Roy Moore, Republican values and religious freedom

A few thoughts while listening to a favorite podcast:

http://www.btrtoday.com/listen/radiodispatch/final-thoughts-on-the-alabama-election/

Listening to Tuesday's show- Final Thoughts on the Alabama Election. They were discussing the reasoning behind some conservatives' voting for Roy Moore - that they don't like his sexual abuse and pedophilia, but are voting for the seat, the Republican platform and in many cases only the abortion issue.

On this episode they were talking about the double standard on what is termed morality and values between Democrats and Republicans and I definitely can relate. I used to be told I'm sinning for supporting Democrats who committed adultery and got divorced and remarried (big deals for the group I was with- but even when I was in that, I considered consensual bedroom things none of my business) but when I brought up McCain or anyone like that, there was silence.

(Note- My religious group i left was anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, anti-alcohol, etc, so all my references are specific to that)

While that is frustrating - getting them to use their value system equally - the more disturbing thing is the importance to them of banning abortion and how they frame it. They've obliterated the meaning of religious liberty or taken it hostage. It used to be about your right to practice your religion freely and for there to be no state religion or religious test for running for office, but in religious conservatives' hands it means something quite the opposite- they have the right to infringe on your rights because of their religion.

If abortion is legal, they have the right to not get one and it doesn't affect their religion, health, privacy or lives in any way. And I know their argument then goes to them "paying for abortions" through taxes or healthcare (which if you take it that far, they "pay the salary" of immoral people in Congress and no doubt eat at places with bars which in the same way would be condoning drinking whether or not they partake), but this is of course ridiculous given what the money actually pays for. . . It just seems like an obvious violation of our basic rights when you can ban something based on bible verses and call it your freedom of religion. I don't know who said it, but this seems applicable- The right to swing my arms in any direction ends where your nose begins.

I know that people whether in religion or anti-vax or whatever will believe what they want regardless of fact, but I feel the need to keep defining freedom of speech and religion every chance I get and making that distinction of where that freedom ends and becomes, rather, infringing on the rights of others. I fear we're losing the battle for the meaning of those words much like the way the fake news meaning came and went.