We need more voices like Steve Waldman:
I was waiting to go on a conservative talk radio show and heard the host say that John Kerry and his supporters "have no God" because they don’t stand up to evil. He went on to claim that "even the mention of God terrifies them." As for religious people who go to church regularly but vote Democratic, he said, "I see them as sort of phonies."
Then I came on, and his question to me was, "Why do secular people think we're all a bunch of intolerant people?"
I’ve heard similarly clueless statements from liberals who simultaneously talk about the need for fairness then compare the Bush administration to the Taliban or the Nazis.
I’m not going to attempt to bring peace to the land right now but thought it might be worthwhile to sketch the top ways that liberals misunderstand well-meaning religious conservatives, and vice versa.
TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #1
They're Just As Moral As Conservatives
TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #1
They're Just As Smart As Liberals
TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #2
Most Are Religious
TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #2
They Don't Want a Religious Dictatorship
TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #3
They Believe History Is On the Side of Tolerance
TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #3
The Pro-Life Position Is Born of Compassion
TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #4
Most Support Separation of Church and State to Protect Religion
TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #4
They Feel Under Assault
TRUTH ABOUT LIBERALS #5
Family Values Are Revered
TRUTH ABOUT CONSERVATIVES #5
They Believe American Culture Has Become An Insult to God
On both sides, discourse now moves swiftly from disagreement into
demonizing, from contrast to caricature. The worst motives are always
assumed. Both camps have polemicists who win popularity, ratings, and
book sales by devising ever more clever ways of ripping the eyelids off
their opponents. We all know the visceral satisfactions of hanging out
with our home-team blogs and watching the TV or radio stations that fit
our worldview. Our politicians and pundits happily supply us with the
voodoo dolls and the pins. But we'd be smarter not to use them.
I’m not saying the conflicting values aren’t profound and important. But I am saying that if we choose
to find the legitimate underpinnings of our ideological opponents'
arguments, we can. It may not be as much fun, but it is more patriotic.
your quote from steve is microscopic, just thought you'd want to know.
i LOVE your title! i'm still laughing!
Posted by: bobbie | Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 04:24 PM