Anthony Petro After The Wrath Of God Analysis

After the Wrath of God demonstrates that, following the culture wars of the 1960s and 1970s, American religious groups used the AIDS crisis to promote Christian morality. Anthony Petro argues that Christians who feared the downfall of American morality painted AIDS as an “epidemic [that] provided divine evidence for God’s sexuality morality” (197). Petro’s focus on anti-gay religion during the first 15 years of the AIDS crisis, unfortunately, takes attention away from figures who had a positive approach to AIDS, such as Southern Baptists who “presented accurate…medical facts” (38-9). By concentrating on evangelical and Catholic “actors and organizations that exerted national influence,” Petro aims to tell the story of religious reactions to AIDS outside of the Christian Right (16). …show more content…
Petro’s deconstruction of morality, citizenship, and religion is After the Wrath of God’s most instructive section. Through Foucauldian theory, Petro explains that American evangelical and Catholic groups regarded morality as “a standard…defined in advance [which] people are measured against,” such as biblical morality, …show more content…
It easily communicates the origins of religious ideas regarding sexuality and morality, and the growth of religion in American politics (both conservative and liberal). Anthony Petro demonstrates that evangelicals and Catholics ignored health in order to promote their ideas of morality, while AIDS activists fought for inclusion and acceptance. The position of these religious leaders, whether in government or the church, allowed their arguments to influence American ideas of morality; ideas that are still prevalent