Everyone who cares has likely already heard about it, so I just want to jot down my position on the matter.
Who cares?
Here’s the thing – the Republicans have no choice but to invoke their religious beliefs within their policy. You simply can’t get elected by the Christian Conservatives without doing so. Now, lets ignore for a second how incredibly terrifying and pathetic that is, and focus on why that makes religion relevant for, say, McCain. If he wants his religion to be important enough that he should be elected, or not, based on his beliefs, then its quite clear that those beliefs will have a very direct impact on his policy, right? If not, then why does it matter? Its not a case of helping to establish character, because, quite obviously, Obama has been able to convey his character quite well without invoking his religion.
With Obama, he’s made us aware of his beliefs because people asked. Personally, I don’t give a shit if he worships Tony the Tiger, so long as he doesn’t make it relevant to his policy. And guess what? He doesn’t! He’s quite able to keep his private and religious life private, and let his positions speak for themselves. That’s the way it should be. After all, we’re not all Christians/Muslims/etc! Besides, how could your Christian-based international policy be effective in India?
I will say, though, that I do agree with many of Wright’s remarks regarding the US being an empirical evil shell of it’s former self, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Aggressive Atheists
July 25, 2008 — B