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Joe Campbell writes:<br><br><pre>"I have problems, too, with otherwise well meaning<br>liberals/progressives whose eyes gloss over when issues of religions<br>come up, who put all religions in the same pile because they haven't<br>given the matter a lot of thought . . ."<br><br>I couldn't agree more, and that weak, pallid "tolerance" of bad behavior borne of <br>disdain for religion is largely responsible for the flourishing of religious bigotry<br>on the Palouse.<br><br>Excellent point, Joe. <br><br>Keely<br></pre><font style="" color="#8064a2"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><font style="" face="Verdana">www.keely-prevailingwinds.com<br></font></font></font><br><br><br><br>> Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:09:01 -0700<br>> From: philosopher.joe@gmail.com<br>> To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Subject: [Vision2020] Postcardgate: final thoughts<br>> <br>> I feel bad about my initial post, copying the words of Lloyd Knerr,<br>> the Pastor at Bouma's Freeze Church, and turning them back on the<br>> folks at Freeze Church. This is the kind of thing that works well if<br>> you're commenting on a philosophy paper but not so well if you're<br>> talking in an open forum about someone's religious beliefs. I'll just<br>> say a few more things to set the record straight and then I'll go back<br>> into exile since I'm up to my neck in work and the real reason for my<br>> initial post was to avoid doing it.<br>> <br>> 1/ I apologize if I offended anyone from Freeze Church. I don't think<br>> being a member of Freeze Church or Christ Church or whatever -- that<br>> is, a church with a dogmatic pastor who disrespects all religious<br>> views other than those like his own -- makes one unfit for office, or<br>> an otherwise bad person. I really don't mean anything against the<br>> members of those churches and if their pastors would stop talking, so<br>> would I. Most of those folks are likely decent human beings, Bouma<br>> included. Of course, not all the members of these churches are decent<br>> human beings but that's true of all churches. If all you know is Mr. X<br>> is a member of Church Y, in general, that's not enough to pass<br>> judgment on Mr. X.<br>> <br>> 2/ I think in general it is inappropriate to ask a political candidate<br>> about his religious beliefs. It is irrelevant whether Obama is a<br>> Muslim or Bouma is a Christian, for instance. Many Republicans are<br>> hypocritical since they say the former is relevant yet the latter is<br>> irrelevant and that kind of hypocrisy drives me up the wall. Note,<br>> however, that I said it is "in general" inappropriate. When the pastor<br>> of your church claims that Mormons who say they believe in God are<br>> liars and you are a candidate for state senate and have not spoken out<br>> against your idiotic pastor, it is perfectly appropriate to ask<br>> whether or not you share those beliefs. Bouma is way off base by not<br>> talking about this issue. I think that people are right to draw the<br>> conclusion that he does share those beliefs and if he doesn't, he<br>> should set the record straight. If you go to a church that practices<br>> hate speech and then run for election, you should expect some fallout.<br>> <br>> 3/ The Bouma postcard is a sleazy campaign trick, up there with the<br>> Christ Church bigot sign (followed by similarly slimy letters to the<br>> editor from GMA leadership) and the 11th hour, slimy letters to the<br>> Daily News editor that cost Gary Schroader the last election. But one<br>> important difference is that NO ONE thought the postcards were real.<br>> The postcards were a clear parody. That doesn't justify the postcards<br>> but to say this stunt was worse than the other crap I noted is absurd.<br>> <br>> 4/ I consider myself to be very religious, though currently I don't<br>> belong to any particular denomination. I have a problem with calling<br>> myself a "Christian" since most Christians don't speak out against the<br>> current dogmatic, overly political form of Christianity that is<br>> practiced in our country. And getting worse by the day. I don't have a<br>> problem with Christ but unfortunately his name has been co-opted by<br>> people who are either power hungry or have nothing going for them but<br>> the fear of death.<br>> <br>> 5/ I have problems, too, with otherwise well meaning<br>> liberals/progressives whose eyes gloss over when issues of religions<br>> come up, who put all religions in the same pile because they haven't<br>> given the matter a lot of thought. Other than a steadfast belief in<br>> God, the only religious view I hold firmly is that of religious<br>> skepticism: No one knows jack about the matter. Not Christians, not<br>> Jews, not Mormons, not atheists. If you think otherwise, contact me<br>> offlist, we'll have a conversation and I'll show you that you're<br>> wrong.<br>> <br>> We all, or most of us at least, have our opinions about religion and<br>> most religious views should be respected. Most but not all. Which<br>> ones, you might ask? The ones that respect the others. The clearest<br>> indication of whether or not your religious view is acceptable is<br>> whether you allow others the right to hold their views on the matter.<br>> For this reason I have an intolerance for those who group all<br>> religions together, whether they think ALL religions are irrational,<br>> or ALL religious topics are off base, or ALL questions about a<br>> candidates religious beliefs are off limits. Not all religions are the<br>> same. Some are dangerous and some are not in keeping with the basic<br>> tenets of our democracy. I understand that well meaning<br>> liberals/progressives find the topics difficult to speak about but<br>> that is precisely why so many power hungry people have been able to<br>> exploit the general fear of death and use religion for their own<br>> profit and political gain. That is why we are in such a mess. Better<br>> to talk about the issues in public in the uncomfortable, clumsy way<br>> that I've been doing than to remain silent and let lunatics run the<br>> asylum. We need to talk more about religion, not less.<br>> <br>> 6/ I'm relatively certain that most of you don't give a rip about what<br>> I think but I had to get this off my chest.<br>> <br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>> http://www.fsr.net <br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> =======================================================<br> </body>
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