From time to time Wonks Anonymous is foolish enough to answer the door to eager missionaries from the local Alameda Christian Center. Now, since these fine folks want the schools to protect their kids right to harass kids who do not meet their gender standards, the conversation is usually short.

Go away, you hate my gay friends and if you knew me any better you'd hate me too.

To which the response is inevitably: We don't hate them. We love and forgive them. We are ready to accept them into our church if they repent their sins and join us.

Which sets Wonks Anonymous thinking about the fundamental dynamic of Christian though control. Which dynamic he is quite familiar with, having been raised in the bosom of the Mother of All Churches. That being The One, Holy, Catholic and Appalling Church.

Most Christian sects work like this: On the one hand you have the Bad Cop. That would be the Law of Moses, a bloody, intricate and oppressive tribal code dating back to the more barbarous currents of the stone ages. On the other hand you have the Good Cop. That would be the impossibly sweet Jesus who knows you are a sinner and stands ready to forgive all of your past and future sins. Provided you buy in to the essential justice and righteousness of the laws of Moses.

Because the Law, in all of its variants, is impossible for any natural human being to follow we are all sinners, lower than dirt and living in fear of an angry God. Which tempts the more sensible young believers to follow Huck Finn and decide: Well, I guess I'll just go to hell then.

Except that Jesus stands ready to forgive you and bring you back into the fold. Provided that you make every effort to behave like a good little sheep. Which means going to Church events, voting for candidates backed by the Church and making lots of contributions to whatever priesthood happens to run your particular sect. Did I mention that you also have to buy in to the whole law thing and tell yourself and everyone else that you are a horrible sinner?

Nothing like self loathing to make folks docile.

If this improved human behavior it might be justifiable but, because the law is fundamentally opposed to most human impulses, people never really learn to integrate their instincts into personal and social relationships. They try to follow the rigid rules, they fall into "sin", beg forgiveness and try again. Naturally the sin is often spectacular and destructive. The rigid and unnatural "goodness" is always deadly and damaging.