Bravo Clearly explains our country’s position on church and state per the founders And cuts the new so called speaker who should know about separation of church and state down to size on his backhanded bill
Bravo Clearly explains our country’s position on church and state per the founders And cuts the new so called speaker who should know about separation of church and state down to size on his backhanded bill
Both church and state are corrupted when single-minded religious groups capture the civil powers of the state or when those entrusted with powers to defend all of the people misuse them to serve a personal or factional ideology. The Enlightenment mindset of the founders, while inadequate to recognize the equal rights of race and gender, still managed to legitimize and further a foundation for universal rights, which many still fight to expand today. Their acquaintance with advances in scientific thinking prized legitimacy established by testable logic and evidence, not prophecy. They did not reject individual faith in religion, but ruled it out as a basis for deciding matters of state that would require independent verification, such as guilt or innocence in a trial. The outcomes of theocratic governance can be observed throughout the world, and throughout history and can be compared to the outcomes of religiously tolerant, yet secularly governed societies. I know which option I would choose.
The Founding Fathers were well aware of the Crusades and the religious wars that had wracked Europe for the preceding 150 years. They probably knew about some of the tortures that Tomás de Torquemada (the Inquisition) inflicted upon "heretics," and the witch trials in the colonies. They knew that religion was a serious threat to the state. Moving forward, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini were all raised as Roman Catholics. It could merely be coincidental, but given that six of our Supreme Court Justices are Roman Catholic, I have little confidence that they can keep religion and despotic inclinations out of their decisions. I feel fairly confident that Speaker Mike Johnson has no problem with the concept that "the end justifies the means." What if Johnson and the MAGA Republicans simply shut down the government by starving it?
Two reminders: President Joe Biden is Catholic. And a truly excellent example of one who walks the walk instead of just talking the talk, unlike the dictators previously mentioned in your examples of world leaders no one should seek to emulate regardless which religion they were raised in.
Second, Leonard Leo is neither clergy nor theologian. His dark-money machinations represent capitalism, not the Roman Catholic church. Leo’s outsize, evil affects on Supreme Court nominations are terrifying and are currently, finally under investigation by the Justice Department.
Has the Catholic Church produced more than its fair share of evil autocrats? Yes. But so have most major religions. Netanyahu is Jewish and not exactly a great example of a mensch. Iran’s Ayatollahs cause untold harm with their death chants. Religion is a human construct; therefore has all the same problems humans do.
Please be careful judging all Catholics by the behaviors of the rich, powerful, mentally-deranged white guys who try to burn the world down. Has little or nothing to do with being a person of faith.
When power, money and egos (pride) go so far off the rails as the radical right coalition of Catholics and fundamentalist Christians has gone, we need to call out even those members of the cult who merely do nothing and say little or nothing. At some point it is a choice and an action to fail to oppose wrongful use of power and influence; we are long past that point with both the Republican Party and the Catholic and fundamentalist Christian religions (all 3 of which are tightly wrapped together in the current courts and political structures). Because politicians, and citizens in general, do not read history - or read only an edited, distorted version of it - they fail to realize how much religion was intentionally excluded from the founding principles of the US by virtually all of the white men we now revere as Founding Fathers. With all due respect to those who consider themselves "persons of faith", religion, which is a human construct, has done more damage and caused more misery and suffering than any other force in human existence. It has no place in the secular legal, political and social management of a diverse and inclusive world, country, state, town or any other secular organization. Our country was founded by people who'd seen and escaped religious interference and intended to establish a democratic Republic free of its pernicious influence.
I just have to say, with all due respect, that fellowship and bonding with others for comfort has offered a huge space for those in need. Religion has been there to offer this. But, yes, separation between church and state here in the US was Madison's goal.
I don't think all churches and temples house cult and not all cults are religious, but all cults prohibit and often severely punish cross-examination of the cults precepts, in which I can find no legitimacy. If one's basis for faith is robust, it should be able to withstand questioning and scrutiny. I think that the beginning of wisdom and civility is acknowledgment that every single one of us is human, fallible, and obliged to make consequential decisions with the benefit of certainty.
Like all other human constructs of power it can be used for good or evil, it depends on who the people using it elevate to power.
Look at us now. We have a choice between a man filled with love or a man filled with hate, and so many want to give power to the man filled with hate. It’s always been up to us. Which wolf do we feed? There’s only one mothership for all of us.
Excellent points, Sheila. I didn't point out the atrocities perpetrated in the name of some of the other religions, Islam in particular. These religions are beliefs based on faith, which I define as the firm belief in the truth of something based on hope and conjecture. They have no facts to support their claims and reason is not on their side either. Our inability as a species in the generality to think critically, to get beyond our confirmation bias, to believe what we want to believe, costs us and the rest of the creatures that share this planet with us dearly.
Richard, I'd like to comment on your statement about the inability of humans as a species to think critically. I think the opposite - the ABILITY to think critically is inborn in most of us, but how to execute that ability must be taught by others who have learned from previous others, etc. As must refraining from squashing it in the young by people in positions of power or authority over them, whether parents, teachers, "spiritual leaders" (which are often nothing of the kind, IMO), governmental officials, the media, employers/bosses, etc. That ability can become a disability if discouraged and prevented and punished enough. And someone who's motivated to obtain power as a consequence of effectively squashing the critical thinking ability in others can and will do so -as we have seen. Sadly.
