes in a higher power. The belief in God is never questioned, which goes hand in hand with the authoritarian mindset of the average Fox 'News' viewer.
Authoritarians “maintain their beliefs against challenges by limiting their experiences, and surrounding themselves with sources of information that will tell them they are right.”
If everyone assumes God is real, then that explains these 'coincidences' where there's no other reason for a positive outcome than the intervention of a deity. If you are open to believe in the role of God, you are more likely to vote for people who claim they believe the same, but could really care less about your fates or fortunes. This is how the Moral Majority was able to convince people of little means to vote for people and policies that exclusively benefit the one percent. Thanks to the misuse of Christianity, the GOP still survives, but for how much longer? A few decades maybe?
