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

Young Earth Creationism

[lametiger.livejournal.com]

"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 . . ."

It would presumably also surprise you that there are a number of PhD holders in the physical sciences who also believe in a young earth, not only in the US, but in Britain as well. I happen to believe, as they do, that the actual scientific evidence has a better fit with the time frame suggested by a literal reading of the OT history than with the time periods required for the standard evolutionary hypotheses. I do not have the time right now to detail all the arguments, and they are readily available online anyway. You owe it to your own intellectual honesty to check out what is available from the Institute for Creation Research, the Creation Research Association, and other similar organizations. These are not naive rubes, but people highly qualified in scientific thought and research.

[johncwright.livejournal.com]

"It may have struck some of my conservative friends that I recently posted rather a lot of critical items. ..I ... cannot find a home in what now passes for the left... But all the same, the longer I for one spend time with conservatives ... the more aware I become of things that I simply cannot accept."

This will sound odd indeed coming from me, but take as a statement against self-interest: but I agree with you.

The things that are admirable on the Left, such as concern for the poor, the weak, the widow, the orphan, are admirable precisely because they accord with Christian teaching. Where the Left deviates from Christian teaching, such as in areas of abortion, fornication, intoxication, and so on, not to mention simple honesty, is where they are less admirable. Likewise, the things intolerable on the Right, such as in areas of militarism, patriotism, capitalism and so on, not to mention simple honesty, are intolerable precisely where they cross Christian teaching on turning the other cheek, treating all men, Greek and Jew alike, as children of God, and recalling how hard it is for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle.

I humbly suggest that the right and left are prone to opposite errors, if not opposite sins, and it is precisely that opposition which makes the matter dangerous for the thoughtful Christian. C.S. Lewis once famously observed that the Devil sends sins into the world in flanking pairs, so that, by fleeing one, we fall into the other.

The opposition also tempts us to enmity with our friends, even those with whom we have more in common than we have that parts us.

You know that I do not think the simple right-to-left spectrum represents the real political views of the people I know, including me. That spectrum certainly does not represent the teachings of the holy Church.

Now that world markets are thrown into confusion, perhaps it is time to look again, with wide-awake eyes, at the ancient Christian and Jewish prohibition against lending money at interest. Whatever good or bad can be said about this rule, one can say this for such: a world economy propped up by overinflated fiat money credit could not have come about, had the rulers of our lands heeded the antique prohibition against usury.

[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.