And I completely agree with your comment on the truth that all religions are based in fantasy and wishing, not on anything real. Maybe someday as a species we'll outgrow the need for a Big Daddy to reward the good guys and punish the bad guys, and so fear being a bad guy ourselves. I suppose it's possible to be spiritual, in the sense of having an awareness of being fully entitled to belong within and be a part of the entire cosmos, and appreciate that (like appreciating music, or nature, that can bring ecstasy or joy) without having to have faith in, or even believe in the existence of, some superpower - but that spirituality doesn't lead to power, and money, so it's not very popular, as far as I can see.
“As must refraining from squashing it in the young by people in positions of power or authority over them, whether parents, teachers, "spiritual leaders"…”
I think we all have, to varying degrees, inborn capacity to develop any of the traits that humans possess, but more than other animals(even though many animals do this a lot), our behaviors are learned from experience and each other. We also have advanced powers of self-reflection and empathy that serve us as a species. we also have a unique, individual experience and identity, the sense of "me", that we all need, but becomes toxic is "me" is ultimately all that we care about. Some people encourage mindfulness, while malignant narcissists often encourage self-serving self-absorption, and build cults around it.
Some of the gullibility could be cultural. Thomas Frank, in his book, "What's the Matter with Kansas," shows how the oligarchs use the promulgation of wedge issues through the media to persuade ordinary Americans to vote against their own best social and economic interests. How far down the income ladder must they plunge before catching on to the Pied-Piper play on them? The oligarchs really do intend to turn this government into an oligarchical autocracy. Who said it, "Total power corrupts totally?"
Lynn Spann Bowditch, you do seem to be telling of a belief in what I'd term "mono-atheism". To state my position, I see myself as religious but mistrust beliefs and belief systems, especially those grounded in blind faith. Not only the creeds required by Christian churches but various forms of inculcated irrationality, including scientism and blind faith in the deity of our time, money.
It is, of course, a common projection to imagine that others have beliefs while we... have Knowledge.
Going back to what I called mono-atheism, this seems on the face of it to be a variation on the endemic disease of the monotheist religions. The notion that there is One truth is unbelievably powerful and its political usefulness is evident... Thus, it can become correspondingly dangerous in the hands of anyone in a position of power who proclaims he possesses that one truth. Anyone, regardless of religious belief.
In Buddhism, the danger is when someone whose motivation is unsound has attained great powers of concentration. Witness the case of Ashin Wirathu in Burma: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30930997.
Some other examples of religious or pseudo-religious abuse:
The Japanese militarists created a synthetic religion called State Shinto, centered on the deified Emperor, a ritualization of Japan's supposed spiritual superiority that integrated all the most negative features of the warriors' code. Buddhism was downgraded and everyone was obliged to join in imperial rites.
By demonizing the huge Muslim population of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succeeded in hammering the immensely diverse communities, beliefs and philosophies that go under the single label "Hinduism" into something more like a solid mass.
Hitler achieved something similar by deforming the great diversity of the German-speaking peoples into a seemingly monolithic unit, the Herrenvolk, destined to dominate all lesser races and obliterate those whom the Fuehrer demonized, in particular Jews and Roma.
Stalin persecuted all religions without exception until the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, when he understood the need to draw on the ancient identification of Slavic peoples with Orthodoxy in the defense or Russia and Ukraine from Mongols and Tatars in the east and Catholic Poles and Teutonic Knights in the West.
'Even as President Biden presses Israel to define clearly the goals of its war against Hamas in Gaza, he is turning his eyes to a much larger endgame: the ever-elusive hope for a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.'
'Speaking to reporters last week, Mr. Biden said that “when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution,” creating a sovereign Palestinian nation alongside the state of Israel.'
'The question is how hard Mr. Biden intends to work for that outcome.'
'Until last month, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not among his top priorities. A president focused on countering China and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had little time or inclination for a distant goal that stymied — and politically bruised — several of his predecessors.'
'Biden administration officials also doubted whether Israel’s increasingly hawkish leadership was interested in any plausible deal. They also wondered whether the Palestinians would trust the United States as a peace broker after four years of the Trump administration’s dramatically pro-Israel tilt and a Trump peace plan that the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, excluded from its devising, declared dead on arrival.'
'Unlike his recent predecessors, Mr. Biden did not appoint a special envoy for Middle East peace or task his secretary of state with trying to forge an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, he focused on mediating a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, hoping to leverage Israeli concessions to the Palestinians along the way.'
“It was not a tier-one policy objective to solve this conflict,” 'said David Makovsky, a former peace process negotiator in the Obama administration.' “The goal was to stabilize, and not trying and failing a fifth time.”
'Mr. Biden did not follow through on his promise to reopen a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem.'
'But even modest efforts proved surprisingly difficult, and some analysts believe that Mr. Biden’s minimalist approach neglected the Palestinians. In particular, Palestinians had hoped Mr. Biden would reverse several Trump-era decisions that downgraded diplomatic ties with the Palestinians and loosened guardrails on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.'
'It wasn’t to be.'
'As a candidate, Mr. Biden promised to reopen the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Mr. Trump shuttered, kicking out Palestinian representatives from the nation’s capital. Mr. Biden never acted on the pledge.'
'Nor did he follow through on his promise as a candidate to reopen a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem — also shut down by Mr. Trump — that had long served as America’s local diplomatic point of contact for the Palestinians.'
'Many Palestinians also hoped that the United States under Mr. Biden would reinstate a State Department legal opinion declaring Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled the opinion, which had been in force for four decades. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has not moved to reverse it.' (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
Black journalist and writer Ta-Nehisi Coats delivered a complacency shattering interview on DemocracyNow.org in the second half of today's hour long news program.
