-Us Liberals and Progressives always take it on the chin. We're always on the defensive. Our side still believes that people are fundamentally reasonable and that the evidence speaks for itself. The reactionary Right doesn't give a damn about evidence or rationality. The Right values loyalty, and loyalty to tribe above all else. They have no qualms about stroking resentments, and blowing dog-whistles that appeal to people's petty bigotries, anything to draw that bright clear line between Us and Them.
-The (self declared) enemies of the Episcopal Church always beat it over the head with its declining membership statistics from the last 40 years. Whole stadiums full of people have disagreed with me, and that didn't change my mind. If we really followed the idea that the majority is always right, then Barabbas would be the Messiah.
-I think the Christian religion is in decline in this country because so many people see it as the Republican Party at prayer. I wonder how many of the formerly churched left the religion because their beliefs about God really changed, and how many left because they were tired of being told how to vote from the pulpit. Just as the Right claims a copyright on patriotism, so they've also trademarked piety.
For all their self-proclaimed machismo, rightwingers are such chicken-shits. They occasionally visit my blog with anonymous drive-bys, sometimes on posts that haven't been visible for months.
ReplyDeleteThank God for Blogger's new Delete and Spam functions for comments. If they're not going to stand by their own comments, then I see no reason to publish them. So, out they go.
If we really followed the idea that the majority is always right, then Barabbas would be the Messiah.
ReplyDeleteMade.Of.WIN!!! (May steal this.)
Related thought in a long and challenging article by klady:
ReplyDeleteThe demographic trends, however suggest that the decline in numbers and influence among the mainline churches is not so much because of any declining religiosity in the general population but rather because of dramatic changes in the social environment that have largely removed the non-religious reasons for joining and attending church regularly. It may be that the "spiritual but not religious" types were always around in larger numbers than we might imagine, but they once had compelling reasons to warm the pews on a regular basis, as well as a more positive view of religious institutions and religious people.