Theidiots. It's a disparaging term, to be sure, but one that includes two basic elements of the religious right: theocrats, for its longing to turn America into a Christian nation, and idiots, founded on its narrow-minded lack of common sense. Another option might be Godmatics, an anagram of dogmatics but also a word that brings to mind the image of an automaton God.
George Scileppi
Glendale, California
Tomas de Torquemada, the ruthless grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, once observed, "When you are sure you are right, you have a moral obligation to impose your will on anyone who disagrees with you." It's only fitting, then, that those who wish to champion his philosophy also bear his name: the Torquemadans.
Fred Leonard
Bethesda, Maryland
In "The True Believer," Eric Hoffer correctly observes that the far right and the far left have more in common with each other than with the rest of us. So how about a name for everyone else? I suggest the 96 Percent Fanatic Free.
Dennis Williamson
White River Junction, Vermont
The Ebullitionists, borrowed from Attorney General Edward Bates, who wrote at the end of the Civil War: "When the public cauldron is heated into violent ebullition, it is sure to throw up from the bottom some of its dirtiest dregs. Once boiled up to the top they expand into foam and froth and dance frantically before the gaping crowd."
Jack Millis
Langlois, Oregon
The Squirrel Rabble, because they not only bite the hand that feeds them, they bite any hand. They're also nuts.
H. Forest
Tempe, Arizona
Moreholies. Note that this entry describes the logic of most of the religious right's arguments: The more holy they claim to be, the more holes in their logic.
David Cohen
Shaker Heights, Ohio
With the religious right focusing on ridding the Internet of "indecency," how about a slogan from someone who feels that these herds of Religious Sheep should get the flock out of cyberspace?
John Pritchett
San Diego, California
Your contest reflects the same concern I felt when a fundamentalist church in San Diego decided to "witness" in lesbian and gay neighborhoods by carrying signs proclaiming that "God Hates Fags" and "AIDS is God's Pest Control." I responded with posters that read "This neighborhood has been infested by Bible-thumpers who thrive on anger and media attention. Please don't feed the Fundies." Local gay newspapers now use that name to refer to any group that attempts to impose its will upon others.
M.L. San Blise
San Diego, California
I live on the front lines of the New Inquisition. The school board has a majority of religious right members. Ignoring the protests of parents, it has passed several resolutions to introduce a religious agenda into the schools. Any depiction of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle has been banned everywhere on school property, for instance. The idea of a morning prayer brought such heated opposition that the board backed down and called it a "moment of silence." The list goes on. While the idea of stirring up a hornet's nest by bringing a Playmate to a church social has some attraction, I think a better idea would be to have her distribute fact sheets about candidates near the polls on election day. That would sure get the "apathetic" 18-to-24-year-old vote out!
Scott Babb
Merrimack, New Hampshire