None of us would want to miss it.
As for US envoys for Middle East peace, isn't it time to get the usual guardians of the tragic status quo out of the way and finally let a country with lived experience like Ireland or South Africa take the lead?
Shane, the usual "guardians of the tragic status quo" are also, in large part, the very creators and then perpetuators thereof. And yes, we - the US in particular - need to consent to being led for a change, and learn from the experience of others, such as and including Ireland and South Africa - not that there's entire peace in either of those places.
Coats was recently in occupied Palestine and applies his experience with race and discrimination to illuminate matters we have learned to ignore. We, of course, have for decades "adjusted to" excuses for bombing and occupation of country after country and our President has noted that arms production is a jobs program.
This is the problem of painting everyone with the same brush because of the behavior of certain individuals. Religion, like everything else, can be used for good or ill. I am currently, finally, reading Braiding Sweetgrass, where she talks constantly of a world view which sees natural world as a gift and a world view that sees everything as a commodity.
Sheila, Yes! Or listen to the author read it on the audio version. She has a hauntingly sweet voice. I listened to the book first, then went right out to buy the paperback so I could mark it up--then bought several copies to give away. It's a little costly, but worth it for special people!
Her father's morning coffee ritual reawakened my life of gratitude that had become dormant during the first year of the last administration.
I believe I recommended the book to this community some time ago now....
Michele, and everything in the natural world is sacred--whatever one's spirituality or religious beliefs happen to be.
Some Christians have forgotten (or ignored) this. They believe they have dominion over creation, instead of responsibility to care for it (and each other). Thus we have enslavement, abuse of animals, and raping the earth--In my opinion the Garden--all with the implied permission of their particular version of God in Genesis....
Yes. So many people have no respect for other people let alone the earth. I listen every day to drivers roaring up and down our street and street racing at night. We had one instance where late at night a person hit a pedestrian on a nearby street and put the body in his car and drove it out of town and it seems to me just left the car. He did get caught thankfully.
I think in the end we are all persons of some sort of faith, but not all of it is theological, and not all theological faith is authoritarian, but some if it is, and it seems to me no accident that the authoritarian strain of religious interpretation melds with coercion of authoritarian politics. It is the religious spin of those who aim to lord it over others. The other strain aims to liberate, which is the nemesis of authoritarians, and, as was the case for MLK, often met with violence. And not all violence is physical, it often takes the form of pernicious lies, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, that both harms directly and creates environments where material violence is likely to occur.
It seems that many self-proclaimed Christians despise the poorest, worship money and the most monied, and dream of executions and war, seemingly the very antipode of thoughts attributed to Jesus.
The wonderful thing is how these all-powerful church hierarchies produced so many truly great saints and such marvels as the great cathedrals. (Who today could even imagine such music in stone as Hagia Sofia or Amiens cathedral... Or, moving to Islam, the mosques of Iran and Central Asia?)
The hierarchy produced the funding; the stone masons and mosaic artists produced the timeless beauty. I would love to see those mosques in person; thank heavens for the internet so at least I can enjoy photos!
One of the things that fascinates me as an artist was the freemason movement. Was it a movement of well-trained artisans who trained the next generation of artisans so the Cathedrals could be completed? Or was it a political movement? How did those, whose skills gave them a passport to travel, including income and respect, become such a force in Europe? Learning from many cultures is a well-established method of breaking down barriers. Yet, the Catholic Church seeks to create barriers - as in our way or you will be outed as a (pagan, infidel, whore, witch, take your pick) and be stoned, othered, attacked, left to starve. How is that Christian, by the way?
And how many of the authors of the US Constitution were Masons?
The Roman Catholic Church’s history is bathed in blood. Yet my dad became a conscientious objector growing up in the Catholic Church. Why did he “get” it and someone like Brett Kavanaugh become a Supreme Court Justice? Feel like a toddler some days with the constant question why.
Our democracy has been deeply damaged by the actions of those who call themselves Christian, including Evangelicals and Catholics. And the guardrails separating church from state are badly battered. ! You guessed it; why do they do that?
A couple more modern day saints would be helpful. Like my colleagues in the climate movement.
Jennifer, for me, I think that they are so invested in what they want to believe, that they can't recognize the truth, i.e., facts. They have a huge blind spot. It is a common phenomenon among humans, very common. Belief in an afterlife is the prime example.
Reagan-Trump "Republicans" pretend to hate "government" while yet making it more intrusive and heavy-handed upon those not in their club. It's "government of the people, by the people, for the people" neo-"Republicans" have come to despise, as well as the common weal, and it is that they have consistently attacked and dismantled these four plus decades, (just count the ways) in a wealth-fueled quest to reestablish something harking to feudalism.
I’m going to quibble with you. Stalin was not raised Roman Catholic. He attended a Russian Orthodox academy.
Those leaders, like today’s evangelicals, perverted the teachings of the Church. Can you imagine what Jesus would think of the prosperity gospel folks? I’m pretty sure he’d throw them out of the temple, reminding them of camels and eyes of needles.
Me thinks we go through these periods to emphasize and move above the din.
Hopefully enlightenment vs WWIII.
Heather encapsulates with historic precision , her Letters ARE enlightenment . ( Must be her shoes...Lord, I love her shoes!!!!)
We have a real chance here ...here within the clever and careful thoughts spurred by research and knowledge ...and so share we should , good journalism /good writing best encourages.... to rest the chatter of our minds amidst this cacophony .
