Editorials

The conversations sparked by the death of polemicist extraordinaire Christopher Hitchens have touched on topics ranging from national politics to the Iraq invasion to atheism. While loathing ignorance in all its forms, Hitchens routinely stomached the company of its greatest purveyors to see it appropriately ridiculed.

Sometimes, however, it is from an unexpected angle that stupidity regarding the religious enterprise makes itself known. Appearing as a panelist to discuss (in part) the life and death of Christopher Hitchens, Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter professed with an unbecoming smugness that to "believe there is no god is just as much an article of faith as to believe there is one." (paraphrased) (1) When ignorance of John Q. Church takes this form it is boorish and unsurprising; when an Oxford Ph.D. working at Princeton utters such inanities it smacks of dishonesty.

How many times have you said that phrase or heard your kids say it over and over again?  Most of us have had the experience of anxiously anticipating some future event.  When will we get there?  I expect a raise at my next evaluation;  When will I find the perfect mate;  Will the kids move out to attend college;  I am passed 60 but still do childish things - Will I ever be an adult?  I have experienced all of these events and thinking back on them brings back fond memories.  But let us turn our attention to a magnanimous event that hundreds of millions of people have been anticipating for a very long time.

This anxiously anticipated event just happens to be the second coming of Jesus Christ.

There are thousands of examples of religious oppression throughout human kinds colorful past. A few examples are so outlandish that it is easy for anyone to recognize the oppression.  Take for instance the Christians being fed to the lions in the Roman coliseums or the Spanish Inquisition or the Salem witch trials.  Modern day examples of oppression are at times harder to recognize. The subtle nature of some issues tends to cause huge debates on whether there is oppression or not.  It is easier to see this religious prejudice when looking through the eyes of the one being oppressed.    If you were looking through the eyes of the religious majority, however, you would not necessarily see the oppression but might only think you are doing the work required by your particular brand of religion. 

How do you answer the question – “What does it mean to be an American?” Most Americans would agree this is a country where every citizen has the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We all have these same rights without regard to the color of your skin, your sex, your age, country of origin, political philosophy or religion. 

Uh, well, maybe not that last one.

In our country a battle is brewing between those who wish to destroy the wall separating church and state and those that want to protect and strengthen the wall - the same wall that has for centuries protected the rights of all Americans to have the freedom to believe as they wish. The competing sides of this debate are using a plethora of tactics to stealthily maneuver in and out of government created loopholes and gray areas.