[lit-ideas] Re: Religion and politics
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:02:04 -0700
Nonsense Veronica. Christian Fundamentalists do not intrude themselves into
public policy decisions. They voice their opinions. No one is even
campaigning for a Christian position since Falwell died. Most of them believe
fervently in the separation of church and state like the rest of us. Most of
them, if they are hard-core Fundamentalists, won’t run for office because “the
time is near.”
The Muslim Fundamentalists on the other hand do not believe in the separation
of church and state. The verb “intrude” isn’t applicable to what happens
there. It is all of a piece.
So yes the article is attacking Christian Fundamentalism by making an egregious
comparison to Islamism.
Okay, since religion is fair game in your view and you worry about the extent
to which Sarah Palin’s Assemblies of God pastor influenced her, let’s move over
to Obama and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I’ve met a lot of AOG pastors and
none of them have frightened me, but Jeremiah Wright is downright spooky – and
Obama said Wright was his mentor – until all the media attention caused Obama
to leave his church.
Palin: Abstract term: Christian Fundamentalism: Debatable specifics: opposes
abortion, smut, and gay marriage
Obama: Abstract term Wright’s Christianity: Debatable specifics: his racist
hatred of white people, his belief in conspiracy theories such as that White
People invented AIDs to kill Black People, his anti-Americanism
Which form of Christianity seems most frightening when you think of it
influencing the President of the U.S.?
Lawrence Helm
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Veronica Caley
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 7:23 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Religion and politics
I am afraid I don't exactly get it. When I read Juan Cole I did not see it as
an attack on Palin's or anyone else's attack on Christianity. What I did get
out of it, which is beyond argument as it's factual, that fundamentalists,
Christian and Muslim, intrude themselves into public policy decisions to make
all of us live by their religious rules. One dies when God decides, not when
one decides one has suffered enough. So the law in Oregon re right to die with
dignity be damned. When one is raped, no morning after pill or abortion for
you. Pregnancy centers for unwanted pregnancies to be carried to term, but
shortly after, the baby and mother are on their own. This is a good thing
among Christians I guess, because among Muslims they either marry the girl or
kill her for a lot less.
My other point is that what difference does it make that Juan Cole is, or used
to be, a B'ahai? Or is it that they are not war like. According to them, all
religions and founders of religions are right and people ought to at least make
a little effort to try to establish some sort of peace. But then, what would
happen to our warrior class or our military industrial complex that absorbs
thousands of scientists, hundreds of billions of dollars and bleeds our society
from one war after the next. I am not a pacifist, but at some point it seems
like enough is enough.
Please excuse any possible spelling errors. I have some kind of new Microsoft
virus protection and if I try to spell check, it asks me if I want to
substitute a French word for the English one. Microsoft says they are working
on the problem. Kafka at work here?
Veronica
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