I read an email this morning about Meta being sued by 41 states for instigating addictive behaviors in teenagers , depression, and suicide.
Me thinks the ‘parental oversight ‘forgot about off buttons/structured time allotted for social things/ and that little word ‘no’ ...which btw needs enforced from day 1. I acknowledge the algorithms , the hard sell techniques, new toys, disinformation, capitalism pitfalls AND the religious/cults/demagoguery being captured by anyone or multiples.
WE have all skirted such or been part of at times ...education is but one key.
Evolving is currently a hot ticket , can we rise and better ourselves...again?
🤣, it was her natural self on 60 Minutes with Judy W. Heather lives in my home state , exudes a gathered , rugged ‘ downeasta’ wholesomeness in her dress and competent carriage, equally the teacher…but the shoes cinched it for me . “Now there’s a level headed woman!” I quipped to my husband , “ check out those shoes!”
Foundations, solid needs, she studies our foundations, well done Heather!
Also, her appearance on the LBJ Library gives a great view of Heather as herself- including the great shoes (I so agree about those!) and a stellar display of her delightful wit.
Wow! You said it, Richard! You will appreciate that every December for reasons I do not know. I get a letter from the RC bishops from Pennsylvania telling me how to vote and asking for money. It’s been fun watching Pope Francis recognizing over population and climate change, when my RC neighbor tells me “God will take care of climate change.” Science began with Galileo’s standing up for what he knew and the embrace of the Enlightenment which began to free us from superstition by studying and writing about what is as opposed to what were products of fearful imaginings.
Thank you. I have a 12 volume set of the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and his abounding curiosity should be an inspiration to the likes of Johnson, if he would be read them.
His fascination with science, and copious correspondence, is astonishing. I am reminded of one small thing, his excitement with a new gadget, the metronome. Musical performances had no fixed way of knowing a composers intent at rhythm, and this wonderful new device made it possible for each movement of any piece to contain a setting for the metronome.
Thank you for writing about Jefferson and the metronome. Having been to Monticello, I knew about his farming interests, but you are reminding us of what a Renaissance man he was.
Thanks for the info about the metronome. I did not know that Jefferson had invented it. Practice with a metronome is a darn near daily exercise for me.
He didn’t, it was originally invented by I think an eastern European . It was patented by a German man. I want to say he heard about it from Lavoisier, whose acquaintance he had made when ambassador to France, but…hey there are 12 volumes.
Good to know. I just know that, without a metronome, I would be incapable of "playing ahead of the beat" which you have to do on the tuba (18' of tubing plus sitting in the back row means making your noise earlier than you think...)
Galileo, one for whom the term "genius" fully applies, managed to calculate a numerical value for objects accelerating due to gravity, a benchmark for Newton and Einstein to build on. Since he had no metronome with which to quantify time, some speculate he used his pulse, but in any case a good-enough way to regulate the measure of time. A pendulum perhaps? He managed to extrapolate free fall from objects rolling down ramps.
Professor, if only you were in Congress! I would love to see you cut these bloviating “Christians” down to size with historical accuracy the way Katie Porter does with financial accuracy.
MAGA's would cover their ears, but I have seen Elizabeth Warren's keen knowledge of subject manner reduce some less prepared officials to awkward silence.
Some of the founding fathers were deists. They believed in a Creator God, who created the universe and left to operate according to the rules the Creator put in place, example gravity.
Jefferson was one such deist. He even created his own version of the Bible, cutting out the parts he disliked. What would Mike Johnson do with Jefferson?
Jefferson's Bible was not about cutting out the parts he didn't like. He was trying to separate the teaching of Jesus from the commentary of Paul and the other commentary written for centuries after Jesus lived.
Jefferson cut out the words attributed to Jesus and glued them into a journal, creating a Bible of Jesus's teachings.
What would Johnson do with Lincoln? Their heads are on the mountain and even on money. They are too famous to dis, and DJT discovered that Lincoln was a Republican, so what to do? I am sure that someone quoting some of Lincoln's less salient writing would be reflexively dismissed as a "Communist" by MAGAs. I notice and morn the removal of Lincoln's Birthday as a national holiday.
Johnson would not be at all pleased with Jefferson's heavily edited Bible.
Plus, the founders knew about auto-da-fé and were trying to popularize the equality of all “men.” They may have been a bit shocked at Abigail Adams, but they didn’t burn her at a stake. Never forget: even if Jesus embraced Mary Magdalene, the Catholic Church only “awarded” souls to women in the 12th century. But still you cannot teach that in public school. (If an international medievalist, a high church Episcopalian, hadn’t said it in class....)
Bravo Clearly explains our country’s position on church and state per the founders And cuts the new so called speaker who should know about separation of church and state down to size on his backhanded bill
Both church and state are corrupted when single-minded religious groups capture the civil powers of the state or when those entrusted with powers to defend all of the people misuse them to serve a personal or factional ideology. The Enlightenment mindset of the founders, while inadequate to recognize the equal rights of race and gender, still managed to legitimize and further a foundation for universal rights, which many still fight to expand today. Their acquaintance with advances in scientific thinking prized legitimacy established by testable logic and evidence, not prophecy. They did not reject individual faith in religion, but ruled it out as a basis for deciding matters of state that would require independent verification, such as guilt or innocence in a trial. The outcomes of theocratic governance can be observed throughout the world, and throughout history and can be compared to the outcomes of religiously tolerant, yet secularly governed societies. I know which option I would choose.
