The ‘moral architecture' of religion, cracks and all
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Thank you for Libes's wonderful essay.
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Jim Nicoletti
Wellesley
The following is an edited sampling of comments
readers posted in response to Liza Libes's Ideas piece:
C.S. Lewis 'was simply proposing a philosophy for how to live well,' Libes writes. I think the author of 'The Screwtape Letters' would disagree with this assessment. He had been, like Libes, a committed atheist. He became, very reluctantly, a convert to Christianity because he could not reason away the presence of God and the logic of the Gospel. (sideflare)
I find that the progressive bent of tolerance for everything except intolerance often turns into overt discrimination against people with certain religious beliefs. This is not an easy issue, but to me it often makes progressives look downright hypocritical rather than open-minded like this author. (DPier)
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I identify with the strong progressive social justice posture that the author articulates. While I think there is something to be learned from the tenets of many religious doctrines, I have come to witness that religious ideology and certainly religious fanaticism can impart more harm than good. I am far more drawn to spirituality — a notion not at all mentioned in the essay. The capacity to ask deep questions and nurture one's soul, pursued both in solitude and community, offers meaningful benefits. I find that religion, which many might argue is a form or spiritual learning, also creates division in society, undermining the sense of acceptance, unity, and love that many religions purport. In my view, religion defeats itself. Perhaps it simply tries too hard. (Melting glacier up ahead)
True, religious fanaticism can do more harm than good, but let's take a look at what secular fanaticism has brought us. There are lots of examples around the world where religion and churches have been banned or severely restricted and things didn't turn out so well. The killing and suffering under secular regimes doesn't prove that religious societies are any better than secular ones, but I think it shows how we're all better off believing what we want and letting others do the same. The Founding Fathers got it right; there's a reason they made freedom of religion the very first part of the Constitution. (NicksterNH)
Freedom of religion means I get to be free of yours. It is when others try to impose their beliefs on me or take the attitude that they are superior to me because of difference in beliefs that it becomes something abrasive and frustrating. (RiecaElex)
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This discussion would make a little more sense to me if Christians hadn't made the polar opposite of Jesus our president — twice. They exposed themselves and their beliefs as fraudulent and showed me that they're just like everyone else out there — in it for themselves and what they want. (rickefoose)
Christians come in many forms and beliefs. Some self-claimed Christians do evil in the name of God, but the United States has many good Christians who need to speak up more to show the love and acceptance of Jesus. (eastsight)
We're waiting. (9.10.61)
The former priest of our parish told us that the word bible is an acronym for basic instruction before leaving earth. Religion teaches people how to live a life with purpose and compassion. Man is corruptible. God is truth. (Saint George)
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- USA Today
Former CEO of Christian nonprofit pleads guilty to possessing child pornography
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New York Post
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Terrified Druze Syrians speak out after deadly violence: ‘They just kill people everywhere'
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The Hill
9 hours ago
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‘South Park' vs. Trump: And the little children shall lead them
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Many believed the approval was delayed to force the network into settling Trump's lawsuit against '60 Minutes' for $16 million, litigation which many legal and media figures considered to be without merit. But Parker and Stone have a benefit not afforded to other Trump media critics. Unlike Colbert and 'The Late Show,' their show makes money for Paramount. Just days before the 'South Park' season opener, the pair signed a five-year contract with the studio for $1.5 billion — yes, you read that right, with a 'b' — for 10 episodes per season. The deal may make Parker and Stone bulletproof to any Trump lawsuits. If not, their pockets are at least deep. In fact, factoring in their 'The Book of Mormon' financial behemoth, they may be worth more than Trump himself. As in seasons past, this episode of 'South Park' weaves scatology with eschatology, placing the Christian cosmos at its center, as I have written pr e viously. This episode begins at South Park Elementary School, where the principal had previously embraced diversity, equity and inclusion — which he describes more simply as 'kindness.' Since the November election, he, like so many, has cravenly flipped. At a student assembly, the principal now embraces compelling students to accept Jesus as their personal lord and savior —to the point where Jesus himself comes down from Heaven to make his pitch, even in the lunchroom. At first one parent objects. 'What's Jesus doing in your school?' Randy Marsh asks the principal. Another character asks, 'What the hell is this president doing? He doesn't even act like a Christian.' Without what Trump calls 'wokeness,' student Eric Cartman, a reformed bigot and antisemite, says, 'Everyone hates the Jews. Everyone is fine with using gay slurs. It's terrible. Because,' he says, near tears, 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do.' Jesus cautions Trump's 'South Park' opponents that, as an unhinged, omnipotent megalomaniac, the president 'can do anything he wants to anyone.' 'You really want to end up like Colbert?' Jesus asks at one point. Jesus says he only returned to South Park to warn the townspeople. 'I didn't want to come back to the school, but I had no choice because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount. … The guy can do whatever he wants now that someone backed down. … If someone has the power of the presidency, and also the power to sue and take bribes, then he can do anything to anyone.' Rather than unalloyed outrage at what some would call (and have called) the blasphemous portrayal of Jesus in this and previous 'South Park' episodes, some Christians take a more nuanced view. Veteran speaker and writer Rusty Wright told me, 'As a longtime Jesus-follower, I can appreciate faith-skeptics' criticisms, because I once was one. 'South Park' gets it right in that too many Christians can be pushy, controlling and intolerant. 'South Park's' Jesus portrayal might be more credible if he befriended more of his critics, was less PR-anxious, and expressed confidence in divine ability to bring good from difficult situations.' The cartoon Trump, meanwhile, is literally in bed with Satan, his longtime boyfriend. The devil is so upset with him that he refuses the president sex, saying Trump is beginning to remind him of his previous boyfriend, Saddam Hussein. Satan is also disturbed to learn that Trump has appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files. When the town of South Park is sued by Trump for $5 billion for opposing the president, they settle for $3.5 million, but with the added requirement of producing 50 public service announcements extolling the president's virtues. The first one … well, let's just say it doesn't help his cause. There may be an actual political dimension to the episode. The show's key demographic is young males, precisely the cohort that has been drifting toward Trump. If they are persuaded by the episode that Trump is a tyrannical buffoon and a fair target for ridicule, that may affect their next trip to the polls. Mark I. Pinsky is the author of 'The Gospel According to The Simpsons' and has written extensively about the intersection of religion, popular culture and politics.
