I have had some negative feedback from a couple of readers about my recent postings on Catholic theology. Since two readers apparently comprise a significant percentage of this blog’s audience, I will consider your thoughts in future postings. I find debate on obscure theological points to be fascinating but I can see how it might be less so for others. In order to provide some context to my political opinions you all should probably be aware that that the political position I come from is basically that of a Catholic anarchist; I reject the current form of capitalism as practiced in the United States as inhumane and unsustainable and favor a return to a looser, collective style of governance with an emphasis on self-sufficiency and living lightly on the land. The link on the sidebar about distributivism is a good place to start if you are looking to understand my economic philosophy, although I transcend all ideologies and embrace my own brand of anarchism because I basically have the massive ego of a trial lawyer.
So in the Times this morning was yet another tale of the evangelical nut-jobs forcing their way into the public schools trying to save the students from their definition of evil. Two things made this story especially noteworthy. First, the school at issue is located in Edison New Jersey about ten miles from Manhattan; Second, most of the parents and students interviewed support the teacher over the student who reported the teacher’s illegal activity. Now this was supposed to be a class on the history of the constitution but the teacher apparently thought class to be an appropriate forum to disseminate his opinion that, “[E]volution and the Big Bang were not scientific, that dinosaurs were aboard Noah’s ark, and that only Christians had a place in heaven.” It should be noted that the teacher is also a preacher at some mega Protestant church or other. What this has to do with the Constitution I don’t know. What it has to do with the religious right’s agenda to subvert the Constitution’s separation of Church and state is much clearer.
2 comments:
What does it have to do with the Constitution? The teacher is expressing his religion views, showing them an example of the constitution's promise of freedom of religion as well as of expression. As long as the kids don't get graded on his views but on what in the constitution protects a person, generally speaking, to state such views, all is fine. Just because he is a preacher and actually believes these views doesn't necessarily negate that this could be his intention. . .but of course, I am completely joking here. .
Curiously enought that was his argument; that by not letting him proselytize in class HIS Constitutional right to free speech was being violated. Funny how the right wingers are only strict constructionists when they want to limit the rights of others; they become quite expansive in their interpretations when its their own rights that they want to expand.
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