- Does religious belief undermine one’s ability to think critically? I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it must, but Stupid Evil Bastard has a great example of how it can happen.
- Steven Waldman’s essay “The Framers and the Faithful” cogently points out that both the Founding Fathers and evangelical Christians of the period were in agreement that separation of church and state was an essential principle:
Indeed, the one group that would almost certainly oppose the views of 21st-century evangelicals are the 18th-century evangelicals. John Leland was no anomaly. In state after state, when colonists and Americans met to debate the relationship between God and government, it was the proto-evangelicals who pushed the more radical view that church and state should be kept far apart. Both secular liberals who sneer at the idea that evangelicals could ever be a positive influence in politics and Christian conservatives who want to knock down the “wall” should take note: It was the 18th-century evangelicals who provided the political shock troops for Jefferson and Madison in their efforts to keep government from strong involvement with religion. Modern evangelicals are certainly free to take a different course, but they should realize that in doing so they have dramatically departed from the tradition of their spiritual forefathers.
And two books of note:
- The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster sets out the tenets of the fast-growing religion also known as Pastafarianism. It’s at least as good an explanation for the origin of life as that upstart "intelligent design". Jim Wynne reviews.
- 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Fight the Right is a tutorial on the fine art of countering the radical right horseshit being spewed by the lapdog media, and getting real political debate underway. Hat tip to Daily Kos.
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May 17th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Capt. Rational
I think we should build a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster statue in the lobby of the Supreme Court, since, ya know, separation of church and state is just a myth.
May 20th, 2006 at 9:26 am
Cao
Yep, and Meatball’s ‘truth telling’ is also a myth.
He’s a legend in his own mind.
Hey. I need a dollar!