What is Roy Moore's Effect on Evangelical Christians?

Roy Moore’s defeat to Doug Jones in the Alabama special election of the United States Senate is described by a political commentator is a stunning event. The GOP candidate as anticipated received a major portion of the white evangelical vote. Moore enjoyed 80 percent, Doug Jones of the Democrats received only 19 percent. What is noticeable is that the pro-life contingent went for the Democrat compared to the Republican one. This helped the Democrat to win an entry into the Senate by a sliver of 1.5 percentage points.

What is Roy Moore’s Effect on Evangelical Christians?

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It is apparent that Moore lost the election as a number of evangelicals abstained from voting. This absence is the principal element of the course of events. The fact is that important pastors or evangelical leaders with influence are unwilling to support Moore in his quest to be a senator. Most evangelicals will not vote for pro-abortion candidates like Jones and they will not permit themselves to vote for someone like Roy Moore.

Roy Moore did not make his case much easier for evangelicals with a conscience. The elections witnessed a number of allegations against the GOP candidate for his predatory behavior. Fundamentalist voters were actively courted. The Republican did dog whistle publicity which came in proximity to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism. All of these served as multiple nails in the coffin of the myth of so-called US Christianity.

Moore’s career itself is supported by an extremely narrow comprehension of ‘traditional values’. The latter is tightly enmeshed with fictional American patriotism. This showed in a blatant ugly manner when Moore hung in 1993 a Ten Commandments plaque behind his bench. An objection by a defendant to its presence and the then Judge’s habit of beginning every session with a prayer led to an ACLU investigation. The latter in 1994 sent their representative to the Moore court so that the person could record the piety proceedings. Although Moore agreed at first to the proceedings, he later branded the investigation as an intimidation tactic. This was the first step as his contrived identity of being a God’s warrior in contrarian causes. His tactics brought publicity. Moore won a re-election in 1994.

For all his piety, Moore was twice removed from the bench due to ethical violations. The problem is that such activities have only helped him to up his status among the religious right and evangelicals. His actions have only contributed to the destruction of real American Christianity.