Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Dobson's Fear & Fearful Theology and Sharpton's Pithy Comeback

I agree with Andrew Sullivan - Dobson's ridiculousness is a HUGE gift to Obama, and calling attention to Obama's intelligent approach that will be a game changer with respect to church and state.

In the set up piece, I honestly did not understand the comment of a "neutral" observer that Obama's religion doesn't match his policies. I had no idea where the disconnect was. I saw beautiful harmony. I only later realized that's because the moron assumes that if you're religious you can't possible believe that homosexuals deserve to be loved no less than anyone else or that you can be pro-choice. He'd completely bought into the perversions of the religious right.

Someone sent me today this quote:
St. Anselm described this beginning as faith seeking understanding. He wrote: I do not seek to understand so that I may then be­lieve, but I be­lieve in order that I may truly understand.
Inherent in that approach is a humility, sadly lacking by many of faith. Not my faith.

Best quote of the night: Al Sharpton last night on CNN's Anderson Cooper's 360:
I may think what you do Anderson is going to put you in hell. But I'm going to defend your right to get there.
He went on to add that he, Sharpton, can't force him to heaven, legislating him to heaven rather than converting him.

That's a pithy summary of the difference between right wing and left wing religious approach to civic life.

Sullivan again: But no one should be in any doubt: Dobson is afraid. And he should be.

Here's Sullivan's take on what Obama is up to:
this pushback against the extreme of the right is an enormously important project - central to Obama's promise to get us past the hideous cultural deadlock of the past two decades. Obama is as productive to this debate as Bush was toxic. And what Obama is doing - whether he intends to or not - is to open space within conservatism for the kind of reasoned, limited government, pragmatic conservatism that we badly need to revive.
The speech Dobson is reacting to has been much analyzed and commented. I'm most familiar with E.J. Dionne's.

It's all good.

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