Christian Unity Party (Sober Thought)

The Christian Unity Party of Sober Thought is a small tent party catering to staunch Christians who are also social conservatives. Christian Unionists all agree on provincial autonomy, social conformity and getting back to the Bible. Unfortunately, their mutual understanding of what the latter means is very weak.

This is reflective of the fact that members of the Christian "Unity" Party all come from differing threads of fundamentalist thought. So devout chronology-challenged Orthodox, mackerel-snappingCatholics and snake-handling Pentecostals can all subscribe to the party platform while denouncing each others' practices as incompatible with that very same platform. This is graphically (un)illustrated by the party logo: After much discussion behind the scenes and on the convention floor, the party finally agreed to accept a cross as the party's logo. However, the design was not specified, most Catholics preferring a what they call a Christian cross with a gruesome Biblical depiction of the wounds of Jesus, most evangelical Protestants and many charismatic Catholics preferring an unadorned Christian cross, and conservative Eastern Orothodox one depiction or another of the Greek cross (more moderate ones preferring a what they call a Latin cross [the very same one their Western tradition colleagues call simply 'Christian'] to avoid schism with the Eastern tradition). To further complicate matters, those of the Anglican Communion were so hopelessly divided that they could not make a decision between High Church worshipers who favouring a more stylized version of the Catholics' Christian cross, [Anglicans

Such a schizophrenic state of affairs leads some to label the party as a no tent party instead.

There are only two pro-religious parties the CUP could even theoretically develop ties with: Rural Alliance and the Conservative Party. The former is closest in outlook, differing mainly on the intensity of devotion and the importance of wordly affairs. However, a coalition of the second and third least represented parties hardly constitutes a parliamentary powerhouse. As far as individual Christian Unionists go, the only party likely to attract defectors in any numbers is the RA -- which itself is in danger of being absorbed or eclipsed by the Conservatives.

Christian Unionists also accept the platitudes and good wishes offered by the big-tent Conservatives, but wonder quietly and sometimes not so quietly why the latter don't follow through with Bible-based responses (often found in the [Book of Leviticus]) to government issues. Naturally, the moderate Conservatives are reluctant to associate with the reactionary Unionists who are prone to publicly condemning homosexuals, apostates, divorcees and uppity women, but sometimes they really need CUP votes to govern. Even at the price of only one vice ministry, the cost of power is high.