Bush's seclarist triumph

Slate ^ | Nov 9, 2004 | Christopher Hitchens

[Darkwolf377]

It takes Hitchens and Tom Wolfe--formerly two of the most respected writers by the Left--to show the truth: This isn't about Christians or Evangelicals--it's about believers vs. non-believers.

I'm an agnostic who has always argued with my fellow non-believers that their hatred of religion makes as much sense as being against morality or ethics. Religion is a framework for morality. The Left disdains such "chidlish" notions.

Hope you enjoy being on the outside looking in, Dems!

[OldFriend]

It's about the Ten Commandments.

The left did all in their power to removed the Tablets from the public square but they're here in our hearts, alive and well.

[sarasotarepublican]

The Ten Commandments, if followed, would eliminate the need for courts, jails, and lawyers. What a beautiful world it would be.

[annyokie]

I'm a believer and I respect your agnosticism. I had my favorite brainy priest tell me that there are a number of doubters in the clergy. Not shocking to me (it was a private conversation) but if one is sequestered in a monostary one has a great deal of time to dwell on the subject.

[Zechariah_8_13]

George Bush may subjectively be a Christian, but he—and the U.S. armed forces—have objectively done more for secularism than the whole of the American agnostic community combined and doubled. The demolition of the Taliban, the huge damage inflicted on the al-Qaida network, and the confrontation with theocratic saboteurs in Iraq represent huge advances for the non-fundamentalist forces in many countries. The "antiwar" faction even recognizes this achievement, if only indirectly, by complaining about the way in which it has infuriated the Islamic religious extremists around the world. [i]But does it accept the apparent corollary—that we should have been pursuing a policy to which the fanatics had no objection?[/i]

thanks for the article.

[Steve_Seattle]

Hitchens is saying this is about a Christianity that has made an uneasy-but-workable peace with secularism and pluralism, and an Islam which is committed to a rigid, intolerant theocracy, murderous of anyone who disageees. Hitchens admits that he does and will continue to disagree with conservative christians on a host of social issues, but that there is a difference of night-and-day between conservative Christians and the Islamists, both in their goals and in their methods. And Hitchens points out that the liberal hatred of Christianity is so undisciplined and silly that it makes them side with the immeasurably worse forces of radical Islam.

[Pitiricus]

It's a wonderful article... Thank you for posting it...

[Paradox]

I would only say that, if Bin Laden had issued a tape that with equal fealty followed the playbook of Karl Rove (and do please by all means cross yourself at the mention of this unholy name), it might have garnered some more attention.

ROFL! This guy is hysterical!

[Nice50BMG]

I haven't heard any of the major pundits saying it, so when you hear them... just remember to credit me...

"Bush won the Cold War against the 1960's hippies".

He beat the coiffed hippie from Boston. He beat the SF Pelosi hippie crowd. He beat the snot out of all the hippie issues. They say "make love not war" and the American people say they're wrong. The country gets it. It was a major defeat against the leftist, secular-humanist, atheist, amoral whiners in this country.

The 60's hippie era is officially over. The geezers can retire, having accomplished nothing of value with their movement.

Just like it took the country 5 or 10 years to begin to realize what Reagan did... it will take a while to acknowledge Bush's victory over hippy-ism. Just remember... you read it here first.

[OldFriend]

Which is why the leftists want the Ten Commandments removed from sight.

Turn us into the Soviet Union, heaven forbid.

[xzins]

The seclarists will have fun with the nukewlars. :>)

[dead]

Great stuff from Hitchens. Bump!

[CaptainK]

Christopher Hitchens has caught hell from his former friends on the left and it doesn't seem to be slowing him down.

[My2Cents]

Hitchens seems to feed on the controversy he stirs. That's fine with me. As an evangelical Christian, one of my main reasons for voting for Bush was the "values thing," but my biggest reason was the war on terror. Trying times requires strange alliances, but I'm glad to be able to consider Hitchens an ally on the biggest issue of the day.

[HardStarboard]

Free Canadian Maps for Liberals!

[jennyp]

Hitchens admits that he does and will continue to disagree with conservative christians on a host of social issues, but that there is a difference of night-and-day between conservative Christians and the Islamists, both in their goals and in their methods. And Hitchens points out that the liberal hatred of Christianity is so undisciplined and silly that it makes them side with the immeasurably worse forces of radical Islam.

I'm with Hitch on this. The left is divorced from reality because their whole moral philosophy is based on collectivism.

Moral collectivism is very alluring to some, but it fails utterly here in the real world. Eventually if you're a moral collectivist, you have to come to terms with that. At this point some people give up their collectivist ideology. But others choose to chuck the notion of objective truth itself so that they can hold on to their collectivist beliefs. And that's the left today.

[Darkwolf377]

"I had my favorite brainy priest tell me that there are a number of doubters in the clergy."

The important thing is that they want to believe and are on a journey toward belief. Nobody's perfect, but as long as they keep at it.

[annyokie]

Of course! I was quite pleased with his honesty about how we all doubt. I haven't been to church in years and intend to keep it that way. That's not a virtue, of course, but I can't take the hypocrisy of the flock anymore.

[My2Cents]

Faith may be real, but it's not deep unless it's been tested. No believer should be afraid to doubt. It's when doubt becomes a chronic intellectual play thing that it become corrosive.