The Founding Fathers were well aware of the Crusades and the religious wars that had wracked Europe for the preceding 150 years. They probably knew about some of the tortures that Tomás de Torquemada (the Inquisition) inflicted upon "heretics," and the witch trials in the colonies. They knew that religion was a serious threat to the state. Moving forward, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini were all raised as Roman Catholics. It could merely be coincidental, but given that six of our Supreme Court Justices are Roman Catholic, I have little confidence that they can keep religion and despotic inclinations out of their decisions. I feel fairly confident that Speaker Mike Johnson has no problem with the concept that "the end justifies the means." What if Johnson and the MAGA Republicans simply shut down the government by starving it?
Two reminders: President Joe Biden is Catholic. And a truly excellent example of one who walks the walk instead of just talking the talk, unlike the dictators previously mentioned in your examples of world leaders no one should seek to emulate regardless which religion they were raised in.
Second, Leonard Leo is neither clergy nor theologian. His dark-money machinations represent capitalism, not the Roman Catholic church. Leo’s outsize, evil affects on Supreme Court nominations are terrifying and are currently, finally under investigation by the Justice Department.
Has the Catholic Church produced more than its fair share of evil autocrats? Yes. But so have most major religions. Netanyahu is Jewish and not exactly a great example of a mensch. Iran’s Ayatollahs cause untold harm with their death chants. Religion is a human construct; therefore has all the same problems humans do.
Please be careful judging all Catholics by the behaviors of the rich, powerful, mentally-deranged white guys who try to burn the world down. Has little or nothing to do with being a person of faith.
When power, money and egos (pride) go so far off the rails as the radical right coalition of Catholics and fundamentalist Christians has gone, we need to call out even those members of the cult who merely do nothing and say little or nothing. At some point it is a choice and an action to fail to oppose wrongful use of power and influence; we are long past that point with both the Republican Party and the Catholic and fundamentalist Christian religions (all 3 of which are tightly wrapped together in the current courts and political structures). Because politicians, and citizens in general, do not read history - or read only an edited, distorted version of it - they fail to realize how much religion was intentionally excluded from the founding principles of the US by virtually all of the white men we now revere as Founding Fathers. With all due respect to those who consider themselves "persons of faith", religion, which is a human construct, has done more damage and caused more misery and suffering than any other force in human existence. It has no place in the secular legal, political and social management of a diverse and inclusive world, country, state, town or any other secular organization. Our country was founded by people who'd seen and escaped religious interference and intended to establish a democratic Republic free of its pernicious influence.
I just have to say, with all due respect, that fellowship and bonding with others for comfort has offered a huge space for those in need. Religion has been there to offer this. But, yes, separation between church and state here in the US was Madison's goal.
I don't think all churches and temples house cult and not all cults are religious, but all cults prohibit and often severely punish cross-examination of the cults precepts, in which I can find no legitimacy. If one's basis for faith is robust, it should be able to withstand questioning and scrutiny. I think that the beginning of wisdom and civility is acknowledgment that every single one of us is human, fallible, and obliged to make consequential decisions with the benefit of certainty.
Like all other human constructs of power it can be used for good or evil, it depends on who the people using it elevate to power.
Look at us now. We have a choice between a man filled with love or a man filled with hate, and so many want to give power to the man filled with hate. It’s always been up to us. Which wolf do we feed? There’s only one mothership for all of us.
Amen
Tom, you nailed it. (Imho)....
Excellent points, Sheila. I didn't point out the atrocities perpetrated in the name of some of the other religions, Islam in particular. These religions are beliefs based on faith, which I define as the firm belief in the truth of something based on hope and conjecture. They have no facts to support their claims and reason is not on their side either. Our inability as a species in the generality to think critically, to get beyond our confirmation bias, to believe what we want to believe, costs us and the rest of the creatures that share this planet with us dearly.
By their action we will know them not by their claim of faith.
Richard, I'd like to comment on your statement about the inability of humans as a species to think critically. I think the opposite - the ABILITY to think critically is inborn in most of us, but how to execute that ability must be taught by others who have learned from previous others, etc. As must refraining from squashing it in the young by people in positions of power or authority over them, whether parents, teachers, "spiritual leaders" (which are often nothing of the kind, IMO), governmental officials, the media, employers/bosses, etc. That ability can become a disability if discouraged and prevented and punished enough. And someone who's motivated to obtain power as a consequence of effectively squashing the critical thinking ability in others can and will do so -as we have seen. Sadly.
And I completely agree with your comment on the truth that all religions are based in fantasy and wishing, not on anything real. Maybe someday as a species we'll outgrow the need for a Big Daddy to reward the good guys and punish the bad guys, and so fear being a bad guy ourselves. I suppose it's possible to be spiritual, in the sense of having an awareness of being fully entitled to belong within and be a part of the entire cosmos, and appreciate that (like appreciating music, or nature, that can bring ecstasy or joy) without having to have faith in, or even believe in the existence of, some superpower - but that spirituality doesn't lead to power, and money, so it's not very popular, as far as I can see.
“As must refraining from squashing it in the young by people in positions of power or authority over them, whether parents, teachers, "spiritual leaders"…”
Especially, the “shroud of shame”
I think we all have, to varying degrees, inborn capacity to develop any of the traits that humans possess, but more than other animals(even though many animals do this a lot), our behaviors are learned from experience and each other. We also have advanced powers of self-reflection and empathy that serve us as a species. we also have a unique, individual experience and identity, the sense of "me", that we all need, but becomes toxic is "me" is ultimately all that we care about. Some people encourage mindfulness, while malignant narcissists often encourage self-serving self-absorption, and build cults around it.
