I just read Hedges' piece. It was pure hate speech, but speech I believe the
Constitution protects.
It sounds like Hedges also wishes to restrict not only Christian
broadcasters, but also Christian schools, such as the one my son attends. His
real problem is not so much the "Christian fascists" he attacks so viciously,
but all three Clauses of the First Amendment.
Hedges piece is a sad and bitter piece, written by a man who believes that
both political parties have blessed "the unchecked rape of America" and that
those who believe in the teachings of the Bible have moved "from the
reality-based world to one of magic -- to fantastic visions of angels and
miracles, to a childlike belief that God has a plan for them and Jesus will
guide and protect them. This mythological worldview, one that has no use for
science or dispassionate, honest intellectual inquiry, one that promises that
the loss of jobs and health insurance does not matter, as long as you are right
with Jesus, offers a lying world of consistency that addresses the emotional
yearnings of desperate followers at the expense of reality."
I think the real threat we face is not Christian fascism, but rather
religious persecution directed at anyone who has a committed,"childlike" faith
in God and God's "lies", or who believes in "this mythological worldview." We
need a strong First Amendment now more than ever.
Returning to lurk mode, Rick Duncan
Rick Duncan
Welpton Professor of Law
University of Nebraska College of Law
Lincoln, NE 68583-0902
"It's a funny thing about us human beings: not many of us doubt God's existence
and then start sinning. Most of us sin and then start doubting His existence."
--J. Budziszewski (The Revenge of Conscience)
"Once again the ancient maxim is vindicated, that the perversion of the best
is the worst." -- Id.
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