the lonely Democrat

It's so strange to me that the more rural parts of the country are becoming more conservative all the time. I'm a country girl at heart, and to me democrats are working to preserve the environment, and combat urban sprawl, thereby preserving open spaces. Though I did read an article in the Washington Post or Guardian (I can't recall which) where they said that anti-urban sprawl legislation sometimes makes land more expensive and causes other problems when folks in the country want to own their own house and yard. But the greater mystery is how the spin-wizards of the right have made the republican party the party of religion. As a deeply religious person, I am shocked and awed (yeah I said that on purpose, sue me) to see my religion used as a justification for bigotry, unfairness, and even violence. And many liberals seem perfectly comfortable to see this tie between Christianity and ultra-conservatism made. I was at a party on Tuesday night, and I was one of the few "believers" there (at least one of the few that spoke up) as the politically-liberal partygoers discussed the disbanding of Christianity altogether, or having the more conservative and religious South and Midwest secceed (bad spelling), and allow the urban coastal areas to progress as they wish. But I don't believe a society can exsist without the tradition-upholding, value-minded people, any more than it can progress without the rebellious, forward-thinking movers and shakers. I think we need each other! But we don't see eye to eye, especially on issues like gay marriage and abortion. As someone who fits both in the traditional and rebellious categories (conservative lifestyle, liberal beliefs) I feel really isolated sometimes.......my liberal friends don't understand my reliance on faith, thinking it's wrapped up in guilt and duty like some churches preach it - and my religious friends find many of my more progressive beliefs heretical.
The problem with bigotry is that it's easier to see others' than your own. For instance, you can look at a confederate-flag-waving pick-up-truck-driving guy who lives out in the middle of nowhere, and decry his racism, and in the same breath call him white trash. I guess I'm just shocked to see the same level of ignorance in the supposedly educated cities, as there is in the country. And the same kind of us-vs.-them mentality!! As I told a guy at the party, you're looking at the world from the far right's perspective, when you lump all people of faith into a conservative column. It just plays into their plan to divide and conquer, when you say that we should just disengage from those who disagree.