Some of the gullibility could be cultural. Thomas Frank, in his book, "What's the Matter with Kansas," shows how the oligarchs use the promulgation of wedge issues through the media to persuade ordinary Americans to vote against their own best social and economic interests. How far down the income ladder must they plunge before catching on to the Pied-Piper play on them? The oligarchs really do intend to turn this government into an oligarchical autocracy. Who said it, "Total power corrupts totally?"
Lynn Spann Bowditch, you do seem to be telling of a belief in what I'd term "mono-atheism". To state my position, I see myself as religious but mistrust beliefs and belief systems, especially those grounded in blind faith. Not only the creeds required by Christian churches but various forms of inculcated irrationality, including scientism and blind faith in the deity of our time, money.
It is, of course, a common projection to imagine that others have beliefs while we... have Knowledge.
Going back to what I called mono-atheism, this seems on the face of it to be a variation on the endemic disease of the monotheist religions. The notion that there is One truth is unbelievably powerful and its political usefulness is evident... Thus, it can become correspondingly dangerous in the hands of anyone in a position of power who proclaims he possesses that one truth. Anyone, regardless of religious belief.
In Buddhism, the danger is when someone whose motivation is unsound has attained great powers of concentration. Witness the case of Ashin Wirathu in Burma: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30930997.
Some other examples of religious or pseudo-religious abuse:
The Japanese militarists created a synthetic religion called State Shinto, centered on the deified Emperor, a ritualization of Japan's supposed spiritual superiority that integrated all the most negative features of the warriors' code. Buddhism was downgraded and everyone was obliged to join in imperial rites.
By demonizing the huge Muslim population of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succeeded in hammering the immensely diverse communities, beliefs and philosophies that go under the single label "Hinduism" into something more like a solid mass.
Hitler achieved something similar by deforming the great diversity of the German-speaking peoples into a seemingly monolithic unit, the Herrenvolk, destined to dominate all lesser races and obliterate those whom the Fuehrer demonized, in particular Jews and Roma.
Stalin persecuted all religions without exception until the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, when he understood the need to draw on the ancient identification of Slavic peoples with Orthodoxy in the defense or Russia and Ukraine from Mongols and Tatars in the east and Catholic Poles and Teutonic Knights in the West.
'Even as President Biden presses Israel to define clearly the goals of its war against Hamas in Gaza, he is turning his eyes to a much larger endgame: the ever-elusive hope for a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.'
'Speaking to reporters last week, Mr. Biden said that “when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution,” creating a sovereign Palestinian nation alongside the state of Israel.'
'The question is how hard Mr. Biden intends to work for that outcome.'
'Until last month, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not among his top priorities. A president focused on countering China and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had little time or inclination for a distant goal that stymied — and politically bruised — several of his predecessors.'
'Biden administration officials also doubted whether Israel’s increasingly hawkish leadership was interested in any plausible deal. They also wondered whether the Palestinians would trust the United States as a peace broker after four years of the Trump administration’s dramatically pro-Israel tilt and a Trump peace plan that the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, excluded from its devising, declared dead on arrival.'
'Unlike his recent predecessors, Mr. Biden did not appoint a special envoy for Middle East peace or task his secretary of state with trying to forge an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, he focused on mediating a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, hoping to leverage Israeli concessions to the Palestinians along the way.'
“It was not a tier-one policy objective to solve this conflict,” 'said David Makovsky, a former peace process negotiator in the Obama administration.' “The goal was to stabilize, and not trying and failing a fifth time.”
'Mr. Biden did not follow through on his promise to reopen a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem.'
'But even modest efforts proved surprisingly difficult, and some analysts believe that Mr. Biden’s minimalist approach neglected the Palestinians. In particular, Palestinians had hoped Mr. Biden would reverse several Trump-era decisions that downgraded diplomatic ties with the Palestinians and loosened guardrails on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.'
'It wasn’t to be.'
'As a candidate, Mr. Biden promised to reopen the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Mr. Trump shuttered, kicking out Palestinian representatives from the nation’s capital. Mr. Biden never acted on the pledge.'
'Nor did he follow through on his promise as a candidate to reopen a U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem — also shut down by Mr. Trump — that had long served as America’s local diplomatic point of contact for the Palestinians.'
'Many Palestinians also hoped that the United States under Mr. Biden would reinstate a State Department legal opinion declaring Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled the opinion, which had been in force for four decades. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has not moved to reverse it.' (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/us/politics/biden-israel-palestinians-peace.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7Uw.7Avo.xON-kEja5vGa&smid=url-share
Black journalist and writer Ta-Nehisi Coats delivered a complacency shattering interview on DemocracyNow.org in the second half of today's hour long news program.
None of us would want to miss it.
As for US envoys for Middle East peace, isn't it time to get the usual guardians of the tragic status quo out of the way and finally let a country with lived experience like Ireland or South Africa take the lead?
Shane, the usual "guardians of the tragic status quo" are also, in large part, the very creators and then perpetuators thereof. And yes, we - the US in particular - need to consent to being led for a change, and learn from the experience of others, such as and including Ireland and South Africa - not that there's entire peace in either of those places.
Coats was recently in occupied Palestine and applies his experience with race and discrimination to illuminate matters we have learned to ignore. We, of course, have for decades "adjusted to" excuses for bombing and occupation of country after country and our President has noted that arms production is a jobs program.
