Hair-raising

[fpb]

I read this article, and could not believe my eyes. http://townhall.com/Columnists/FrankPastore/2008/10/07/sarah_palin,_matt_damon,_dinosaurs_and_%e2%80%9cdivine_deception%e2%80%9d?page=full&comments=true It is apparently possible in the USA to have postgraduate degrees in both Political Science and Theology and still believe in the fable of a Young Earth (in other words, in creationism in its most idiotic form) and have one's view published in supposedly respectable conservative fora.

That being the case, it becomes easier to understand why all the lies against Sarah Palin have gained so much credibility. They are wrong about her, but the type that generated them really does exist. Unless the conservative environment does something to rid itself of this kind of member, they will go on poisoning their image with the rest of the world. It is no damn good to keep harping on the fact that fifty years ago, Bill Buckley refused the John Birch Society a place in his movement, if this sort of thing is allowed now.

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It may have struck some of my conservative friends that I recently posted rather a lot of critical items. The reason for this is fairly simple. I and people like me cannot find a home in what now passes for the left - a grouping that betrayed its own roots in the working classes, that has forgotten its own values and reason to exist, and that has become a herald of mere antinomianism. We have obviously many more things in common with most of today's conservatives, beginning with the assumption that permanent values exist. But all the same, the longer I for one spend time with conservatives and in conservative environments, the more aware I become of things that I simply cannot accept. You may call this being independent, or being a candid friend. At any rate, if I have come here in order to keep my own view of right and wrong, it must be expected that I will not give it up only in order to stay here.

Comments

[8bitbard.livejournal.com]

I think a large part of it is demographics - creationism is very much "in the water" here; millions of Americans believe in it and most of them are conservative given modern liberalism's attitudes towards religion. So to openly denounce creationism risks pissing off millions of potential supporters. I wish I knew what could be done about it - it seems to be getting worse, rather than better, considering that it's now affecting Catholics. http://ncrcafe.org/node/2122
Depressingly, my own parents seem like they might be falling for it of late, given how they reacted to the buzz around Ben Stein's "Expelled" (which I have not seen, but I don't like what I've read about it). My dad told me that he had been listening to a spot on a radio show about the movie, and yelled "You fucking whore!" at a woman who called in to criticize it. He seemed to think himself a real comedian for doing so. Granted I didn't hear what the woman said - she could have been bashing theism itself - but still. I'm going to have to confront them about this sooner or later, but I'm not looking forward to it.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Quote Pius XII and John Paul II. Yes, I found it among Catholics, too.

[8bitbard.livejournal.com]

Will do. I know they'd stated in the past that they didn't have a problem with evolution. I think there's a lot of cultural pressure for adherents of traditional religious beliefs to hold evolution in at least some suspicion, regardless of what their religions actually say, and that my parents' change in attitudes is evidence of that.

One aspect of this trend that I find particularly disturbing is the (as far as I can see) growing view that holding pro-life positions makes one creationist by association. Maybe this is a longstanding thing, but I've only really noticed in in the last couple of years.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

That sounds like complete nonsense. It certainly is not the case among anti-abortionists in Italy and Britain. If you want the name of a prominent Catholic writer who is also a sworn enemy of what he calls "counterknowledge", Damian Thompson is one. Here are his blogs: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson, about religion, and http://www.counterknowledge.com/, against "counterknowledge" - which I call superstition. I find his ritualism annoying, but there can be no doubt that he is on the right side. Another conservative writer, though I think not Catholic, who is also a sworn opponent of superstition, is Charles Johnson of LIttlegreenfootballs. I mention these names so you do not have to feel quite alone in your position. As for the Papal pronouncements on evolution, the most important is Pope John Paul's 1996 speech to the Pontifical Academy of Science. It is available on the Internet in English in various places (the original speeck was given in French), of which this is one: http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_jp02tc.htm. This is a pronouncement of considerable weight: it is not exactly magisterial, not being given in an Encyclical, but it is the next best thing, and it is a very serious matter for a Catholic to reject it. At the very least, they ought to have extremely good reasons; and we should remember that Catholics are not allowed to raise their own reading of the Bible against the Pope or Holy Tradition, which might be expected to know more about it.

[8bitbard.livejournal.com]

I hope I didn't give the impression that it's something I've seen among pro-lifers - I've seen it mostly as a guilt by association tactic among pro-choicers around my own age (twentysomethings). Hopefully I'm overestimating my own experience.

Thanks for the links, I'm about to go to bed but I will read them tomorrow.