Religion

Many argue that religious people are hypocritical when they support an adulterous politician. This chapter examines the religious and moralistic rhetoric often featured in sex scandals to show that such rhetoric is more about creating a particular type of society than about embracing exceptional, transcendent, moral ideals. To do this, the chapter first shows how a functionalist perspective on religion and morality lets us better see their tangible social impact. Second, it discusses how “hypocrisy” is a common feature of all social groups, religions included. Finally, it explores how much of the legacy of religious (and specifically evangelical) rhetoric in American public speech is read by the public as a seemingly “neutral” moral position, but one that endorses specific types of power. To exemplify the impact of religious speech in a sex scandal, a case study compares the scandals of Mark Foley and Roy Moore.