This is the problem of painting everyone with the same brush because of the behavior of certain individuals. Religion, like everything else, can be used for good or ill. I am currently, finally, reading Braiding Sweetgrass, where she talks constantly of a world view which sees natural world as a gift and a world view that sees everything as a commodity.
One of my favorite books! Thanks for the reminder. Time to reread, I think.
Sheila, Yes! Or listen to the author read it on the audio version. She has a hauntingly sweet voice. I listened to the book first, then went right out to buy the paperback so I could mark it up--then bought several copies to give away. It's a little costly, but worth it for special people!
Her father's morning coffee ritual reawakened my life of gratitude that had become dormant during the first year of the last administration.
I believe I recommended the book to this community some time ago now....
It is beautifully written. I am really enjoying it and every page is filled with something to think about.
Michele, and everything in the natural world is sacred--whatever one's spirituality or religious beliefs happen to be.
Some Christians have forgotten (or ignored) this. They believe they have dominion over creation, instead of responsibility to care for it (and each other). Thus we have enslavement, abuse of animals, and raping the earth--In my opinion the Garden--all with the implied permission of their particular version of God in Genesis....
Yes. So many people have no respect for other people let alone the earth. I listen every day to drivers roaring up and down our street and street racing at night. We had one instance where late at night a person hit a pedestrian on a nearby street and put the body in his car and drove it out of town and it seems to me just left the car. He did get caught thankfully.
I think in the end we are all persons of some sort of faith, but not all of it is theological, and not all theological faith is authoritarian, but some if it is, and it seems to me no accident that the authoritarian strain of religious interpretation melds with coercion of authoritarian politics. It is the religious spin of those who aim to lord it over others. The other strain aims to liberate, which is the nemesis of authoritarians, and, as was the case for MLK, often met with violence. And not all violence is physical, it often takes the form of pernicious lies, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, that both harms directly and creates environments where material violence is likely to occur.
It seems that many self-proclaimed Christians despise the poorest, worship money and the most monied, and dream of executions and war, seemingly the very antipode of thoughts attributed to Jesus.
I agree. i think the life of the spirit is important, but for some it becomes adherence to hatred and violence.
Or a narcissistic pretext for it.
Very well said.
The wonderful thing is how these all-powerful church hierarchies produced so many truly great saints and such marvels as the great cathedrals. (Who today could even imagine such music in stone as Hagia Sofia or Amiens cathedral... Or, moving to Islam, the mosques of Iran and Central Asia?)
The hierarchy produced the funding; the stone masons and mosaic artists produced the timeless beauty. I would love to see those mosques in person; thank heavens for the internet so at least I can enjoy photos!
One of the things that fascinates me as an artist was the freemason movement. Was it a movement of well-trained artisans who trained the next generation of artisans so the Cathedrals could be completed? Or was it a political movement? How did those, whose skills gave them a passport to travel, including income and respect, become such a force in Europe? Learning from many cultures is a well-established method of breaking down barriers. Yet, the Catholic Church seeks to create barriers - as in our way or you will be outed as a (pagan, infidel, whore, witch, take your pick) and be stoned, othered, attacked, left to starve. How is that Christian, by the way?
And how many of the authors of the US Constitution were Masons?
The Roman Catholic Church’s history is bathed in blood. Yet my dad became a conscientious objector growing up in the Catholic Church. Why did he “get” it and someone like Brett Kavanaugh become a Supreme Court Justice? Feel like a toddler some days with the constant question why.
Our democracy has been deeply damaged by the actions of those who call themselves Christian, including Evangelicals and Catholics. And the guardrails separating church from state are badly battered. ! You guessed it; why do they do that?
A couple more modern day saints would be helpful. Like my colleagues in the climate movement.
It is eerily possible. Johnson and his ilk do not want to know truth. They are too busy twisting it.
Jennifer, for me, I think that they are so invested in what they want to believe, that they can't recognize the truth, i.e., facts. They have a huge blind spot. It is a common phenomenon among humans, very common. Belief in an afterlife is the prime example.
The gop has been starving federal social support programs since their guru Reagan declared government is the problem!
Reagan-Trump "Republicans" pretend to hate "government" while yet making it more intrusive and heavy-handed upon those not in their club. It's "government of the people, by the people, for the people" neo-"Republicans" have come to despise, as well as the common weal, and it is that they have consistently attacked and dismantled these four plus decades, (just count the ways) in a wealth-fueled quest to reestablish something harking to feudalism.
I’m going to quibble with you. Stalin was not raised Roman Catholic. He attended a Russian Orthodox academy.
Those leaders, like today’s evangelicals, perverted the teachings of the Church. Can you imagine what Jesus would think of the prosperity gospel folks? I’m pretty sure he’d throw them out of the temple, reminding them of camels and eyes of needles.
Me thinks we go through these periods to emphasize and move above the din.
Hopefully enlightenment vs WWIII.
Heather encapsulates with historic precision , her Letters ARE enlightenment . ( Must be her shoes...Lord, I love her shoes!!!!)
We have a real chance here ...here within the clever and careful thoughts spurred by research and knowledge ...and so share we should , good journalism /good writing best encourages.... to rest the chatter of our minds amidst this cacophony .
I read an email this morning about Meta being sued by 41 states for instigating addictive behaviors in teenagers , depression, and suicide.
Me thinks the ‘parental oversight ‘forgot about off buttons/structured time allotted for social things/ and that little word ‘no’ ...which btw needs enforced from day 1. I acknowledge the algorithms , the hard sell techniques, new toys, disinformation, capitalism pitfalls AND the religious/cults/demagoguery being captured by anyone or multiples.
WE have all skirted such or been part of at times ...education is but one key.
Evolving is currently a hot ticket , can we rise and better ourselves...again?
This format and you give hope ...🫶
💙💙VOTE ALL COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
I’ve missed the shoes..do you have pictures?!🤪
🤣, it was her natural self on 60 Minutes with Judy W. Heather lives in my home state , exudes a gathered , rugged ‘ downeasta’ wholesomeness in her dress and competent carriage, equally the teacher…but the shoes cinched it for me . “Now there’s a level headed woman!” I quipped to my husband , “ check out those shoes!”
Foundations, solid needs, she studies our foundations, well done Heather!
Also, her appearance on the LBJ Library gives a great view of Heather as herself- including the great shoes (I so agree about those!) and a stellar display of her delightful wit.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbAayPUjtM
Also some neat still photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbjlibrarynow/albums/72177720312036685/
I still need to see that episode, thanks for the reminder! Yes, competency, level-headedness, humor, and smarts.
She included a pair in her 4/29/23 letter. 😁
Wow! You said it, Richard! You will appreciate that every December for reasons I do not know. I get a letter from the RC bishops from Pennsylvania telling me how to vote and asking for money. It’s been fun watching Pope Francis recognizing over population and climate change, when my RC neighbor tells me “God will take care of climate change.” Science began with Galileo’s standing up for what he knew and the embrace of the Enlightenment which began to free us from superstition by studying and writing about what is as opposed to what were products of fearful imaginings.
He’s trying😬😡
Correction to Richard Sutherland: Stalin was a seminarist in the Russian Orthodox Church before he became a bandit, then...
*
To the Kah-Gay-Bay
*
Our old Nobodaddy Joe
watches us from down below.
At the seminary, he
grew jealous of the Deity;
plotted there to take His place,
liquidate the human race,
leaving only Party cadres,
indispensable cadavers
and of course His Privates, We.
Thank you. I have a 12 volume set of the writings of Thomas Jefferson, and his abounding curiosity should be an inspiration to the likes of Johnson, if he would be read them.
His fascination with science, and copious correspondence, is astonishing. I am reminded of one small thing, his excitement with a new gadget, the metronome. Musical performances had no fixed way of knowing a composers intent at rhythm, and this wonderful new device made it possible for each movement of any piece to contain a setting for the metronome.
Johnson would likely want to ban it.
Thank you for writing about Jefferson and the metronome. Having been to Monticello, I knew about his farming interests, but you are reminding us of what a Renaissance man he was.
Thanks for the info about the metronome. I did not know that Jefferson had invented it. Practice with a metronome is a darn near daily exercise for me.
He didn’t, it was originally invented by I think an eastern European . It was patented by a German man. I want to say he heard about it from Lavoisier, whose acquaintance he had made when ambassador to France, but…hey there are 12 volumes.
Good to know. I just know that, without a metronome, I would be incapable of "playing ahead of the beat" which you have to do on the tuba (18' of tubing plus sitting in the back row means making your noise earlier than you think...)
I never thought about it. A well tempered tuba.
Galileo, one for whom the term "genius" fully applies, managed to calculate a numerical value for objects accelerating due to gravity, a benchmark for Newton and Einstein to build on. Since he had no metronome with which to quantify time, some speculate he used his pulse, but in any case a good-enough way to regulate the measure of time. A pendulum perhaps? He managed to extrapolate free fall from objects rolling down ramps.
No one has mentioned Jefferson’s (French) wine cellar. Don’t remember where I learned about that, but this seems a good thing to throw into the mix.
Professor, if only you were in Congress! I would love to see you cut these bloviating “Christians” down to size with historical accuracy the way Katie Porter does with financial accuracy.
MAGA's would cover their ears, but I have seen Elizabeth Warren's keen knowledge of subject manner reduce some less prepared officials to awkward silence.
Some of the founding fathers were deists. They believed in a Creator God, who created the universe and left to operate according to the rules the Creator put in place, example gravity.
Jefferson was one such deist. He even created his own version of the Bible, cutting out the parts he disliked. What would Mike Johnson do with Jefferson?
Jefferson's Bible was not about cutting out the parts he didn't like. He was trying to separate the teaching of Jesus from the commentary of Paul and the other commentary written for centuries after Jesus lived.
Jefferson cut out the words attributed to Jesus and glued them into a journal, creating a Bible of Jesus's teachings.
What would Johnson do with Lincoln? Their heads are on the mountain and even on money. They are too famous to dis, and DJT discovered that Lincoln was a Republican, so what to do? I am sure that someone quoting some of Lincoln's less salient writing would be reflexively dismissed as a "Communist" by MAGAs. I notice and morn the removal of Lincoln's Birthday as a national holiday.
Johnson would not be at all pleased with Jefferson's heavily edited Bible.
Plus, the founders knew about auto-da-fé and were trying to popularize the equality of all “men.” They may have been a bit shocked at Abigail Adams, but they didn’t burn her at a stake. Never forget: even if Jesus embraced Mary Magdalene, the Catholic Church only “awarded” souls to women in the 12th century. But still you cannot teach that in public school. (If an international medievalist, a high church Episcopalian, hadn’t said it in class....)
Repubs have been nothing but skilled at corrupting the messages of the founding fathers
Jeri Chilcutt. That is the most concise description of the MAGA Republican I’ve read
Thank you. Pretty good at cherry picking the Bible too. About ditched the NT.